House rule #1: "You can attempt to go anywhere."

[Felix]

You guys have the completely wrong perspective when it comes to the most important house rule.

House Rule #1:

Players feed DM.

 

[Emirikol]

That sounds more like a table rule. House rules are things that actually change RAW or fill a gap where a RAW should be.

Anways, our House Rule #1 is: You don't talk about house rules...no wait...

Our House rule # 1(of 20 or so) is: No PC generation is random: ability scores are 25 point buy.



jh

 

[FireLance]

On further thought, it seems to render the Item Creation feats useless, which nerfs the wizard significantly.

The knock-on house rule is that characters with the appropriate item creation feat get a 25% discount off the price of a magic item they could create themselves (this rule is also borrowed from the RPGA).

 

[transcendation]

mechanics, campaign, yet still "house"

Some say that a house rule must modify the game mechanics in some way, or else it's not a house rule.

I say that's splitting hairs.

As long as the rule affects the game, and the way that it is played, then it's still a rule. And if it's a rule adopted by the house (DM) that differs from the game's standard, or sets a standard where there previously was none, then it's a house rule.

Let's not make the term "house rule" more idiomatic than it already is.

transcendation

 

[transcendation]

I love beating dead horses!

In reply to the claim that my #1 house rule "doesn't change anything about the characters in-game", I really must disagree.

It changes the character's' in-game options, that is, their paths of fate. Whichever road you travel definitely affects you. The same goes for characters in-game.

Back to the sleeping dragon... Choosing to go to its cave rather than hunt goblins would most likely have vastly different consequences for the characters. And death qualifies as a major change, I would say.



And though the rule doesn't change game mechanics, it does profoundly change game content. Such as scenery, encounters, plot-lines, conversations engaged in, etc. In short, role-play. Making the rule central to the game, as played by the players and their DM.

DnD has many kinds of rules, including games mechanics, etiquette, dungeon design, campaign administration, etc. None of these categories has a monopoly on "house". The house may customize any or all types of rules pertaining to the game.

That's what makes them "house" rules.

transcendation

 

[transcendation]

Back to the point of the post...

I'm still very interested in reading what the main house rules of other DMs are.

And I'm sure others are too.

If you post your here, we might even adopt them!

transcendation

 

[Felix]

That sounds more like a table rule. House rules are things that actually change RAW or fill a gap where a RAW should be.

I hear 4e is developing a "Players must feed DM" rule for Chapter 1 of the PHB. Make sure everyone knows it's not just a house rule.

The player lobby is attempting to amend it to read: "Players must feed DM in proportion to loot and XP", but it's recieving a lot of resistance in the appelate courts.

And if "Players must feed DM" doesn't fill a gap where a RAW should be, then I don't know what does.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Dude, your house rule is in the DMG.

A status quo encounter forces the PCs to adapt to the encounter, rather than the other way around. Bugbears live on Clover Hill, and if the PC's go there, they encounter bugbears, whether bugbears are an appropriate encounter for them or not. This kind of encounter gives the world a certain verisimilitude...You could decide where the dragon's lair is long before the characters are experienced enough to survive a fight against a dragon.

I'm not sure it qualifies as a house rule if it's in the rules as written.

For me, I change house rules when I change campaigns, but an enduring one is "if you roll a 1 for hp at a new level, roll again and subtract 1." Because getting 1 hp on a new HD is a punch in the gut.

 

[transcendation]

What is a RAW?

RAW stands for what?

transcendation

 

[Michael Silverbane]

RAW stands for what?

transcendation

RAW stands for Rules As Written.

Later
silver