House rules and all that...praise, flames, etc?

[CerberusAOD]

http://www.doddstech.com/campaign.htm
Note: No map and regional histories yet...the next (2nd) session may be held as early as this weekend (the first was a disaster--one small mistake dominoed, and I know now, I will not DM again w/o chinese food and good coffee!), so I'd like some feedback, and maybe some some fire-prrof undies, if you have any spares .

In much of the world, isolationism is the key to living. Each going their own way keeps peace, but causes the people to stagnate and become restless. It has caused rifts inside governments and cultured, and demons about have been feeding on the caged in feeling the more advanced peoples seem to have. Well, the Land is sick of it--except for one desert, but he's got a god now and people who live on his harsh self, so he doesn't count .
So the Land is sick of it, and doing what little it can to encourage the people to start moving. It's working. In just a few game-months after this next session, an army will come through where the PCs will be (They'd have no real transport to get them far enough away anyway), killing and salting much of what is in their path. They will go to where there are only rumors of men and decimate civilizations no one has seen in thousands of years.
WHat causes this, its prophecy, and what it truly means is hidden from almost everyone, as, for some reason, all written history just seems to stop around 3000 years ago.

OK. Low magic, minor technology (An assembly line would be an insult to most people), and only humans for the PCs (they can be part-demon, but must buy traits as feats). I stole a bit from d20 Modern.

I now raise my dragonhide shield and wait.

 

[der_kluge]

Wow, those rules are out there, all right. The one that I can actually get my head around is the point buy for ability scores. That's pretty mean - I could get 5 12s and 1 13. The only way to have an 18 is to take 4 10s, and a 9. That's just cruel.

 

[Drawmack]

VP are going to get out of hand very quickly, and there is no difference for the classes.

1st level, 16 con = (1+3)*3 = 4 vp
5th level, 16 con = (5+3)*5 = 40 vp

For a fix I would recommend that you do it this way.

(ds/4 + con mod) * lvl

1st level, 16 con, d4 hd = (1+3) * 1 = 4
1st level, 16 con, d12 hd = (3+3) * 1 = 6
5th level, 16 con, d4 hd = (1+3) * 5 = 20
5th level, 16 con, d12 hd = (3+3) * 5 = 30

The problem with your formula is that it has two increasing variables which makes the total grow exponentially.

How exactly is that stream lining bull rush?

Those skills changes make no sense. Everyone will always max out their class skills and have (int mod/2)*level in cross class skill ranks. It makes all the decision happen up front which pigeon holes the players and makes getting up there in levels a lot less fun.

Energy Drain: doubling save times with each lost level so if they can check every day and they fail 12 times the avarage human would be dead before he could make another save.

Example:
Save 1, Day 1 Fails next save Day 3 (double save time 1 day)
Save 2, Day 3 Fails next save Day 7 (double save time 2 days)
Save 3, Day 7 Fails next save Day 15 (double save time 4 days)
Save 4, Day 15 Fails next save Day 31 (double save time 8 days)
Save 5, Day 31 Fails next save Day 63 (double save time 16 days)
Save 6, Day 63 Fails next save Day 127 (double save time 32 days)
Save 7, Day 127 Fails next save Day 255 (double save time 64 days)
Save 8, Day 255 Fails next save Day 411 (double save time 128 days)
Save 9, Day 411 Fails next save Day 923 (double save time 256 days)
Save 10, Day 923 Fails next save Day 1947 (double save time 512)
Save 11, Day 1947 Fails next save Day 3995 (double save time 1024 days)
Save 12, Day 3995 Fails next save Day 8081 (double save time 2048 days)

That would take 12 days under normal rules but under your rules it takes 22.14 non-leap game years. What's the point in this. Just call them permanent after a while. It's not premanent but you'll be 40 before you can roll a save on that again.

Turning: Does the person who creates the undead pay a cost similar. If not then why are the evil gods nicer to their followers then the good gods?

I've spent enough time on these rules. You need to do a lot more math to modify the rules. I'm surprised they have not eviceted you from the DMs chair yet. BTW: did you play by the core rules or just read them before you changed them?

 

[seasong]

I've spent enough time on these rules. You need to do a lot more math to modify the rules. I'm surprised they have not eviceted you from the DMs chair yet. BTW: did you play by the core rules or just read them before you changed them?

Well, he was expecting flames, and you provided.

The rules don't look like they will work very well, although they should be functional with a good GM, and as long as there aren't any math inclined players who will try to abuse the stacking bonuses, etc. Fortunately, good house rules is rarely, if ever, a prerequisite for being a good GM.

Unless you have Drawmack as a player, apparently.

CerberusAOD: Really, if those rules make you more comfortable and able to focus on the game, by all means, go with them. If you're just trying to improve the system in a general sense, however, I'd just leave 'em alone - not dissing you as a GM, but the rules don't look much improved.

WP+VP: This is okay.

Crits: The +1 per x+1 is kind of crappy; a 19-20/x2 is immensely more valuable than a 20/x3 under this system. I would recommend, instead, allowing a x3 to apply x1 damage to VP in addition to x1 damage to WP; and a x4 to apply x2 damage to VP.

Initiative: Not particularly useful change, but, eh.

Staves: Huh? Does not seem to have any impact other than to screw non-fighters, yet again.

Special Actions: As Drawmack said, this does NOT look streamlined.

Skills: Goodbye, intelligent skilled fighter. Goodbye, Spellcraft for wizards. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

Exorcizement: Interesting. Don't much like the mechanic, though.

The feats are too much for me to look at quickly.

 

[Drawmack]

Unless you have Drawmack as a player, apparently.
[/B]

I probably would have been nicer if he hadn't asked for flames up front.

Bear in mind that I play in a group with 2 people who have a bachelors in computer sciences and 1 who has a bachelors in math. I'm used to needing a mathematical proof that my way is better in order to instantiate any house rule.

 

[seasong]

I probably would have been nicer if he hadn't asked for flames up front.

Bear in mind that I play in a group with 2 people who have a bachelors in computer sciences and 1 who has a bachelors in math. I'm used to needing a mathematical proof that my way is better in order to instantiate any house rule.

Might not have been obvious enough, but that was just a friendly jab . One of the reasons I post my house rule thoughts here is because I know there are people who will tear the math holes apart, you chief among them .