I'm a newcomer to the Ways of Mearls, and think the 4e game is a blast. Like Rel's thread, this isn't meant to be a 4e bash at all. The game is really fun, but my group isn't used to games without any roleplay mechanics behind them. My girlfriend, who has played a lot of RPGs but little D&D, commented 'I don't know how to roleplay my character!' She's used to having flaws, quirks, whatever to guide her. That's the main goal of these houserules, and give some more framework for noncombat play.
One of my design goals here is to change the combat rules as little as possible, because I think they're pretty awesome and I don't want to screw them up. So I wanted to flesh out the characters a little more, provide for some plot changing metagame points, and find a creative way to use Wounds. Here's what I've come up with, tell me what you all think.
I'm certain the wounds will leave a bad taste in many people's mouths, but its the kind of thing that my players and I enjoy. Most of it is blatently stolen from Rel or other games I like.
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Chargen
The Questions
Every PC will be asked several questions at the start of the first game, and may receive one or more subsequent questions at other games. These should be answered any way the PC pleases, and are used to both flesh out the character and provide the GM with fodder. The first two questions are always asked, and the player selects three or more of the other questions. Or there may be questions pertinent to this adventure that the DM dictates. The GM will assign an ability score to the first two answers and the PC can consider them trained skills. Note that this does not replace any of the existing skills. The PC should answer these questions after race and class have been selected, but before any other character generation task.
1. How did your character earn a living before becoming an adventurer?
2. What does your character do for fun in his off time?
Other potential questions
What is the first thing people notice about you?
What do you think is your best feature?
What do you wish people wouldn't bring up?
There are a lot of stereotypes about your race. What do you do to combat them?
How are the stereotypes about your race right on target?
How did your learn your adventuring skills?
What happened to your Mentor?
Why was it hard growing up?
What are you afraid of the most?
What makes you angry?
What makes you happy?
What object are you never without?
Plot Points
Action points all the characters to perform above and beyond in the realm of combat encounters. Plot points do the same for noncombat encounters. They allow the player to guide the course of the game, to gain the DM's favor in some small way.
Spending Plot Points
Just What I Needed! - The character finds some needed item. Maybe they're a rogue trapped in a jail cell and find a length of wire on the floor. Or they're caught unarmed by assassins but happen to spot a stick of wood perfectly shaped for a club. Any non-magical, low value item the PC desires can be found if the DM agrees that this is reasonable.
In The Nick Of Time - An NPC or other character who had been separated appears. So long as the DM doesn't rule that this is impossible (Hey, we're a mile underground inside a drow city and the High Bishop from back at the city happens to walk through the door! - no) the NPC or willing PC appears. If combat is already going on, then the character rolls initiative and enters play on the next round.
How Convenient - An NPC happens to be standing in a spot the PC desires, or there is a feature of terrain next to the NPC. For example, the villain happens to be standing on a trap door while giving his monologue, the werewolf is standing in front of an open window, or the guards are right underneath the chandelier. This can only be used before combat starts, otherwise the enemies are too conscious of their surroundings to hope for such a happy accident. Once initiative has been rolled, How Convenient cannot be used.
Wait, Let Me Try That Again - The PC can try a failed roll at a Skill Challenge. The previous failure does not count toward the total.
Hey, Look At This - The PC can spend a Daily power and a Plot Point to perform a one time power. This must be suitable to the character concept and background. For instance, a cleric of Moradin might make a fervent prayer to collapse a tunnel on his enemies, a strong fighter might lift a heavy boulder off a friend, or a warlock might summon a powerful demon. Use of this ability is totally at the discretion of the GM as per the exact effects, though the DM should grant a bit more than a Daily Power would normally provide for a character of that level.
Gaining Plot Points
I live for this stuff! - Whenever completing an encounter that rewards the character's Motivation, they gain a plot point. They can only gain one Plot Point per day.
Nobody's Perfect - Whenever the character's Flaw comes into play in a way that hinders the PC or his friends, he gains a plot point.
Good Roleplaying - Anytime the DM feels the character did a good job roleplaying and in doing so gave up some game-mechanical advantage, they gain a plot point.
Personal Quest - Whenever a PC completes a Personal Quest, they gain 3 Plot Points.
This Just Isn't My Day - The DM can choose to award Plot Points whenever he is grossly unfair to them for his own amusement. For example, they are ambushed at their favorite inn by assassins. The fighter runs to his room to get his shield and sword, but one of the bar wenches ran inside first to hide and barred the door. He'll either have to fight unarmed or spend time beating the door in or convincing her to open up.
Motivations - This is the thing that makes a PC keep going. Its not a particular goal, but a general one. Its what the character wants out of adventuring. Some examples below, along with descriptions.
Power - The PC desires magical power. Whenever the gain a magical item that has a higher value than any they possess, or learn a new ritual that is higher level than any they know, gain a Plot Point.
Prowess - The character wants to become adept at slaying opponents. Whenever they defeat an opponent single handedly, without anyone else using an attack, power, or otherwise hindering the character, and without the opponent doing the same to any other character, they gain a Plot Point.
Fame - Whenever the PC completes a quest or performs some action that raises his esteem in the eyes of the public, gain a Plot Point.
Heroism - When the PC saves or protects a helpless person, gain a Plot Point.
Faith - When the PC furthers the cause of their deity or principles, gain a Plot Point.
Mirth - The character wishes to bring joy and laughter to those around him. Whenever the player makes an in-character joke or line that the group laughs at, gain a plot point.
Camaraderie - The character strives to protect his friends at all costs. Whenever he passes up personal gain for his friends, or is the last character standing in a victorious fight, gain a Plot Point.
Flaws - Everyone has them, and sometimes they cause problems. A character gains a plot point whenever their flaw causes the character or his group to suffer in some way.
Greed
Rage
Laziness
Forgetful
Callous
Cowardly
Lecherous
Sharp-Tongued
Personal Quests - These are not quests the group as a whole takes on, but something the character wants to achieve on their own. It will be up to them to find opportunities to complete these quests, and convince their comrades to assist them. The quests should be general, to allow the DM as much leeway as possible. For example, "I want to retrieve the Sword of Butt-kicking from the Dungeon of Horrors" and "I'm after the Tiefling assassin who murdered my father after a bad business deal" are acceptable, but "I want to find the Sword of Butt-kicking that my ancestor once bore" or "I need to find this Tiefling who was seen with my father just before his disappearance" are better. In the former case the details are already laid out and may be harder for the DM to fit into his game. In the latter the sword could be anywhere, and the character doesn't know what happened to his father or if this tiefling is a friend or foe.
Examples
- Find a magic item or other family heirloom
- Discover the meaning of a strange necklace the PC's had since birth
- Find what happened to the PC's missing uncle
- Destroy the orc warlord that raided your village
- Learn what created the mysterious ruins near your homeland
- Steal an extremely valuable item
A character may only have one personal quest at a time. If they wish, they can abandon their current personal quest and pick up another one.
Wounds
A character's hit points represent their will, determination, and ability to fight. Sometimes however, the dangers of the adventuring life can cause lasting injury. The Wounds system allows the roleplay of lasting wounds and scars. The system won't cause a death spiral or adversely affect combat ability, while adding another dimension onto it.
Gaining Wounds
Wounds come in four types - Crippling, Severe, Problematic, and Irritating. This is reflected by a penalty from -1 to -4. At the end of a combat where a PC had failed one Death Saving Throw, they must roll Endurance vs 15+ 1/2 level or gain a Problematic (-2) wound. If they failed two Death Saving Throws, they gain a Crippling (-4) wound. The nature of this would should be determined as well, because it will affect how the wound can be used. Common wounds would be damaged eye, concussion, broken/fractured limbs, bruised ribs, or any other wound the player and DM can imagine. The nature of the attack that caused the PC to drop should be taken into account. A spear is unlikely to cause a concussion, and a dragon's breath is almost certainly going to cause burns.
Using Wounds
The wound penalty does not apply whenever the character takes any action. The player decides when it is dramatically appropriate to have his injury come into play. If the character takes the penalty due to his injury on an action in combat and fails at that action that he otherwise would have succeeded, he gains an Action Point. If he takes the penalty in a noncombat situation, or it negatively impacts him in a roleplaying situation, the character gains a Plot Point. The character can only gain one Plot or Action Point per encounter or scene. This isn't a free source of points, however. The character does not gain plot points by fulfilling his Motivation or playing out his Flaw, and does not receive any action points for completing Milestones or taking Extended Rests. The wound penalty can apply on any action the PC and player agree are appropriate to the wound.
The penalty could be a penalty on ranged attacks for injured eyes, on knowledge based skill checks for concussions, a movement penalty for leg injuries, Endurance penalty for bruised ribs, and so on. The penalties aren't fixed, any way the injury could hinder the player is fine so long as the DM agrees. The wound must prevent the character from succeeding or performing an action he would be able to if he didn't have the wound penalty. For example, he takes a -2 on his attack roll and gets a 17 total, when the opponent's AC is 18. The DM informs him that he missed and awards an action point. For movement based penalties, the character gains a plot point if the reduced movement prevents them from avoiding or making an attack.
Recovering from wounds
Once per game week, the character must make a Healing check, or have someone make it on his behalf. If successful, the wound penalty decreases by one, so an Crippling Wound becomes Severe, or a Problematic Wound becomes Irritating. The DC is 15+1/2 character level of the wounded character.
Scars
Once a wound is healed, the character may have a scar, if they like. Any time the adventure in question comes up, the character may refer to the scar and gain a +2 on an appropriate skill check. Example: Characters are trying to learn about a goblin tribe, but the townspeople are afraid of reprisals. The fighter makes a Diplomacy check and says "Goblins! We know how to handle goblins. Have you heard of Irontooth?" *shows the scar on his leg* "He did that to me right before I ran him through!" The DM grants a +2 bonus to the Diplomacy check. It is up to the players to record and track their scars. If the player chooses not to record it, the wound is assumed to heal without scarring.
One of my design goals here is to change the combat rules as little as possible, because I think they're pretty awesome and I don't want to screw them up. So I wanted to flesh out the characters a little more, provide for some plot changing metagame points, and find a creative way to use Wounds. Here's what I've come up with, tell me what you all think.
I'm certain the wounds will leave a bad taste in many people's mouths, but its the kind of thing that my players and I enjoy. Most of it is blatently stolen from Rel or other games I like.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chargen
The Questions
Every PC will be asked several questions at the start of the first game, and may receive one or more subsequent questions at other games. These should be answered any way the PC pleases, and are used to both flesh out the character and provide the GM with fodder. The first two questions are always asked, and the player selects three or more of the other questions. Or there may be questions pertinent to this adventure that the DM dictates. The GM will assign an ability score to the first two answers and the PC can consider them trained skills. Note that this does not replace any of the existing skills. The PC should answer these questions after race and class have been selected, but before any other character generation task.
1. How did your character earn a living before becoming an adventurer?
2. What does your character do for fun in his off time?
Other potential questions
What is the first thing people notice about you?
What do you think is your best feature?
What do you wish people wouldn't bring up?
There are a lot of stereotypes about your race. What do you do to combat them?
How are the stereotypes about your race right on target?
How did your learn your adventuring skills?
What happened to your Mentor?
Why was it hard growing up?
What are you afraid of the most?
What makes you angry?
What makes you happy?
What object are you never without?
Plot Points
Action points all the characters to perform above and beyond in the realm of combat encounters. Plot points do the same for noncombat encounters. They allow the player to guide the course of the game, to gain the DM's favor in some small way.
Spending Plot Points
Just What I Needed! - The character finds some needed item. Maybe they're a rogue trapped in a jail cell and find a length of wire on the floor. Or they're caught unarmed by assassins but happen to spot a stick of wood perfectly shaped for a club. Any non-magical, low value item the PC desires can be found if the DM agrees that this is reasonable.
In The Nick Of Time - An NPC or other character who had been separated appears. So long as the DM doesn't rule that this is impossible (Hey, we're a mile underground inside a drow city and the High Bishop from back at the city happens to walk through the door! - no) the NPC or willing PC appears. If combat is already going on, then the character rolls initiative and enters play on the next round.
How Convenient - An NPC happens to be standing in a spot the PC desires, or there is a feature of terrain next to the NPC. For example, the villain happens to be standing on a trap door while giving his monologue, the werewolf is standing in front of an open window, or the guards are right underneath the chandelier. This can only be used before combat starts, otherwise the enemies are too conscious of their surroundings to hope for such a happy accident. Once initiative has been rolled, How Convenient cannot be used.
Wait, Let Me Try That Again - The PC can try a failed roll at a Skill Challenge. The previous failure does not count toward the total.
Hey, Look At This - The PC can spend a Daily power and a Plot Point to perform a one time power. This must be suitable to the character concept and background. For instance, a cleric of Moradin might make a fervent prayer to collapse a tunnel on his enemies, a strong fighter might lift a heavy boulder off a friend, or a warlock might summon a powerful demon. Use of this ability is totally at the discretion of the GM as per the exact effects, though the DM should grant a bit more than a Daily Power would normally provide for a character of that level.
Gaining Plot Points
I live for this stuff! - Whenever completing an encounter that rewards the character's Motivation, they gain a plot point. They can only gain one Plot Point per day.
Nobody's Perfect - Whenever the character's Flaw comes into play in a way that hinders the PC or his friends, he gains a plot point.
Good Roleplaying - Anytime the DM feels the character did a good job roleplaying and in doing so gave up some game-mechanical advantage, they gain a plot point.
Personal Quest - Whenever a PC completes a Personal Quest, they gain 3 Plot Points.
This Just Isn't My Day - The DM can choose to award Plot Points whenever he is grossly unfair to them for his own amusement. For example, they are ambushed at their favorite inn by assassins. The fighter runs to his room to get his shield and sword, but one of the bar wenches ran inside first to hide and barred the door. He'll either have to fight unarmed or spend time beating the door in or convincing her to open up.
Motivations - This is the thing that makes a PC keep going. Its not a particular goal, but a general one. Its what the character wants out of adventuring. Some examples below, along with descriptions.
Power - The PC desires magical power. Whenever the gain a magical item that has a higher value than any they possess, or learn a new ritual that is higher level than any they know, gain a Plot Point.
Prowess - The character wants to become adept at slaying opponents. Whenever they defeat an opponent single handedly, without anyone else using an attack, power, or otherwise hindering the character, and without the opponent doing the same to any other character, they gain a Plot Point.
Fame - Whenever the PC completes a quest or performs some action that raises his esteem in the eyes of the public, gain a Plot Point.
Heroism - When the PC saves or protects a helpless person, gain a Plot Point.
Faith - When the PC furthers the cause of their deity or principles, gain a Plot Point.
Mirth - The character wishes to bring joy and laughter to those around him. Whenever the player makes an in-character joke or line that the group laughs at, gain a plot point.
Camaraderie - The character strives to protect his friends at all costs. Whenever he passes up personal gain for his friends, or is the last character standing in a victorious fight, gain a Plot Point.
Flaws - Everyone has them, and sometimes they cause problems. A character gains a plot point whenever their flaw causes the character or his group to suffer in some way.
Greed
Rage
Laziness
Forgetful
Callous
Cowardly
Lecherous
Sharp-Tongued
Personal Quests - These are not quests the group as a whole takes on, but something the character wants to achieve on their own. It will be up to them to find opportunities to complete these quests, and convince their comrades to assist them. The quests should be general, to allow the DM as much leeway as possible. For example, "I want to retrieve the Sword of Butt-kicking from the Dungeon of Horrors" and "I'm after the Tiefling assassin who murdered my father after a bad business deal" are acceptable, but "I want to find the Sword of Butt-kicking that my ancestor once bore" or "I need to find this Tiefling who was seen with my father just before his disappearance" are better. In the former case the details are already laid out and may be harder for the DM to fit into his game. In the latter the sword could be anywhere, and the character doesn't know what happened to his father or if this tiefling is a friend or foe.
Examples
- Find a magic item or other family heirloom
- Discover the meaning of a strange necklace the PC's had since birth
- Find what happened to the PC's missing uncle
- Destroy the orc warlord that raided your village
- Learn what created the mysterious ruins near your homeland
- Steal an extremely valuable item
A character may only have one personal quest at a time. If they wish, they can abandon their current personal quest and pick up another one.
Wounds
A character's hit points represent their will, determination, and ability to fight. Sometimes however, the dangers of the adventuring life can cause lasting injury. The Wounds system allows the roleplay of lasting wounds and scars. The system won't cause a death spiral or adversely affect combat ability, while adding another dimension onto it.
Gaining Wounds
Wounds come in four types - Crippling, Severe, Problematic, and Irritating. This is reflected by a penalty from -1 to -4. At the end of a combat where a PC had failed one Death Saving Throw, they must roll Endurance vs 15+ 1/2 level or gain a Problematic (-2) wound. If they failed two Death Saving Throws, they gain a Crippling (-4) wound. The nature of this would should be determined as well, because it will affect how the wound can be used. Common wounds would be damaged eye, concussion, broken/fractured limbs, bruised ribs, or any other wound the player and DM can imagine. The nature of the attack that caused the PC to drop should be taken into account. A spear is unlikely to cause a concussion, and a dragon's breath is almost certainly going to cause burns.
Using Wounds
The wound penalty does not apply whenever the character takes any action. The player decides when it is dramatically appropriate to have his injury come into play. If the character takes the penalty due to his injury on an action in combat and fails at that action that he otherwise would have succeeded, he gains an Action Point. If he takes the penalty in a noncombat situation, or it negatively impacts him in a roleplaying situation, the character gains a Plot Point. The character can only gain one Plot or Action Point per encounter or scene. This isn't a free source of points, however. The character does not gain plot points by fulfilling his Motivation or playing out his Flaw, and does not receive any action points for completing Milestones or taking Extended Rests. The wound penalty can apply on any action the PC and player agree are appropriate to the wound.
The penalty could be a penalty on ranged attacks for injured eyes, on knowledge based skill checks for concussions, a movement penalty for leg injuries, Endurance penalty for bruised ribs, and so on. The penalties aren't fixed, any way the injury could hinder the player is fine so long as the DM agrees. The wound must prevent the character from succeeding or performing an action he would be able to if he didn't have the wound penalty. For example, he takes a -2 on his attack roll and gets a 17 total, when the opponent's AC is 18. The DM informs him that he missed and awards an action point. For movement based penalties, the character gains a plot point if the reduced movement prevents them from avoiding or making an attack.
Recovering from wounds
Once per game week, the character must make a Healing check, or have someone make it on his behalf. If successful, the wound penalty decreases by one, so an Crippling Wound becomes Severe, or a Problematic Wound becomes Irritating. The DC is 15+1/2 character level of the wounded character.
Scars
Once a wound is healed, the character may have a scar, if they like. Any time the adventure in question comes up, the character may refer to the scar and gain a +2 on an appropriate skill check. Example: Characters are trying to learn about a goblin tribe, but the townspeople are afraid of reprisals. The fighter makes a Diplomacy check and says "Goblins! We know how to handle goblins. Have you heard of Irontooth?" *shows the scar on his leg* "He did that to me right before I ran him through!" The DM grants a +2 bonus to the Diplomacy check. It is up to the players to record and track their scars. If the player chooses not to record it, the wound is assumed to heal without scarring.
