So, in an amusing thread not on this forum i had fun when two house rules i use were equally branded as "insane" in quick responses in a "tell us some of your your house rules" thread. What was amusing is one made no changes to the "balance of play" and changed not one chance of success (players make all the rolls, not me, so tyey role Ac to "not get hit" instead of me rolling for the orc to hit, etc) while the other one, this one, makes major changes.
But i wanted to share it with you folks just for grins and giggles.
Preamble: My preferences are that the vast majority of the balancing and impactful factors come from PC-related stats, features, abilities - not from specific qualities and quantities of gear. So, majorly impactful effects that come from "stuff" are not my favorite thing to see in games i run. one reason is that whether or not those items appear is mostly Gm fiat, not player driven. Second is i feel that diminishes the player character choices and player choices about their character. So, i vastly prefer limits, resoruces and features that derive from the character, not from "availability" of certain gear.
Problem: What i wanted to address in two separate campaigns was the impact of "healing erquipment." such as "common healing potions." if presented as freely as the DMg and PHb indicate they provide a sloshing PC a rather "limited by availability and gold" ability to recover in just a few minutes lost Hp after any fight. That takes a lot of the "sustainability and value of healing magics and features and places it squarely in the hands of "how many do we find or how many can we buy" Gm control - with a nod for crafting but that also brings in time. (egads i so remember the Wands of CLW from 3.5e)
Disclaimer: i have ZERO concern over "standard scenario balance". I have zero concern that a 5th level party playing under these rules is "more powerful" in ABC scenario than a standard party under standard rules will be. Encounters threats and so on all are done within the context of the game world being played at that table - not some imagined "standard."
Insanity (Solution): In my last campaign and my current one i made the following changes:
gear that actually heals hit points is rare or worse. healing potions are rare, not common.
gear that "allows you to "spend HD" without a rest is more common. Elixirs of Recovery allow you to spend HD and take just an action to quaff.
Magical healing when applied *allows you to spend HD" on the spot to add to the healing done. You still only regain HD at the rate of half-at-most during a long rest though.
To be very very very clear, "before the OMG do you mean even..." a 20th level paladin could touch you for 1HP healing and your could spend all 20 of your HD to augment that heal. So could a single healing word, etc.
it is accepted and known that HD *are* an in-combat resource - but one that recovers very slowly. Scenarios, threats, enemies, encounters are balanced accordingly.
So, with so little "off-the-books" magic healing from gear (common gear) removed this becomes a managed resource that follows you forward through an adventure until you get one or even two good long rests.
So far, it has played wonderfully over an 18 month campaign and the current one which is only about four months along now. Removing "stacks of extra points potions" and their ilk keeps drawing it back to resources that are limited by the characters traits, not gear they find, and which leaves that in the hands of the players to choose to use or hold as they see fit.
Obviously, it changes tactics and some play. but so far the combination has been fine and been fun.
obviously insane but we are crazy that way!
But i wanted to share it with you folks just for grins and giggles.
Preamble: My preferences are that the vast majority of the balancing and impactful factors come from PC-related stats, features, abilities - not from specific qualities and quantities of gear. So, majorly impactful effects that come from "stuff" are not my favorite thing to see in games i run. one reason is that whether or not those items appear is mostly Gm fiat, not player driven. Second is i feel that diminishes the player character choices and player choices about their character. So, i vastly prefer limits, resoruces and features that derive from the character, not from "availability" of certain gear.
Problem: What i wanted to address in two separate campaigns was the impact of "healing erquipment." such as "common healing potions." if presented as freely as the DMg and PHb indicate they provide a sloshing PC a rather "limited by availability and gold" ability to recover in just a few minutes lost Hp after any fight. That takes a lot of the "sustainability and value of healing magics and features and places it squarely in the hands of "how many do we find or how many can we buy" Gm control - with a nod for crafting but that also brings in time. (egads i so remember the Wands of CLW from 3.5e)
Disclaimer: i have ZERO concern over "standard scenario balance". I have zero concern that a 5th level party playing under these rules is "more powerful" in ABC scenario than a standard party under standard rules will be. Encounters threats and so on all are done within the context of the game world being played at that table - not some imagined "standard."
Insanity (Solution): In my last campaign and my current one i made the following changes:
gear that actually heals hit points is rare or worse. healing potions are rare, not common.
gear that "allows you to "spend HD" without a rest is more common. Elixirs of Recovery allow you to spend HD and take just an action to quaff.
Magical healing when applied *allows you to spend HD" on the spot to add to the healing done. You still only regain HD at the rate of half-at-most during a long rest though.
To be very very very clear, "before the OMG do you mean even..." a 20th level paladin could touch you for 1HP healing and your could spend all 20 of your HD to augment that heal. So could a single healing word, etc.
it is accepted and known that HD *are* an in-combat resource - but one that recovers very slowly. Scenarios, threats, enemies, encounters are balanced accordingly.
So, with so little "off-the-books" magic healing from gear (common gear) removed this becomes a managed resource that follows you forward through an adventure until you get one or even two good long rests.
So far, it has played wonderfully over an 18 month campaign and the current one which is only about four months along now. Removing "stacks of extra points potions" and their ilk keeps drawing it back to resources that are limited by the characters traits, not gear they find, and which leaves that in the hands of the players to choose to use or hold as they see fit.
Obviously, it changes tactics and some play. but so far the combination has been fine and been fun.
obviously insane but we are crazy that way!