Critique my House Rules

SlyFlourish

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*Classes include: Warlock, Warblade, Sword Sage, Crusader, Rogue, Paladin, Favored Soul, Sorcerer, Barbarian, Fighter, Ranger.

*Attributes include 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 mixed anyway you want. At level 8 and level 16 you can bump up one of these by 2.

*Hitpoints are calculated by maxing out first level and then adding 1/2 the max die roll rounded up: 1d4 = 3, 1d6 = 4, 1d8 = 5, 1d10 = 6, 1d12 = 7.

*Critical hits are automatic, no threat check is needed. All threat ranges on weapons are reduced by 1, minimum 20.

*Diagonal movements on a grid count as 1.

*Spell damage = five dice max + 1/2 the die roll rounded up: 1d4 = 3, 1d6 = 4, 1d8 = 5, 1d10 = 6, 1d12 = 7.

*Turn Undead = 1d6 damage per level, will save for half, DC 10 + cleric level + cha. Favored Souls gain Turn Undead as a class ability.

*Rangers and Paladins lose their spellcasting abilities but gain one additional feat.

*There are no iterative multiple attacks. Instead add 1/2 character level to all melee and ranged damage. At level 10, characters gain an additional attack at the same attack bonus. Haste adds one more attack.

*Characters have two action points per session. These action points equate to + 1d6 roll to any 1d20 roll.

*Spell casting characters can turn group buff spells into "Auras" which are permanent but permanently remove one spell casting slot. These bonuses can then be calculated into the character sheets.

*There is no extra strength bonus for using two-handed weapons. There is also no power attack bonus for using a two handed weapon. Power attacks trade 1 attack bonus point for 1 point of damage on all weapons.

*The damage of weapons for small characters and medium characters are the same.

*Skill bonuses = level + attribute bonus + 5 if it is a primary attribute of your class or you're a rouge or you're a human. The +5 does not compound if you happen to be all three.
 

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It's hard to know what to say without a purpose.

The biggest question is: Why did you decide to change the rules? What kind of game experience are you looking for? How is that different from standard D&D?
 

I'm looking for a fun, fast, and furious game with some folks new to D&D and some folks who have played for a while. I want to reference the PhB as little as possible and avoid any of those actions where players or the DM roll their eyes.

"Time to turn undead! someone dig out those charts"

or

"Yay! I rolled a 20! Boo, I failed the confirm..."

or

"Time to start the game! We'll come back in an hour when the cleric figured out what spells to have memorized"

The purpose of my rule changes fit in line with a lot of the philosophies I'm hearing about 4e. I want a fun and fast game where the action is smooth and players can spend their time in the story feeling like heroes instead of worrying about mechanics.
 

Have you seen Savage Worlds? I know you're looking for D&D but the game's tagline is "Fast! Furious! Fun!" and by all reports it's REALLY good at delivering on that.
 

mshea said:
*Critical hits are automatic, no threat check is needed. All threat ranges on weapons are reduced by 1, minimum 20.
What do you do then to make swords and such useful rather than worthless?

This houserule hurts swords and such only, while making axes and scythes and certain polearms the only weapons worth using. Even falchions, rapiers, and kukris are hurt by this rule, dealing crits only slightly more often than axes but much less damage per hit (and far, far less damage per crit).

*Spell damage = five dice max + 1/2 the die roll rounded up: 1d4 = 3, 1d6 = 4, 1d8 = 5, 1d10 = 6, 1d12 = 7.
This needs a bit of clarification. Perhaps an example or two would clear up how this works?

*Turn Undead = 1d6 damage per level, will save for half, DC 10 + cleric level + cha. Favored Souls gain Turn Undead as a class ability.
Very powerful, too much so I think. The damage should probably be reduced, or the save DC (maybe both). A save DC reduction might be best (make it 1/2 cleric level factored in, rather than full cleric level factored in).

Also, does Rebuke/Command Undead work the same as before, or is it changed in some way?

*Rangers and Paladins lose their spellcasting abilities but gain one additional feat.
Might be too weak that way....maybe a bonus feat at 4th, 12th, and 20th? Chosen from the fighter's list, but excluding fighter-only feats.

*There are no iterative multiple attacks. Instead add 1/2 character level to all melee and ranged damage. At level 10, characters gain an additional attack at the same attack bonus. Haste adds one more attack.
Ouch. And why level 10? Why not BAB +10 or BAB +11? Also, do these extra attacks still require the "full attack action" ?

*Characters have two action points per session. These action points equate to + 1d6 roll to any 1d20 roll.
Slightly useful, but I don't think it'll have much impact. Might get saved all the time for saving throws or something. Not particularly exciting.

*Spell casting characters can turn group buff spells into "Auras" which are permanent but permanently remove one spell casting slot. These bonuses can then be calculated into the character sheets.
I think Haste and a few other choice spells might become permanent Auras ASAP with this rule, becuase people would LOVE to have Haste all-the-frikkin-time! LIkewise with True Seeing or something (unless they are mages, in which case they might just use the Permanency spell for that if allowed, rather than permanently lose a spell slot to it). Does this houserule apply to single-target buffing spells as well?

*There is no extra strength bonus for using two-handed weapons. There is also no power attack bonus for using a two handed weapon. Power attacks trade 1 attack bonus point for 1 point of damage on all weapons.
I think this kind of makes two-handed weapons pointless, at least the first part. I'm all for the second part, though. But if warriors have to choose between A) one-handed weapon and a shield for several points more AC, B) two-handed weapon that deals marginally more base damage, and C) two weapons that combined deal more damage than the other options, I think they'll go with option A or option C every time.

A if they want to jack up Armor Class a good chunk through magic shields, or C if they want to deal more damage and get more attacks through the off-hand weapon and TWF feats. Two-handers will be obsolete except for the occasional reach weapon, like the spiked chain, for warriors who prefer a little bit of battlefield control at the expense of a reduction in AC and damage output.

*Skill bonuses = level + attribute bonus + 5 if it is a primary attribute of your class or you're a rouge or you're a human. The +5 does not compound if you happen to be all three.
This confuses and worries me.
 

Sorcerer is the only arcane caster you allow and you both, lower the critical hit range on weapons and disallow extra strength and power attack damage on two handed weapons???

I think for the first time ever my greatsword wielding, orc barbarian might just cry...
 

mshea said:
*Classes include: Warlock, Warblade, Sword Sage, Crusader, Rogue, Paladin, Favored Soul, Sorcerer, Barbarian, Fighter, Ranger.

Those are... interesting choices. :D For all that you have 11 classes there, the selecttion is incredibly limited for anyone who wants to be something besides a fighter-type.

Fighter-type: Warblade, Swordsage, Crusader, Paladin, Barbarian, Fighter
Cleric-type: Favored Soul
Rogue-type: Rogue
Wizard-type: Sorcerer, Warlock

Someone who wants to be a healer in this group has to be a favored soul. They might be able to get away with a paladin or crusader, but those are sub-standard as primary healers.

Wanna be an expert type? Have to be a rogue. The only other decently skilled classes there are swordsage and ranger, and neither of those have trapfinding.

And as for arcanists, the two choices of warlock and sorcerer are both known for their lack of versatility compared to a wizard. There's literally no option there for a generalist magic user.

mshea said:
*Attributes include 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 mixed anyway you want. At level 8 and level 16 you can bump up one of these by 2.

*Hitpoints are calculated by maxing out first level and then adding 1/2 the max die roll rounded up: 1d4 = 3, 1d6 = 4, 1d8 = 5, 1d10 = 6, 1d12 = 7.

Seems fair enough to me.

mshea said:
*Critical hits are automatic, no threat check is needed. All threat ranges on weapons are reduced by 1, minimum 20.

I think someone already pointed out how this hurts weapons with a wider critical range such as scimitars or kukris.

mshea said:
*Diagonal movements on a grid count as 1.

I'll admit, I really don't understand the problem people have with counting diagonals as 1 and 1/2 squares. With that said, this shouldn't cause any problems.

mshea said:
*Spell damage = five dice max + 1/2 the die roll rounded up: 1d4 = 3, 1d6 = 4, 1d8 = 5, 1d10 = 6, 1d12 = 7.

So a fireball cast by a 10th-level sorcerer would be 5d6+20? That seems reasonable. You might want to check how that effects Maximize and Empower Spell.

mshea said:
*Turn Undead = 1d6 damage per level, will save for half, DC 10 + cleric level + cha. Favored Souls gain Turn Undead as a class ability.

1/2 cleric level! Full is a tad overpowered. Does Rebuke heal the undead for the same amount?

mshea said:
*Rangers and Paladins lose their spellcasting abilities but gain one additional feat.

The standard replacement I've seen is one bonus feat at every level they would have gained a new spell level. That's a little fairer; spellcasting is far more valuable than just one feat.

mshea said:
*There are no iterative multiple attacks. Instead add 1/2 character level to all melee and ranged damage. At level 10, characters gain an additional attack at the same attack bonus. Haste adds one more attack.

So a warlock, rogue, and fighter of the same level all add the same amount of damage to their attack? That seems bizarre to me, and unfair to the full BAB classes. Maybe 1/2 BAB instead?

mshea said:
*Characters have two action points per session. These action points equate to + 1d6 roll to any 1d20 roll.

Fair enough.

mshea said:
*Spell casting characters can turn group buff spells into "Auras" which are permanent but permanently remove one spell casting slot. These bonuses can then be calculated into the character sheets.

What's the range on these auras? Are you losing a spell slot of the same level? This seems like it could be very broken. The Permanent Spell metamagic feat raises a spell's effective level by 6 for comparison.

mshea said:
*There is no extra strength bonus for using two-handed weapons. There is also no power attack bonus for using a two handed weapon. Power attacks trade 1 attack bonus point for 1 point of damage on all weapons.

Is there any point to wielding a two-handed weapon, then? Between this and the extra level damage on all attacks, it seems to encourage everyone to go TWF and get as many attacks off as they can.

mshea said:
*The damage of weapons for small characters and medium characters are the same.

Do Small creature still get their bonuses to AC and attack rolls over Mediums?

mshea said:
*Skill bonuses = level + attribute bonus + 5 if it is a primary attribute of your class or you're a rouge or you're a human. The +5 does not compound if you happen to be all three.

So rogues and humans are trained in all skills automatically? That seems problematic and unbalancing. At the very least, anyone playing a martial adept in your game has to play a human for the skill checks.
 

Good comments

Good comments, I'll incorporate a few of them right off.

For one, as far as swords and axes: the crit is always double damage, no x3 multiplier. I want people to pick a weapon they LIKE instead of which one has the best average damage.

I took the Turn Undead rule from the Destroy Undead rule found in Expedition to Ravenloft. I figure James Wyatt knows better than I how to balance it.

Most of these house rules are there to tide us over until 4e. I don't worry too much about it unbalancing the game. We only play once a month so we'll have about six to eight games before we convert.

Thanks again for the comments.
 
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Since hit points are a little above average, spell damage is a little above average is weapon damage a little above average, too?
"Oh, that's an ogre, he has 4 dice, all I have to do is hit him 5 times and he is dead"

mshea said:
*Rangers and Paladins lose their spellcasting abilities but gain one additional feat.
One of the things that make these classes is their spell casting. Some of the higher level spells are _so_ much fun.

mshea said:
*There is no extra strength bonus for using two-handed weapons. There is also no power attack bonus for using a two handed weapon. Power attacks trade 1 attack bonus point for 1 point of damage on all weapons.
mshea said:
*The damage of weapons for small characters and medium characters are the same.
Since small characters can have the same stats, get a bonus on DEX and AC and have the same damage for weapons, one would have a medium character because...?

Can the 'aura's be dispelled?
Can the slot be reclaimed?
If the person with the slot dies, do the aura's die too?
(If so, more emphasis on 'protect the mage'.)
 

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