Here are the house rules I'm going to use.. although I do like the one about the Attack Bonus you mentioned.
Starting Skills Ranks
A character gets a starting number of Skill Ranks equal to his Intelligence modifier.
Option: Critical Success or Failure
If a natural 20 is rolled, the player rolls again. The result is added to the skill roll. The players continues as long as he continues to roll natural 20s. If a natural 1 is rolled, the player rolls again. The result is subtracted to the skill roll. The players continues as long as he continues to roll natural 1s.
Skills
New Skills
Tracking (Wis; Trained Only)
You can follow the trails of creatures and characters across most types of terrain.
Check: See the Track feat (pg. 49) for the appropriate checks.
Special: For each multiple of 5 ranks in the Wilderness Lore will give you a +2 circumstance bonus to the Tracking checks in wilderness surroundings only.
Feats
New Feats
Combat Reflexes [Standard]
You can take advantage of opponents that let their defenses down during combat.
Prerequisite:
Benefit: When foes leave themselves open, the character may make a number of additional attacks of opportunity equal to the character's Dexterity modifier. The character still may only make one attack of opportunity per enemy.
The character may also make attacks of opportunity while flat-footed.
Normal: A character may only make one attack of opportunity per round.
Improved Penetration [Standard]
Your attack or power is extremely effective at overcoming resistance.
Prerequisite: Penetration
Benefit: 'Automatic success on damage save' from Protection are negated by this feat. The Penetration feat saving throw bonus against powers with the Impervious extra is halved.
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new attack or power.
Knock-Back [Standard]
The force of your blows can knock enemies away from you.
Prerequisite: Str 15+, Power Attack
Benefit: When you strike an enemy, you may choose to attempt to knock it back away from you a number of feet equal to your natural reach (due to size). If the attack succeeds, make a Strength check opposed by the defender's Dexterity or Strength check (whichever ability score has the higher modifier). A combatant gets a +4 bonus for every size category he is larger than Medium-size or a -4 penalty for every size category he is smaller. The defender gets a +4 stability bonus on his check if he has more than two legs or is otherwise more stable than a normal humanoid. If the attacker wins, the enemy is knocked directly away from you.
Mobility [Standard]
You have superior mobility which allows you to avoid attacks.
Prerequisite: Dex 13+, Dodge
Benefit: The character gets a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when the character moves out of or within a threatened area. Note: A condition that makes the character lose the Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes the character lose dodge bonuses. Also, dodge bonuses stack with each other, unlike most types of bonuses.
Mounted Ranged Fire [Standard]
You have superior ability with firing from a moving mount.
Prerequisite: Ride skill, Mounted Combat
Benefit: The penalty the character suffers when using a ranged weapon from a mount is halved: -2 instead of -4 if the character's mount is taking a double move, and -4 instead of -8 if the character's mount is sprinting.
Mounted Combat [Standard]
You have superior ability with handling mounts in combat.
Prerequisite: Ride skill
Benefit: Once per round when the character's mount is hit in combat, the character may make a Ride check to negate the hit. The hit is negated if the character's Ride check is greater than the attack roll (essentially, the Ride check becomes the mount's Armor Class if it's higher than the mount's regular AC).
Ride-By Attack [Standard]
You can direct your mount with ease during combat.
Prerequisite: Ride skill, Mounted Combat
Benefit: When the character is mounted and uses the charge action, the character may move and attack as with a standard charge and then move again (continuing the straight line of the charge). The character's total movement for the round can't exceed double the character's mounted speed. The character does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the opponent that the character attacks.
Spirited Charge [Standard]
You can urge your mounted in a phenomenal charge.
Prerequisite: Ride skill, Mounted Combat, Ride-By Attack
Benefit: When mounted and using the charge action, the character receives a +1 bonus to damage with a melee weapon or a +2 bonus to damage of 5 with a lance.
Trample [Standard]
You can urge your mounted in a phenomenal charge.
Prerequisite: Ride skill, Mounted Combat
Benefit: When the character attempts to overrun an opponent while mounted, the target may not choose to avoid the character. If the character knocks down the target, the character's mount may make one hoof attack against the target, gaining the standard +4 bonus on attack rolls against prone targets.
Vehicle Combat [Standard]
You have superior ability with attacking from a moving vehicle.
Prerequisite: Drive or Pilot skill
Benefit: if you make a successful Move and Act check, then you gain a +2 bonus per speed category the vehicle is traveling. This bonus applies to any attack.
Updated Feats
Penetration
Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. This feat may be taken twice for any attack or power, otherwise it applies to a new attack or power. Powers with the Impervious extra ignore the effects of this feat.
Track
The Track feat is no longer used, now it is a skill; see Skills.
Mounted Movement
A animal mount bearing a rider can move at a hustle. A mount suffers stun damage when the Constitution check fails, the damage bonus is equivalent to the number of Constitution checks made during the movement minus its Constitution modifier. If the mount falls unconcious, it is considered dying instead.
Combat
Initiative will be rolled at the start of each new round.
Critical Fumbles
On an attack roll of 1, a Reflex saving throw must be made. If the check beats a DC 20, the attacker is assumed to have lost the rest of the round as it regains his balance, etc. and provokes an attacks of opportunity. If the check is failed by 5 or more, then the attacker did fumbled his weapon. For two-handed weapons, and any weapon or ability that explicitly states it helps to prevent disarmament, the check fail by 10 for a fumble to happen. Gauntlets, similar weapons and natural weapons cannot be fumbled.
Wielding Weapons with Two Hands
An attacker wielding a one-handed weapon with two hands gains the attacker one and a half times the attacker's Strength modifier, but incurs a -2 penalty on attack rolls.
Firing into a Crowd (DungeonMaster's Guide pg. 65)
Gives rules for missiles that are errant, i.e. do not hit the target.
Ranged Weapons
The use of a missile weapon that relies on a character's Strength to fire the missile, such as a bow (any but crossbows), throwing axe, daggers, darts, slings, etc. will have its maximum range increments affected. The maximum of 5 range increments is decreased by the Strength modifier. A character with a Strength of 7 and firing a bow would only be able to shoot an arrow up to 3 range increments away, instead of the maximum of 5. There is always a minimum of 1 range increment.
Charge
A charge must move at least 10 feet. If the distance charged is equal to or less than the character's double-move then you receive the +2 to hit bonus and -2 AC bonus. If however, the charge is greater than the character's double-move then the character receives no +2 to hit bonus and no AC bonuses. A character mounted on an animal and wielding a lance receives a +1 bonus to damage. A character riding in a vehicle and wielding a lance receives a +1 bonus to damage per movement category over Cautious Speed.
Mounted Combat
Animal mounts not specifically trained for combat are frightened by it. If you don't dismount, you must make a Ride check (DC 20) each round as a move-equivalent action just to control the mount. If you succeed, you can perform a half action after the move-equivalent action. If you fail, the move-equivalent action to control the mount is considered to be a full action. Your mount acts in the mounted character's iniative. Even trained mounts avoid combat without a rider to guide it.
A successful Ride check (DC 5) allows you to guide a trained mount without hands during combat and therefore make attacks. If your mount moves more than 5 feet, then you may only make a half-action melee attack. You receive a +1 bonus to hit for attacking an opponent that is one size category smaller than the mount for being on higher ground. With ranged weapons you are at a -4 penalty if your mount took a double move and a -9 if the mount is sprinting. You make ranged attack rolls at the mid-point of the mount's movement. You can use your move-equivalent actions normally. If your mount falls while you riding it, you must succeeed at a Ride check (DC 15) to make a soft fall. If the check fails, you take a 1 damage bonus wound. If you are knocked unconscious or dying or have your legs imparied, you have a 50% chance of staying in the saddle (75% if using a military saddle). Otherwise you take a 1 damage bonus wound.
Trip
If a character has 5 or more ranks in Balance or Tumble, it gets a synergy bonus as the defender on Trip Dexterity or Strength checks. These bonuses stack. A character may make a trip attack against a mounted opponent. The defender may use his Ride, mounted on an animal, or Drive or Pilot, riding in a vehicle, skill in place of his Dexterity or Strength check. If a character succeed, a character pull the rider from his mount or vehicle.
Control a frightened mount
The combatant must make a Ride check (DC 20) each round to control a mount untrained for war (untrained mounts include light and heavy horses, and ponies). If the check is successful, the combatant can perform a partial action after the check. If the Ride check fails, the check is considered to have been a full-round action. This is a move-equivalent action that generates an attack of opportunity.
Options
The following optional variants are to be used:
Option: Defense Roll (pg. 127)
Option: Massive Damage (pg. 128) No instant kills.
Option: Knockback (pg. 129)
Option: Impairment (pg. 129) Penalties due to lethal hits apply to all die rolls.
Slow Recovery
Characters recover 6 plus their Constitution modifier, minimum of one, in stun hits every hour and 6 minus their Constitution modifier, minimum of one, in lethal hits every 5 days. It takes 10 minutes minus the character's Constitution modifier to recover from unconsciousness and 10 days minus the character's Constitution modifier to recover from a disabled condition. Long-term care doubles the rate of healing.
Devices
Hardness of a Device
The hardness of a device is made up of the hardness of the material its made of plus 1/2 the highest power level, rounded down. Mystical devices have a base material hardness of 10.
Also have some Called Shot rules I think I'll implement.
The way I see it, there's no need to add any extra stuff unless it actually comes up. I might use a couple of the options listed in the rules themselves, however. Now I'm just really looking forward to Freedom City to come out, and I can start my campaign! One thing I will do is make the player's characters for them initially, based on their discriptions. That will smooth things out to start with and get things running faster.
