House Rule Clean Slate

[GMMichael]

I'm looking at starting a D&D d20 game, and I'm going to need some house rules for it. If you don't already know, it's because d20 OGL has some persistent problems that have been addressed in different ways, usually not to everyone's satisfaction.

Here are some things I'm anticipating house-ruling:

- Grappling/combat maneuvers (these are STR or DEX checks, as appropriate, plus attack bonus, and generic difficulty penalties if needed)
- Supplement bloat (supplemental rules are admitted on a case-by-case, DM approved, basis)
- Statistics bloat (PCs can opt to either keep characters simple, or face initiative loss while sifting through character sheets)

Anything else I should be looking for? What would you house-rule?

 

[doghead]

Core rules only is a good place to start if you want to keep it simple. Explaining why you want to keep it simple can help as well; if the players know why you want to keep it simple, then I have found they generally will work with you.

You may also want to consider alternative systems. True20 is a d20 system, but without much of the associated supplement material that goes with 3ed and Pathfinder. Same with d20 Modern. Alternatively, if you want DnD but not necessarily d20, then there are of course many OSR systems.

E6 is another way that will keep a things fairly simple as well. Using E6 and gestalt rules can effectively allow you up to 12 levels of advancement. It also allows for a greater degree of customisation.

Being quite specific about the setting can, depending on the setting, be used to put limits on the options. It also has the advantage of seeming less arbitrary. The New Argonauts does a good job of doing this.

And of course, there are hundreds of threads about particular house rules. Without knowing more about what you are trying to achieve, then its hard to say which ones would suit you.

thotd

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I usually go the other way with my own house rules, everything is included, options are good, etc... But a few things that you might consider.

- You ARE Your Class (Each character may have a single base class and a single prestige class only).
- Casters Are Not King (Spellcasters do not gain additional spells per day due to exceptional ability scores).
- Choose ONE Supplement (Each character can include options from the core rulebooks, plus one additional supplement of their choice).
- Simplified Skills (A character's chosen skills, based on class, have a bonus equal to 3+Level+Attribute Mod).

 

[GMMichael]

[MENTION=8243]doghead[/MENTION]: I already run my own version of an E6 system: NPCs are generally limited to 6th level. PC levels from 6 and above are all considered "legendary," so regardless of level, PCs get treated the same way in-game no matter how far past 6th level they are.

I still have no idea what gestalt is - wanna give me the short version?

What I'm trying to achieve is the best of all worlds from D&D 3, 3.5, and 3.75. Which some would say is just Pathfinder, but Pathfinder went too far in some respects, like making classes too bloaty and going a little far on skills simplification.
[MENTION=38016]Michael Silverbane[/MENTION]:
Prestige classes drive me nuts, because they're usually not balanced, and they're always more powerful than core classes.
I'd like to go the opposite route for balancing casters: instead of weakening them, I'd rather beef up the non-casters. Spell-like-abilities can go a long way, no?

Is your skill simplification a removal of skill points, where the characters simply choose X skills, and those skills are always maxed?

 

[doghead]

[MENTION=8243]doghead[/MENTION]I still have no idea what gestalt is - wanna give me the short version?

Gestalt is a system in which the characters get to choose two classes, and take the unique abilities of both, and the best of shared abilities (BAB, HD, saves, skill points etc). I used it with an E6 game, allowing the characters to gestalt an NPV class with their PC class - Expert and Adept were the popular choices, providing skill points and magic use respectively. Usually the characters level in both classes simultaneously. But there has been some discussion about sequenced levelling in E6, in order to increase the number of steps before the character hits the level 6 cap.

If you think the Pathfinder classes to bloated and the skills to simple, 3.5 might be the better choice. Alternatively, don't use options like Traits and use the 3.5 skill system. I would also think adding spell like abilities seems to going in the opposite direction, making things more complicated.

Ultimately, I think the easiest way to keep things simple is to avoid any optional rules and restrict the source material you use; either core only, or core plus some (perhaps allowing players to nominate one supplement they want to draw from for their character). Fiddling with the system runs the risk of creating more work than you save.

thotd

 

[Michael Silverbane]

Is your skill simplification a removal of skill points, where the characters simply choose X skills, and those skills are always maxed?

Yes. Max ranks in a number of skills equal to the number of skill ranks that your class would gain at each level beyond first. You do lose a bit of customization, but skill bonus calculation becomes a breeze.

Oh, another thing that I did at one time was two good saves for everyone, regardless of class. For instance, Phil the Fighter could choose to have Reflex and Will be his good saves, and he would follow that progression, regardless of what classes he advanced in, throughout his career. This kind of hosed monks a bit, but I prefer monks as a flavor of fighter, anyway. That seemed to work out pretty well.