Recent content by totoro

I like the rationale for only good gods in the PHB. However, this is unfair. WotC defined the alignments inelegantly, and therefore players were confused about how they worked. It is the fault of those who came up with the definitions, not those who had trouble understanding them. I had to...

I have not seen the module, but I would guess the Dwarf can speak 3 languages (Common, Dwarf, and another). Can you post the ability scores for the characters?

It would all be so much easier if hand-and-a-half weapons (bastard sword and dwarven waraxe) were simply martial weapons that require Hand-and-a-Half Weapon Proficiency (prereq: STR 13+) to use if you are proficient with the smaller version (long sword and battle axe). The Warhammer should be...

I suggest you revamp all of the classes so that you get a feat at every level and no special abilities. I did that and it works great (no levels where you get no feats and no levels where you get two). I suggest that at odd levels you have to take a class feat and even levels you can take a...

Taking the damage spells one at a time: Shocking Grasp: At 6th level, you can do as much damage as a 6th level fighter (5d6 damage is roughly the amount of damage you can expect a 6th level fighter to do with a greatsword--2d6+6(STR)+2(specialization)+2(magic weapon). The wizard gets +3 if...

I added some new effects that make this spell pretty cool, IMO. It still doesn't work very well in the heat of battle, but if a rogue scouts out some guards and calls the spellcaster forward to cast sleep, you have a lot of options. Even against tougher encounters, you can nullify their low...

I like that 3.5e changed the sleep spell. I don't like what they changed it to, but it does make you think about what it should be. I think it should scale with level. So, I suggest: 1d4HD of creatures / level of caster (5d4 max). You may affect any creature with 1HD / caster level (5 max)...

That's what my players say. So I have to scale back the rules I suggest. Players always get a veto of house rules they don't like. The weapon feats were received well by my friends because they are easy to understand and make sense. The armor rules were only well-received after I drew up a...

I think social skills work great. They help show on paper what your character's strengths are, even if it has nothing to do with spells or prowess in combat. Even for those players who have an excellent grasp of their characters' abilities, there may be a temptation (at times) to pretend your...

Interesting... I find it interesting that I don't like most of the house rules that I read. I'm sure that many feel the same about my house rules. I guess the rules as written aren't too bad after all... Of course my house rules *are* better. :D

Am I still playing D&D? House Rules: Weapons, Armor, and Weapon-Related Feats: 1.0) Hand Crossbows and repeating crossbows are simple weapons, but you need a feat (Repeating Crossbow) to fire a repeating crossbow faster than a normal crossbow and to reload a clip in one round (without the feat...

Tolkien's dwarves used magic. At Bilbo's birthday party, toys were given out that were made by dwarves, some of which were magical. They also made magic armor and magical doors. Tolkien's elves didn't seem to use magic much differently than that. When asked if the cloaks of Lothlorien were...

Right

Differences between sorcerer and wizard now: Alignment. Same Hit Die. Same Skills. Sorcerer gets bluff. Wizard gets decipher script and all knowledge (and can choose Draconic as a bonus language). Skill Points. Same BAB. Same Weapons. Wizard gets a few simple weapons, Sorcerer gets all...

That's the way we were playing it straight out of the PHB until somebody got the idea that it had been reduced in power. Where did that come from?