AGE system house rules. Let's share! (Fantasy AGE, Modern AGE, Dragon AGE, Expanse)

[Doc_Klueless]

I enjoy the occasional game from the AGE system family of games. But, as with all RPGs, it ain't perfect. So I thought we could share our house rules for the games and why we made them. Maybe spark others with ideas of their own.

House rule:

I use the Escalation die inspired by 13th Age. But instead of giving bonuses to rolls, it gives stunt points.

• On round one: 0 Stunt Points
• On round two and three: 2 Stunt Point
• On rounds four and five: 3 Stunt Points
• On round six+: 4 Stunt Points

These stunt points are awarded to the PC regardless of whether or not they roll doubles. If doubles are rolled, these are added to the earned points via the Stunt Die.

Why:

I had a few games where one of my player or myself as a player have rolled very, very few doubles and have missed out on Stunt Goodness. In addition, it reeeeeeally speeds up combat. So the grind that can plague upper level AGE is greatly reduced as the player can up damage and pull off cool stunts way more consistently.

I use one of those photo cubes.

What are your house rules?

 

[Marc_C]

AGE is my favourite system.

I like the unpredictability of not knowing when Stunt points will happen. It's what makes Fantasy AGE interesting to me. I find with other games players develop combat routines that become predictable.

The Revised Fantasy AGE, currently in play test, has the Boost general Stunt. It gives +1 per SP to use on you next action or next turn. For when you don't know what to choose.

I'm considering making armour damage reduction random. For each point of armour roll 1d6. For each result of 5-6 in the d6 pool it blocks it blocks 1 point of damage.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

The Revised Fantasy AGE, currently in play test, has the Boost general Stunt. It gives +1 per SP to use on you next action or next turn. For when you don't know what to choose.

I saw that in one of Owen KC Stephens's videos. Looks interesting. When that comes about, I might drop the Escalation die. Really, I have it so that players will have the SP to declare cool stuff before they roll. Makes my game flow smoother for us. However, the Stunt Attack (?) that generates two stunt points as put forward by Owen looks really interesting as well.

Another House Rule:
I also like to have a Stunt Pool in the middle of the table that players can dump unused stunt point into. They decrease by one each round. And yes, I was inspired by Momentum from the 2d20 games.

As you might be able to tell, I love it when there are lots of stunts flying everywhere!

I do acknowledge, though, that that is purely a table aesthetic that might not appeal to everybody.

 

[Gnosistika]

I enjoy the occasional game from the AGE system family of games. But, as with all RPGs, it ain't perfect. So I thought we could share our house rules for the games and why we made them. Maybe spark others with ideas of their own.

House rule:

I use the Escalation die inspired by 13th Age. But instead of giving bonuses to rolls, it gives stunt points.

• On round one: 0 Stunt Points
• On round two and three: 2 Stunt Point
• On rounds four and five: 3 Stunt Points
• On round six+: 4 Stunt Points

These stunt points are awarded to the PC regardless of whether or not they roll doubles. If doubles are rolled, these are added to the earned points via the Stunt Die.

Why:

I had a few games where one of my player or myself as a player have rolled very, very few doubles and have missed out on Stunt Goodness. In addition, it reeeeeeally speeds up combat. So the grind that can plague upper level AGE is greatly reduced as the player can up damage and pull off cool stunts way more consistently.

I use one of those photo cubes.

What are your house rules?

I like the stunt pool in the middle of the table idea, think I'm going to steal that.

I use rules from other AGE games for my Fantasy AGE -
1. Fortune from The Expanse RPG instead of Health. Also the standardised damage (1d6, 2d6, 3d6).
2. Gritty and Pulpy play modes from Modern AGE for the stamina and defence rules.
3. Blue Rose AGE, I use the simplified armour (light=3, medium=5 etc.), also the weapon groups.
4. I use the fatigue roll from MAGE for casting magic instead of MPs.
5. I use a hybrid magic system - sort of between FAGE and BRAGE.
6. From the Lost Citadel FAGE: I use the specialisations like the Witch, Priest, Urban Totem Warrior, Ki Initiate and Beguiler. I use Pneuma (Corruption), Ceremonial Magic and Martial Arts.

From 13th Age I use:
1) Backgrounds.
2) OUT
3) Damage by Class.

From the Black Hack 2e:
1) Abstract Ranges
2) Usage Die for money and goods.

So not so much house rules as borrowed rules.

 

[Doc_Klueless]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Marc_C]

My Modern AGE 1921 weird science pulp campaign uses the Fatigue rules. Each character has a psychic ability. I used FAGE spells and MAGE powers to define them.

 

[Bixby]

Hey guys! If you like my house-rules (or at least some of them), please feel free to share this PDF with whomever, wherever, whenever. Thanks!

 

[Angelfire]

Late to the party, I just started using Fantasy Age. Didn't want to bump an old topic, but I saw a post from 2024. Mainly:

1. No special stunt dice. Stunt points is whatever the matching doubles rolled. So 3, 3, 5 is 3 SP. All 3 dice equal you get +2 SP.
2. Multiclass. In D&D style. That is, you only get the full benefits of a class at Level 1 (character level 1), when you multiclass you advance as that class but don't get the initial benefits. It's not perfect, but works and characters don't become OP since every ability and stat increase is based on class level. Fantasy Age would be perfect if it had point-buy system instead of class. Or, given class system, at least a way to better customize the characters.

 

[bulletmeat]

Well, I figured since this was res'd once after a nearly 3 year hiatus I thought "Meh, what's 9 months"?
Here's my Frankenstein (some stolen from others, some came up in play).