Campaign Ground Rules

[Baby Samurai]

What do you think?

CAMPAIGN GROUND RULES:​

-22, 25, 28, or 32 Point Buy (depending on campaign)

-Double Hit Points at first level (d4 = 8, d6 = 12, d8 = 16, d10 = 20, d12 = 24)

-Fixed Hit Points for levelling (d4 = 3, d6 = 4, d8 = 5, d10 = 6, d12 = 7)

-Maximum wealth at first level

-Certain non-Core WotC/Paizo material/variants available upon request (Player’s Handbook II/Dungeon Master’s Guide II/Races of series/Complete series/Expanded Psioincs Handbook/Magic of Incarnum/Tome of Magic/Tome of Battle/Book of Exalted Deeds/Book of Vile Darkness/Unearthed Arcana/WotC Website/Dragon Compendium Vol. I/Dragon/Dungeon etc)

-No multi-class restrictions (monks/paladins etc) or XP penalties or favoured classes

-No Leadership Feat

-Any class with the Turning class ability uses the Complete Divine variant

-Druids do not gain wild shape, they may instead choose from a list of variants (from PHB II, UA, and Dragon magazine)

-The spell polymorph is replaced with the Polymorph sub-school from PHB II

-Skill variant from Unearthed Arcana implemented (number of Skills equal to skill points + Int modifier)

-Certain Skills folded: (campaign dependant – low magic = Skill folding/high magic = no Skill folding):

Acrobatics (Balance + Tumble)
Athletics (Climb + Jump)
Deception (Disguise + Forgery)
Disable Device (Disable Device + Open Lock)
Perception (Listen + Spot)
Persuasion (Bluff + Intimidate)
Social (Diplomacy + gather Information)
Stealth (Hide + Move Silently)
Use Device (Use Magic Device + Use Psionic Device)

-Saving throw variant from Unearthed Arcana implemented (save scores/magic checks etc)

-Fewer Absolutes implemented (article by Sean K Reynolds)

-Every race/class/feat/equipment/spell/power/magic item/template must be submitted for approval

 

[Bladesong]

I think you should do what you want. One thing I would probably do different though is add CON to starting hitpoints rather than using double dice (or use CON instead period).

 

[Baby Samurai]

One thing I would probably do different though is add CON to starting hitpoints rather than using double dice.

Con will be added to your starting hp, just as standard.

 

[GreatLemur]

There's quite a lot that I strongly agree with in your list, static HP progression and the removal of multiclassing restrictions in particular. I'm not a really huge fan of skill simplification, but I can certainly understand folks' interest in it. I wouldn't want the Books of Vile Darkness or Exalted Deeds anywhere near my games, though. Not without some very careful vetting and rebalancing, anyway.

Kind of surprised there's no armor-as-DR houserule mentioned, here.

 

[Bladesong]

Con will be added to your starting hp, just as standard.

Maybe I should clarify. Standard would be (for a fighter with an 18 CON) 10 + 4 for 14 hps. I meant that perhaps (the same fighter) would start with 10 + 18 (stat not bonus) for 28 hps , instead of 10 + 10 + 4 for 24 which I believe is what you were stating, or just 18 (for an 18 CON) instead of using HD and bonus.
Our House Rule has always been CON stat for 1st level, max hps for 2nd level, no less than half for 3rd, and then rolls or set amount every level thereafter.

 

[Arkhandus]

-22, 25, 28, or 32 Point Buy (depending on campaign)

Ack, terrible point buys. I really don't understand why most DMs want their PCs, the heroes, the protagonists, the foci of the story, to be just a notch above average at most. Even 32 point buy, while decent, is highly constraining to PCs. Either be fairly good at one or two stats and suck horribly at everything else, or just be a touch above mediocre in everything. Bleh.

I like my heroes to actually be heroic most of the time, not every one of them being an ordinary or mildly-talented village kid who goes out and somehow, despite sucking at most things, manages to make a legend of himself. Despite the fact that, all things being even, he should've died every time he entered the Forest of Death because he's just that pathetic compared to every single bugbear, ogre, dragon, imp, dire badger, and mephit that he'll run into. Consequently, I'm fairly generous with my players when it comes to rolling ability scores (or point-buy, but I only ever present that as an alternative, if the player has poor luck with rolling, since I much prefer rolling scores).

Why not 25 or 28 for lowly-peasant-heroes, 32 or 35 for average heroes, and 40 or 42 points for actually-heroic heroes? It's at least somewhat less crippling. Especially for monks and paladins, who could really use several good stats to avoid being ineffective at everything (I've had to suffer the humiliation of many a monk I tried to play under 32 point buy, watching them suck and die without ever contributing as much to the group as the party rogue, bard, or fighter; I'd have really preferred a 40 point buy so my monks could actually manage decent AC and skills, or decent offense and hit points).

-Double Hit Points at first level (d4 = 8, d6 = 12, d8 = 16, d10 = 20, d12 = 24)

I assume Constitution modifier is added only once to this, not twice, correct?

-Fixed Hit Points for levelling (d4 = 3, d6 = 4, d8 = 5, d10 = 6, d12 = 7)

This favors mage-types and rogue-types more than anything. The d8 should yield 6 points, the d10 7 or 8 points (probably 7), and the d12 should yield 8 or 9 points (probably 9). This would keep the relative proportions and values of each class' hit die somewhat intact, whereas your current method really lessens the comparative survivability of warrior-types and priest-types. They're the ones who are going to be up front and taking punishment the most, they deserve to get at least nearly the same percentage of HP from each hit die.

-Certain non-Core WotC/Paizo material/variants available upon request (Player’s Handbook II/Dungeon Master’s Guide II/Races of series/Complete series/Expanded Psioincs Handbook/Magic of Incarnum/Tome of Magic/Tome of Battle/Book of Exalted Deeds/Book of Vile Darkness/Unearthed Arcana/WotC Website/Dragon Compendium Vol. I/Dragon/Dungeon etc)

I second the notion that another poster made regarding the Books of Exalted Deeds and Vile Darkness. Exclude them from the game unless there are a few tidbits you'd like to use yourself; do not make them available to players. This is perfectly reasonable even by the DMG's guidelines (not everything is supposed to be available to the players; that's why the DMG and MM have separate stuff from what's in the PHB). Also be wary of any other non-core material before accepting it (especially certain prestige classes, variant class features, racial substitution levels, and non-core races; ).

-Certain Skills folded: (campaign dependant – low magic = Skill folding/high magic = no Skill folding):

Acrobatics (Balance + Tumble)
Athletics (Climb + Jump)
Deception (Disguise + Forgery)
Disable Device (Disable Device + Open Lock)
Perception (Listen + Spot)
Persuasion (Bluff + Intimidate)
Social (Diplomacy + gather Information)
Stealth (Hide + Move Silently)
Use Device (Use Magic Device + Use Psionic Device)

I should think Deception would encompass Bluff and Disguise (they're linked to the same ability score, Charisma, anyway). Intimidate should probably be left alone, I guess. Forgery should be folded into Decipher Script (call it Cipher, Scriptography, Decryption, Cryptology, or whatever). I would expect Swim to be folded into Athletics as well, or taking the place of Climb in that (swimming and leaping both involve leg strength a lot; climbing does somewhat, but not so much). May as well combine Escape Artist with Sleight of Hand too, calling it Legerdemain or something.

-Fewer Absolutes implemented (article by Sean K Reynolds)

Don't remember what this article said, and don't remember what issue of Dragon or whatever it was in (is it on his website instead? I don't recall, haven't looked it for a while), so I don't know what this houserule does. Therefore, I can't comment on it.

 

[Baby Samurai]

Why not 25 or 28 for lowly-peasant-heroes, 32 or 35 for average heroes, and 40 or 42 points for actually-heroic heroes?

Because lowly peasant types are built with a 15-point buy, and the game is designed/calibrated around the characters/heroes using the Elite Array/25-point buy (in all the play-testing).

Average scores are 11, 11, 11, 10, 10, 10, so even a 14 is well above average.

I'm all for higher than 25-point buys, but it does affect EL's/CR's etc.

 

[GreatLemur]

Ack, terrible point buys. I really don't understand why most DMs want their PCs, the heroes, the protagonists, the foci of the story, to be just a notch above average at most. Even 32 point buy, while decent, is highly constraining to PCs. Either be fairly good at one or two stats and suck horribly at everything else, or just be a touch above mediocre in everything. Bleh.

I don't think those point buys are bad, really. 25 points can get you 16, 14, 13, 10, 10, 8. Perfectly reasonable for a starting character.

But, I have to admit that lately I'm really digging the idea of 38-point pools, because that would allow this spread: 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8. Every stat gets a different score, with a full range of modifiers from -1 to +4. You could just say to a new player "Tell me which score you want to be your best, and your second best, and so on, down to your worst."

 

[Baby Samurai]

I've made some changes, what do you think?

CAMPAIGN GROUND RULES:​

-22, 25, 28, or 32 Point Buy (depending on campaign)

-Fixed Hit Points for levelling (ala Living Greyhawk - d4 = 3, d6 = 4, d8 = 5, d10 = 6, d12 = 7)

-Maximum wealth at first level

-Any class with the Turning class ability uses the Complete Divine variant

-Druids do not gain wild shape, they may instead choose from a list of variants (from PHB II, UA, and Dragon magazine)

-No multi-class restrictions (monks/paladins etc) or XP penalties or favoured classes

-Skill variant from Unearthed Arcana implemented (number of known Skills equal to skill points + Int modifier)

-Certain Skills folded: (campaign dependant – low magic = Skill folding/high magic = no Skill folding):

-Acrobatics (Balance + Escape Artist + Tumble)
-Athletics (Climb + Jump + Swim)
-Deception (Bluff + Disguise + Forgery)
-Disable Device (Disable Device + Open Lock)
-Perception (Listen + Search + Spot)
-Persuasion (Diplomacy + Intimidate)
-Stealth (Hide + Move Silently)
-Use Device (Use Magic Device + Use Psionic Device)

-No Leadership Feat

-Saving throw variant from Unearthed Arcana implemented (save scores/magic checks etc)

-No death from massive damage

-The spell polymorph is replaced with the Polymorph sub-school from PHB II

-Certain non-Core WotC/Paizo material/variants available upon request (PHB II, DMG II, Races of series, Complete series, Environment series, BoED, BoVD, Miniatures Handbook, XPH, MoI, ToM, ToB, Dragon Compendium Vol. I, Dragon/Dungeon, UA etc)

-Fewer Absolutes implemented (article by Sean K Reynolds)

-Every race/class/feat/equipment/spell/manoeuvre/mystery /power/soulmeld/utterance/vestige/magic item/template etc must be submitted for approval

 

[StGabe]

Put me down as not liking skill simplification either. I think that instead of making the system easier or more flexible the proposed changes merely make it less effective at what it's supposed to do. For example, at first it looks like such a system helps rogues (they have even more skill points left over after taking core skill abilities) but in practice they end up being watered down because it becomes that much easier for everyone else to take their core skills.

I think the point buys are fine. We used a 29 point-buy for our campaign and the characters feel plenty heroic compared to peasants. I also use half-max starting wealth but I run a pretty low wealth campaign.

I think the caveat about requiring approval for all races/feats/classes/etc. is very important and I use it as well. IMO, the latest generation of books has included a lot of poorly balanced content and, if you're concerned about balance, it's rather important to take time to vet which of what content you allow.