catsclaw227
First Post
Nebulous said:
Share! Share! Share!
I haven't used sound effects yet, we just have background music. Where do you collect sounds and how do you integrate them?
Most Common House Rules
- Thread starter catsclaw227
- Start date
Share! Share! Share!
I haven't used sound effects yet, we just have background music. Where do you collect sounds and how do you integrate them?
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
For my next game, I will do character score generation by inviting everyone over and having them briefly discuss their character idea. Then each player will roll 4d6, drop one, seven times. We'll put those on a big sheet of paper -- and the the players, as a group, can decide who gets what score. They can spread them out, give one person lots of high scores, whatever they like. I expect it'll build some fun teamwork.
lukelightning
First Post
der_kluge said:
That's not a house rule, that's RAW.
catsclaw227
First Post
der_kluge said:
I agree. I tried using grim n' gritty rules for HP and wounds. That just opened a huge can of worms.
der_kluge said:
I like this one.
der_kluge said:- Whenever the game pauses as a result of confusion over whether a creature could get an attack of opportunity or not, it doesn't.
It's funny how much this happens, not just with AoO, but with the myriad rules that 3.5 has brought along that made the game as tactical as it is.
I also use the common sense rule too, though when it works against the PCs, it's amazing how often common sense somehow doesn't sound like common sense to the PCs.
Nebulous
Legend
catsclaw227 said:Share! Share! Share!
I haven't used sound effects yet, we just have background music. Where do you collect sounds and how do you integrate them?
My brother gave me a few hundred on a CD years back. Drips, screams, footsteps, rain, thunder, babies, machinery, etc. I've searched around on my own to find more. There are thousands of low-res (but suitable) sfx for free. You're not mixing sounds for a movie, just a gaming table. In addition, i like to use simple sound editing software to modify speed, echo, and cut and splice sounds together, such as a pistol/pistol/pistol/shotgun loop. One day we got together and made our Tavern sounds by having 4 guys talking indisinctly, clanking mugs together, and then spliced it with a whimsical tune. Worked like gold after some tweaking. I've modulated my own voice into a demonic spirit crying for help. Frickin' creepy.
I think the RPG mixer will be ideal for letting me hotkey sounds. It will save time. With a punch of a button i can have a bloodcurdling orc scream or a dragon roar without searching for it on the laptop.
Psion
Adventurer
catsclaw227 said:
Creatures/NPCs using the elite array get +1 skill point level and advanced feat progression (every odd level)
Creatures/NPCs using the heroic array get +2 skill point per level and advanced feat progression (as above).
Typical monsters out of the book aren't changed.
Space Coyote
First Post
I have a lot of minor house rules, but here are some of my more *major* house rules:
-Worn armor (actually armor, not natural armor, not Mage Armor, etc) gets an armor check against criticals. If you are wearing armor and get hit with a critical, roll d20+armours base bonus (e.g. +4 for chain shirt, +8 for full plate, etc). If this totals 21+ then the hit does normal damage. You get 2 checks if you also have Fortification. (This was done to make wearing armor more "appealing". I found that because of the limitations of armor, everyone (even Barbarians) are wearing bracers more often than armor)
-Spells which give random temporary hitpoints (Aid, False Life, Heroes feast, etc), just take the maximum instead of rolling. (I hate having piddly rules like rolling for temp hit points when a set number is fine.)
-Toughness feat is +1 hit point per level and it stacks if you take the feat more than once. (the +3 hit points was too weak and the more hit points characters have the better)
-Hobby skills. Every character gets 3 skills, chosen at level 1, that advance automatically at maximum ranks. I made a list of skills that players choose from that represent skills that could be a "hobby" or even a second profession. Skills like Appraise, Climb, Knowledge, Profession, Survival. These skills automatically advance at full rank and are considered 'class skills' for that character for all intents and purposes. (this was done because I felt that some classes were lacking in skills. Players were not taking skills like appraise, knowledge, etc because they needed to spend skill points on skills they would be using the most often)
-Clerics can spontaneously convert existing spells into any spell in their domain spell lists. This works like their ability to spontaneously convert spells to "Cure" spells, but they can do it for any of the spells in their domain list as well. (this was done for flavour)
-Specialist Wizards can spontaneously convert and cast spells in their specialist fields. For example, when an Evoker prepares their spells for the day, they dont have to prepare any evocation spells at all. Instead, then can just spontaneously convert prepared spells to Evocation spells. (this was done to make specialist wizards more appealing).
I've decided to only use house rules to add to something that I think is lacking or needs balancing. I found that adding too many house rules for "flavour" results in too many house rules. I figured that if I wanted to go with house rules for a lot of "flavor" items, then I would just make up a campaign setting.
-Worn armor (actually armor, not natural armor, not Mage Armor, etc) gets an armor check against criticals. If you are wearing armor and get hit with a critical, roll d20+armours base bonus (e.g. +4 for chain shirt, +8 for full plate, etc). If this totals 21+ then the hit does normal damage. You get 2 checks if you also have Fortification. (This was done to make wearing armor more "appealing". I found that because of the limitations of armor, everyone (even Barbarians) are wearing bracers more often than armor)
-Spells which give random temporary hitpoints (Aid, False Life, Heroes feast, etc), just take the maximum instead of rolling. (I hate having piddly rules like rolling for temp hit points when a set number is fine.)
-Toughness feat is +1 hit point per level and it stacks if you take the feat more than once. (the +3 hit points was too weak and the more hit points characters have the better)
-Hobby skills. Every character gets 3 skills, chosen at level 1, that advance automatically at maximum ranks. I made a list of skills that players choose from that represent skills that could be a "hobby" or even a second profession. Skills like Appraise, Climb, Knowledge, Profession, Survival. These skills automatically advance at full rank and are considered 'class skills' for that character for all intents and purposes. (this was done because I felt that some classes were lacking in skills. Players were not taking skills like appraise, knowledge, etc because they needed to spend skill points on skills they would be using the most often)
-Clerics can spontaneously convert existing spells into any spell in their domain spell lists. This works like their ability to spontaneously convert spells to "Cure" spells, but they can do it for any of the spells in their domain list as well. (this was done for flavour)
-Specialist Wizards can spontaneously convert and cast spells in their specialist fields. For example, when an Evoker prepares their spells for the day, they dont have to prepare any evocation spells at all. Instead, then can just spontaneously convert prepared spells to Evocation spells. (this was done to make specialist wizards more appealing).
I've decided to only use house rules to add to something that I think is lacking or needs balancing. I found that adding too many house rules for "flavour" results in too many house rules. I figured that if I wanted to go with house rules for a lot of "flavor" items, then I would just make up a campaign setting.
catsclaw227
First Post
Space Coyote said:
Interesting idea.
Space Coyote said:
PHB II has an alternate ability called Spontaneous Domain Casting (or something like that) that replaces the spontaneous casting of cure spells, and I have seen it used as a feat that adds spontaneous domain casting in addition to cure spells, and I've been using this too, ever since I saw it in Green Ronin's (awesome) Book of the Righteous.
Space Coyote said:
I have a feeling this might make Wizards a bit overpowered compared to their Sorcerer counterparts.
lukelightning
First Post
der_kluge said:Oh. Well, in that case, I guess it's a good rule!
The max hit points rule was probably an incredibly widespread houserule that was finally adopted, much like the "not dead till -10hp" rule. It used to be you were dead at 0, back in the day when we had to walk uphill both ways through 10' of snow to get to the dungeon and wizards were "magic-users."
