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D&D 5E Capricious Home Rules and DM Pet Peeves
- Thread starter MNblockhead
- Start date
House rules, don't get me started! But clearly I am already so here we go 
1) Magic Weapons. The simple plus on a magic weapon denotes quality of the weapon, but doesn't make it "magic". A standard smith, with enough time and skill can forge a +3 whatever, although they are so expensive and time consuming that anything past +1 is usually the province of longer lived races like Dwarves and Elves. I always think of the knife "Angrist" from Tolkein's Silmarillion, fashioned by the dwarves. For the "magic" property, the one that allows you to hit ghosts for example, it needs to have something truly magic about it, like it's on fire or something, or holy, or dancing.
2) XP. Characters level when I feel they've done something along their line of profession that merits it. Like a warlock performing a ritual for power, or a rogue training with a guild. Generally something that makes it seem like they have pushed the envelope of what they know and earned it. Enough field experience will sometimes be the test, but I don't like my player going out to find the nearest monster they can get XP from if they are close to leveling. Helps motivate the players to chart their own path in the world as they seek to grow and get a consistent theme with their characters running.
3) Dragons. I improved the damage on claws, tail and bite to scale with age/size, the fact that a Gargantuan Ancient Dragon had the same base 2D10 bite damage as a large young dragon a fraction of it's size was like a splinter in my brain. Also, they get damage resistance as the get older. Young are resistant to normal weapon damage, Adults are immune, and Ancients are resistant to magic weapon damage unless they are specifically Dragon Slaying. Adult and younger are vulnerable to Dragon Slaying weapons to boot.
4) NPC's have a max of 18 on their ability scores unless they are special badass named types. 20's are for heroes.
5) Magic, especially divine magic, as a typical caster is very limited among PC races in most civilized settings. Instead, I substitute the ritual feat for a lot of NPC casters, with an emphasis on those types revering tomes of magic and prayer books that allow them to cast those rituals, and expanding the ritual pool. Sorta had Giles in mind, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not a spellcaster per se, but give him enough time, the right magic tome and ingredients, and he can do some cool stuff. They have to use a relevant skill DC to actually cast the spell, and if they screw it up, bad things happen. Can't have everyone just waving their hand and turning water into wine, really cheapens the actual prophets I want to move the campaign along.
I'm sure I could come remember some more, but those are the big ones.
EDIT - Ok, thought of a bunch of stuff to add.
6) Hate Psionics, they just don't really exist except for things like Mind Flayers. We already have magic, do we need another explanation for doing crazy stuff? Always seemed more the province of comic book and Sci-Fi genres to me.
7) Dragonborn, Tieflings, warforged, and whatever those rock thingies(4th ed I know) as PC races. They are so out there that I just can't imagine how they'd ever be able to walk down the street without being chased by a mob. Dwarves and elves, ok, but even they would raise some eyebrows. This is totally subjective, their continued appearance in so many versions obviously means a lot of people are into them so I don't mean to denigrate anyone else's version of a good time, but that's how it is for me.
8) Powerful angels(Planetars, Solars) get a bit of an upgrade. As the agent of their god's will, each one will usually have some sort of extra abilities consonant with their role. The Planetar that is known for visiting punishments on entire cities that have lost the favor of the gods can cast Earthquake or Tsunami at will for instance. The one responsible for revelations to mortals can cast Dream, etc... you get the idea. Solars in particular are each assigned some specific task of relative cosmic importance and get a bit of customization for whatever that task is as well. The chief archangel of a god of war can be sent to cast Foresight upon an entire army for instance, should the gods so deem it right and proper.
9) Evil Outsiders and killing them. This is a big one that always made me boggle. Devils for instance can only die in the Nine Hells, where they live? If I was immortal except for one particular zip code, I would make a real point of never, ever visiting that zip code much less making it my base of operations. It would logically mean that Devils spent their entire time rampaging and conquering outside of the Hells, as there is little consequence for dying outside of it, and a great deal of consequence for getting caught slipping on your home turf. I have it so fiends perish permanently in Celestia, and are sometime vulnerable on the Prime as well, such as say Halloween or the campaign equivalent thereof. Taking a page from the Dresden Files, I make certain mystical times of the year or events where fiends can be permanently slain/imprisoned, but there is also the opportunity for them to increase their power or gain access to the mortal realm to further their schemes as rationale for why they would take the risk.
10) Wishes. Wishes are for real. Also, they are NOT a player castable spell. The entire spell description is pretty absurd if you ask me. Basically, you can do 8th or lower, pick from a list of pretty cool effects that cripple you for a few days, and even then you have a 1 in 3 chance of just never being able to use it again. Good grief, if you're going to hamstring that way just don't let players use it. The idea of a PC being able to use a wish every day is about as game breaking an idea as any I can think of, unless you do what they did which is put so many caveats on it that it kinda defeats the point. Or go the sick bastard "Monkey Paw" route which I've always thought is pretty silly and frankly forces and encourages a DM to do something they should never do. Horrifically bone the PC's with pretty much no upper limit on the consequences while intentionally perverting whatever it is they ask for. That being said, if somehow my PC's ever get on the good side of a Djinn noble and have access to this, I'm going to let them make their wish and deal with the consequences. They want ALL the gold in the world, they got it and all the headaches that come from it. They want to be ruler of the Nine Hells, likewise.
1) Magic Weapons. The simple plus on a magic weapon denotes quality of the weapon, but doesn't make it "magic". A standard smith, with enough time and skill can forge a +3 whatever, although they are so expensive and time consuming that anything past +1 is usually the province of longer lived races like Dwarves and Elves. I always think of the knife "Angrist" from Tolkein's Silmarillion, fashioned by the dwarves. For the "magic" property, the one that allows you to hit ghosts for example, it needs to have something truly magic about it, like it's on fire or something, or holy, or dancing.
2) XP. Characters level when I feel they've done something along their line of profession that merits it. Like a warlock performing a ritual for power, or a rogue training with a guild. Generally something that makes it seem like they have pushed the envelope of what they know and earned it. Enough field experience will sometimes be the test, but I don't like my player going out to find the nearest monster they can get XP from if they are close to leveling. Helps motivate the players to chart their own path in the world as they seek to grow and get a consistent theme with their characters running.
3) Dragons. I improved the damage on claws, tail and bite to scale with age/size, the fact that a Gargantuan Ancient Dragon had the same base 2D10 bite damage as a large young dragon a fraction of it's size was like a splinter in my brain. Also, they get damage resistance as the get older. Young are resistant to normal weapon damage, Adults are immune, and Ancients are resistant to magic weapon damage unless they are specifically Dragon Slaying. Adult and younger are vulnerable to Dragon Slaying weapons to boot.
4) NPC's have a max of 18 on their ability scores unless they are special badass named types. 20's are for heroes.
5) Magic, especially divine magic, as a typical caster is very limited among PC races in most civilized settings. Instead, I substitute the ritual feat for a lot of NPC casters, with an emphasis on those types revering tomes of magic and prayer books that allow them to cast those rituals, and expanding the ritual pool. Sorta had Giles in mind, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not a spellcaster per se, but give him enough time, the right magic tome and ingredients, and he can do some cool stuff. They have to use a relevant skill DC to actually cast the spell, and if they screw it up, bad things happen. Can't have everyone just waving their hand and turning water into wine, really cheapens the actual prophets I want to move the campaign along.
I'm sure I could come remember some more, but those are the big ones.
EDIT - Ok, thought of a bunch of stuff to add.
6) Hate Psionics, they just don't really exist except for things like Mind Flayers. We already have magic, do we need another explanation for doing crazy stuff? Always seemed more the province of comic book and Sci-Fi genres to me.
7) Dragonborn, Tieflings, warforged, and whatever those rock thingies(4th ed I know) as PC races. They are so out there that I just can't imagine how they'd ever be able to walk down the street without being chased by a mob. Dwarves and elves, ok, but even they would raise some eyebrows. This is totally subjective, their continued appearance in so many versions obviously means a lot of people are into them so I don't mean to denigrate anyone else's version of a good time, but that's how it is for me.
8) Powerful angels(Planetars, Solars) get a bit of an upgrade. As the agent of their god's will, each one will usually have some sort of extra abilities consonant with their role. The Planetar that is known for visiting punishments on entire cities that have lost the favor of the gods can cast Earthquake or Tsunami at will for instance. The one responsible for revelations to mortals can cast Dream, etc... you get the idea. Solars in particular are each assigned some specific task of relative cosmic importance and get a bit of customization for whatever that task is as well. The chief archangel of a god of war can be sent to cast Foresight upon an entire army for instance, should the gods so deem it right and proper.
9) Evil Outsiders and killing them. This is a big one that always made me boggle. Devils for instance can only die in the Nine Hells, where they live? If I was immortal except for one particular zip code, I would make a real point of never, ever visiting that zip code much less making it my base of operations. It would logically mean that Devils spent their entire time rampaging and conquering outside of the Hells, as there is little consequence for dying outside of it, and a great deal of consequence for getting caught slipping on your home turf. I have it so fiends perish permanently in Celestia, and are sometime vulnerable on the Prime as well, such as say Halloween or the campaign equivalent thereof. Taking a page from the Dresden Files, I make certain mystical times of the year or events where fiends can be permanently slain/imprisoned, but there is also the opportunity for them to increase their power or gain access to the mortal realm to further their schemes as rationale for why they would take the risk.
10) Wishes. Wishes are for real. Also, they are NOT a player castable spell. The entire spell description is pretty absurd if you ask me. Basically, you can do 8th or lower, pick from a list of pretty cool effects that cripple you for a few days, and even then you have a 1 in 3 chance of just never being able to use it again. Good grief, if you're going to hamstring that way just don't let players use it. The idea of a PC being able to use a wish every day is about as game breaking an idea as any I can think of, unless you do what they did which is put so many caveats on it that it kinda defeats the point. Or go the sick bastard "Monkey Paw" route which I've always thought is pretty silly and frankly forces and encourages a DM to do something they should never do. Horrifically bone the PC's with pretty much no upper limit on the consequences while intentionally perverting whatever it is they ask for. That being said, if somehow my PC's ever get on the good side of a Djinn noble and have access to this, I'm going to let them make their wish and deal with the consequences. They want ALL the gold in the world, they got it and all the headaches that come from it. They want to be ruler of the Nine Hells, likewise.
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First, I just have to disabuse the notion that Frodo could just jump on an eagle and fly to Mount Doom. As soon as they got within a few miles of Mordor they would be spotted by Sauron's Eye and torn to shreds by The Nine on their own flying mounts. There was a reason they sneaked in on the ground.
As for pet peeves, I don't like the new "Do-whatever-you-want" Paladin. Chaotic Neutral Paladins running around beating the crap out of whoever they don't like, ignoring people in need and stealing anything not bolted to the floor (and even some things that are) are not Paladins.
I also don't like the portrayal of the old Lawful Good Paladins as stuck up jerks. Just because they won't let you run around beating people up and stealing everything in sight doesn't make them jerks. They are just trying to stop you from being one.
A true Paladin doesn't ride into a town and demand respect and deference from the townsfolk. That is not a paladin, that is a jerk noble. A Paladin that rides into town is certainly viewed with admiration and may be offered assistance, but a true Paladin will politely refuse and ask what he or she can do for them. They are dedicated to serving the greater good, not themselves.
Anyway, yeah. Paladins have lost their shine in this edition. The Lawful Good requirement was an asset, not a limitation.
As for pet peeves, I don't like the new "Do-whatever-you-want" Paladin. Chaotic Neutral Paladins running around beating the crap out of whoever they don't like, ignoring people in need and stealing anything not bolted to the floor (and even some things that are) are not Paladins.
I also don't like the portrayal of the old Lawful Good Paladins as stuck up jerks. Just because they won't let you run around beating people up and stealing everything in sight doesn't make them jerks. They are just trying to stop you from being one.
A true Paladin doesn't ride into a town and demand respect and deference from the townsfolk. That is not a paladin, that is a jerk noble. A Paladin that rides into town is certainly viewed with admiration and may be offered assistance, but a true Paladin will politely refuse and ask what he or she can do for them. They are dedicated to serving the greater good, not themselves.
Anyway, yeah. Paladins have lost their shine in this edition. The Lawful Good requirement was an asset, not a limitation.
MacConnell
Creator of The Untamed Wilds
I couldn't agree with you more!
G
Guest 6801328
Guest
That's not really "disabusing a notion", more like stating an opinion based on pure conjecture. An opinion to which you are entitled, of course.
What are you talking about? That is pure fact-based analysis of what would literally happen if the fellowship tried to fly into Mordor with the One Ring on giant eagles in real life.
True fact!
Satyrn
First Post
What are you talking about? That is pure fact-based analysis of what would literally happen if the fellowship tried to fly into Mordor with the One Ring on giant eagles in real life.
True fact!
Unless Frodo hopped onto the eagle's back before the Nazgul abandoned their horses for - what, dragon-bats?
Bacon Bits
Legend
I assumed a long time ago that "studded leather" was simply a name for a "jack of plate", aka, brigandine jackets. And, I mean, leather armor other than hide pretty much didn't exist, either. In most forms, leather was used to protect, hold, or conceal metal, or to provide for protection to less critical areas that you couldn't afford to protect with metal or didn't know how to protect with metal (forearms, upper arms, lower legs). Metal has always been the basis of protection for the core body, however. That's why we had bronze armors.
I always thought the armor chart should look like this:
Gambeson: A stiff linen and wool jacket. All mail or plated armor is generally worn over a gambeson, so anybody with a suit of that is going to have one of these. Minimal protection. This is D&D's cloth armor.
Hide/cuir bouilli/leather: Usually worn for warmth or protection from the elements, or by a smith for protection from metal sparks and spall. Probably better than a gambeson, but not much protection.
Ring Armor: Not ring mail; these rings aren't interconnected. This type of armor is largely speculation, as I don't think they've ever found any examples of it. However, it's speculated that metal rings were sewn to leather or cloth. This is the closest analogy to studded leather, which is why I included it, but I think it's actually best described as a very early form of brigandine, although chain is what supplanted it, I think.
Jack of Plates/Brigandine: A gambeson or leather coat with plates usually sewn inside it and completely covering the upper torso. This is what the armor that people used to think was studded leather from historic depictions, and was quite popular for a long time. I'd be tempted to use for studded leather, but I suspect it protects better than a mail hauberk.
Mail shirt/mail coat/hauberk: Basically a shirt of chain that only covers the torso and maybe the upper thighs. Benefits were being light, flexible, and easy to repair. You see a lot of depictions of Vikings and Romans (lorica hamata) wearing hauberks.
Heavy/Full Mail: This is just a mail coat with full arm protection, leg/foot protection of some kind, gauntlets of some kind, and a helm of some kind. This is what William the Conqueror's heavy cavalry knights are depicted as wearing in the Bayeux Tapestry that helped inspire that "ring mail" fiasco.
Cuirass/breastplate: Basically just a cuirass over a gambeson with a helm, possibly with some shoulder, arm or leg protection. It's a very old style. Greek hoplite armor included a bronze breastplate if it could be afforded, conquistadors are often depicted wearing a breastplate and helm, and cuirassiers were a famous cavalry rank in the Napoleonic wars.
Lamellar/scale: Both an early form of plate, lamellar and scale are different, but they're similar enough in design and mentioned together often enough that I categorize them together. The difference is that scale is laced to a backing, while with lamellar the scales are laced to each other. Lamellar armor would often appear as either a breastplate-like garment worn over mail. The Romans wore scale known as lorica squamata. Some lamellar armors made by the Japanese were lacquered, and they are known to have substituted or alternated leather plates for iron.
Laminar: The famous Roman lorica segmentata is the most well known laminar armor, although the Japanese are known for it as well. It's another early form of plate armor.
Splinted armor/plate and mail/mail and plate/coat of plates/: This is a mail suit that has plates linked into the armor. A logical progression from just a mail coat. Most books I've seen call this a transitional armor. This is what I think of when people say, "plate mail."
Partial plate/half plate: This is basically either a full suit with some of the less exposed plates discarded for added mobility or reduced weight, or a transitional breastplate that has arm and/or leg plates. Turns out that people don't like to wear a lot of weight, so they tended to only wear the parts of the armor that kept them alive the best in battle. Even soldiers today do that.
Full plate/gothic plate: All plate armor with little to no mail covering the entire body.
You'll notice I left banded out. That's because it didn't really exist. It's a conflation of multiple types of armor, including laminar, mail, and brigandine.
The hard part of including all of these into one game is that a lot of these types of armor just stopped being made because later types replaced them completely.
It doesn't really matter. Those are all modern terms. Historically, they were all just swords. If it was longer than normal, it was a long sword. If it was shorter than normal, it was a short sword. If it had a broad blade, it was a broadsword. If you could use two hands, it was a two handed sword or battle sword (because who would carry that anywhere except to a battle?). Same with axes, really. They really didn't care about categorizing things like we do. I mean, almost all the polearms are named the same way. Halberd is "staff axe." Glaive supposedly comes from "sword." The bill is made from a billhook. We probably have Carolus Linnaeus to blame for our need to put everything in boxes.
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