D&D 3E/3.5 What are your current 3.5 House Rules?

I am really curious to know what other DMs are house rulling for their 3.5 games. Right now I'm attempting to compile a list of the best house rules for the new version.

Post them here if you don't mind, or links to someone's home page if they have a list up.

If you post the link (or your link) please comment on why your rules have changed.

Thanks,

Aluvial

I haven't started a 3.5 game yet, but the only thing I know I'll house-rule is to remove weapon familiarity. Exotic weapons aren't exotic because they're foreign, they're exotic because they're hard to use. If a dwarf wants to fight with a waraxe, he needs to spend some time in training like everyone else.

Hey Jack!

What good is the ninja warrior's precise attack? I mean +1 damage 1/round is pretty much no biggie to anyone, maybe if it was +1d6 it would be worth counting but just +1 damage is nothing. Any comment on it?

Technik

Main House rules to date:

Whip stays as a ranged weapon. It does not make sense as a melee weapon, and if anyone's ever played around with a whip, it is *not* a strength-based strike.

Slingers can reload as a free action 1/round if they have Quick-draw, 1/round if they have Rapid Reload.

Alter Self is not a 'humanoid-polymorph' - stays similar to 3.0E

Those are the main ones!

Staffan said:

I haven't started a 3.5 game yet, but the only thing I know I'll house-rule is to remove weapon familiarity. Exotic weapons aren't exotic because they're foreign, they're exotic because they're hard to use. If a dwarf wants to fight with a waraxe, he needs to spend some time in training like everyone else.

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Actually I think this rule makes a lot of sense. The dwarf did spend time training with it when he was a wee lad they all had waraxe toys that were scale modles of the real thing. If exoctic weapons are exoctic purly because they are difficult to use then why is the whip a simple weapon?

Staffan said:

I haven't started a 3.5 game yet, but the only thing I know I'll house-rule is to remove weapon familiarity. Exotic weapons aren't exotic because they're foreign, they're exotic because they're hard to use. If a dwarf wants to fight with a waraxe, he needs to spend some time in training like everyone else.

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Hmm, I liked that one... I did think that halflings got the short end of the stick on that one! They should have gotten a weapon familiarity... say a shortspear or sling.

Anyway, I'm thinking about putting back the magic plusses for Damage Reduction... I hate to think that some creatures (dragons for instance) can be hit by a measly +1.

I like the other DR rules though!

Also, I think I'm going to allow Endure Elements to remain as the 3.0 version. I don't like that there is now a 2nd level version that does 10, a 3rd level version that does 12, and a 4th level version that does 15. Seems silly. I would like it to go to 5, 10, and 15 points versus any one energy type... I think that would make the spells more viable, other wise the bonuses are too close together.

I know that I'm going to allow the option to roll for the enhancement (Bull's Str, Owl's Wis, Fox's Cunning) type of spells. I'll keep the new duration, but allow the opportunity to choose between the straight +4 or the roll of 1d4+1 (i.e., 2-5). I always liked the randomness of it, and it will give the character with a odd numbered score a chance to achieve a +3 to the modifier at the equal chance risk of a +1. 50% of the time she'll get the +2 modifer anyway!

Any others?? I really would like to see the stuff that people are going to change.

Aluvial

Technik4 said:

Hey Jack!

What good is the ninja warrior's precise attack? I mean +1 damage 1/round is pretty much no biggie to anyone, maybe if it was +1d6 it would be worth counting but just +1 damage is nothing. Any comment on it?

Technik

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It's ripped straight from the Star Wars scoundrel class. +1 damage once per round is about half as powerful as weapon specialization... but when it goes up with levels, it approaches euqal use, because even though it's only once per round, it works with any weapon the ninja uses.

Oh, and by the way, all of my basic house rules are up for download at http://www.geocities.com/ivan_327/resetting.htm if you're intrested. The good stuff is really all in chapter one, but the classes can be pretty interesting too.

A sampling:

Dwarves lost automatic search for traps (they can still do it for secret doors) and +2 on saves vs. magic. Note that they are still better than half-orcs.

Half-elves lose the Diplomacy and Gather Info, get bonus Skill Focus feat at 1st and every 5th level (similar to humans' 1/level, but different enough to be unique).

Multiclassing grants one starting feat/level.

Clerics get Sense Motive.

Druids were not underpowered. No spontaneous summoning.

Changed ranger to non-magical.

Sorc is a hybrid of BOEM II and 3.5 (because the problem spells have been fixed)

Wizard specialists can't learn non-PHB spells outside of their speciality. Generalists can learn any approved non-PHB spells, regardless of school.
Divination is treated like every other school. Anyone that thinks its the weakest school needs to get their head checked.

Using the Sneak skill from AU

No rapid shot or manyshot

Spell Focus and GSF grants +1 DC and +1 caster level

New Feat: Called Shot, like Power Attack but for Dex-based attacks

No spiked chain

Heavy Crossbow: 2d6 damage, +2 damage for each -1 attack with Called Shot

Medium armor cuts run speed, Heavy armor cuts base speed; this has revolutionized the game; people wear medium armor!

Using a bunch of 3.0 versions of spells (why was spider climb 2nd level?)

Shield: at time of casting the caster can instead choose to make the shield immobile, and it gives full cover; this makes it worth taking relative to mage armor

Slow: like hold person (one save per round) except that a successful save doesn't end the spell; doesn't cut speed

Tasha's: way overpowered now; change duration to special; spell lasts until a save is made; new save each round with a cumulative +1 bonus

Daze Monster is useless; remove the HD limit and change to stunned for 1d3 rounds

Spell Focus grants a +2 bonus.

There are no such Feats as "Greater Spell Focus" or "Combat Casting". Everywhere you see "Combat Casting" as a requirement, substitute Skill Focus (Concentration).

There is no such spell as Magic Missile.

There are no spells that buff mental stats.

You get bonus Racial HP at 1st level instead of getting max HP from your first HD. You roll for HP at every level.

Clerics, Druids and Paladins get Sense Motive.
Wizards get Decipher Script.
Sorcerers get Use Magic Device.

I think that's about it.

-- Nifft