Is decision of method of ability score gen a house rule?

[pawsplay]

Correct. I was just saying that the use of PrCs should be considered a house rule, because, unlike the rules in the PHB, the players should not assume their inclusion.

I disagree. They are an option, and even if they aren't used, they still have official rules.

By your criteria, simply deciding which monsters from the MM to use constitutes a house rule.

 

[Greg K]

I disagree. They are an option, and even if they aren't used, they still have official rules.

By your criteria, simply deciding which monsters from the MM to use constitutes a house rule.

Nope, because the PHB (at least my 3.0) assumes their will be monsters to fight and even provides some examples. It does not do the same for PrCs

 

[Emirikol]

OK, solved: PHB, MM, and DMG are core. Everything else is a house rule (including some 'optional' rules in the DMG).

No?

jh
aka el-gasolino

 

[Crothian]

OK, solved: PHB, MM, and DMG are core. Everything else is a house rule (including some 'optional' rules in the DMG).

No?

There is never going to be a defintion that everyoine agrees on. All you need to do is define it for yourself.

 

[icedrake]

I disagree. They are an option, and even if they aren't used, they still have official rules.

By your criteria, simply deciding which monsters from the MM to use constitutes a house rule.

I also disagree. When you come into a new gaming group, you have no idea what books are avaiable for character generation or resources that players might be able to draw from. The "core" only game serves as a primary example of this. Yes, Races of Stone or PHBII might have official rules within them, but the variant of dnd a group plays is one they've commonly agreed on.

It could be called a house rule, what books the people play with, but I would not choose to call this one.

To the OP: I very loosely define the term "house rule" and "rules variant". I would call ability score generation a variant rather than a house rule IF you follow the prescribed methods presented in the PHB or DMG. Anything outside of those sources would be a house rule.

 

[Emirikol]

Well, since no one else can agree, I'm going to be the DM and say what it is: anything that isn't CORE is a house rule. We can put all the fancy words on it we want "optional rule" "table rule" "variant rule" whatever. Unless they're core, they're house rules.

I contend that everyone uses house rules and they should be writing them down for their players, whether it be a House Rule List of Non-Core books allowed, or any variation to ability score generation from what is presented in the PHB.

jh

 

[ThirdWizard]

House Rules, Table Rules, and Variant Rules are very different things.

House Rules are alterations or additions that the DM makes to the rules.

Table Rules are meta rules that affect the Players instead of the PCs.

Variant Rules are altered rules from Core published sources.

Supplemental Rules are rules that are added by non-Core published materials, though even supplemental rules can have their own Variant Rules.

Unearthed Arcana is a book of Supplemental Variant Rules.

 

[Nonlethal Force]

House Rules, Table Rules, and Variant Rules are very different things.

House Rules are alterations or additions that the DM makes to the rules.

Table Rules are meta rules that affect the Players instead of the PCs.

Variant Rules are altered rules from Core published sources.

Supplemental Rules are rules that are added by non-Core published materials, though even supplemental rules can have their own Variant Rules.

Unearthed Arcana is a book of Supplemental Variant Rules.

Exceleent distinction. Of course, this agrees with my earlier post completely as well as adds the definition for table rules and supplemental rules.

My advice to the OP is to use these definitions. I suspect that the majority of players can abide by these distinctions. In sum:

Published: Variant Rule
Rule governing metagaming stuff: Table Rule
Unpublished: House Rule

Yep. That sounds about right.

 

[Delta]

I agree with the non-OP terminology.

 

[glass]

So if it's pre-published it's not a house rule? What's UA then?

A collection of optional variants.


glass.