Most superfluous rule?

[Nail]

What rule gets your vote for the most completely superfluous (excessive; redundant) rule in 3rd edition?

I've yet to see anyone post a superfluous rule. Plenty of you have posted rules you dislike or ignore......and that's got precious little to do with "redundant".

 

[gnfnrf]

These are rules that I have never seen affect play, despite existing, and therefore I believe to be superfluous in their present form.

Death from Massive Damage: While theoretically possible, in twenty to thirty applications, nothing ever has yet lived through the damage but failed the Fort save.

Heal Checks and Long Term Care: I understand that this should be possible, but I've never seen it used and I don't expect it to ever be used.

--
gnfnrf

 

[billd91]

I like cross-class and class skills. But I'd get rid of half-ranks. I'd make both types of skills cost the same but impose the same ceiling on cross-class skills. Some classes simply should be better at certain things than other classes.

 

[Gnome]

I've yet to see anyone post a superfluous rule. Plenty of you have posted rules you dislike or ignore......and that's got precious little to do with "redundant".

su·per·flu·ous Pronunciation[soo-pur-floo-uhs] – adjective
1. being more than is sufficient or required; excessive.
2. unnecessary or needless.
3. Obsolete. possessing or spending more than enough or necessary; extravagant.

I'd say the multiclassing restrictions for monks and paladins qualifies for at least the second definition. There is nothing about these classes from a balance perspective to suggest the need for additional restrictions outside of the normal multiclassing rules, so adding extra restrictions is definitely redundant in my book.

 

[lukelightning]

Aging rules. I've never seen a PC die of old age. They are more likely to die of old dragon. I don't think there should be any stat bonuses for aging either.


Actually both favored class and paladin/monk restrictions serve an important purpose. They are for DMs to remove to make players happy.

 

[mvincent]

Brew's Top 5 (with thanks to earlier posters)

5) cross-class skills


4) class skills

Heh. Did you actually perceive a difference here, or were you just being ironic? (in which case: well played... it met the earlier mentioned requisite for being both redundant and repetitious)

 

[Henry]

How about, "Muscular Action closes the hole?"

I've found some skills to be superfluous, like the profession skill; it should probably be based off of the skill you're using to make the money, not be a separate "money-making skill".

 

[lukelightning]

How about, "Muscular Action closes the hole?"

That's what she said.

Seriously, though, I've house-ruled that after you've done x amount of damage, the purple worm/t-rex/whatever-it-was-that-swallowed you just vomits you out automatically.

 

[Nail]

I'd say the multiclassing restrictions for monks and paladins qualifies for at least the second definition. There is nothing about these classes from a balance perspective to suggest the need for additional restrictions outside of the normal multiclassing rules, so adding extra restrictions is definitely redundant in my book.

This certainly comes the closest to superfluous....in the sense that several people feel as if they don't need the rule.

Which means, in essense, "I don't like it."

 

[The Souljourner]

I'll 10th or 11th or whatever the paladin/monk/all multiclass restrictions. If the DM wants to restrict a PC, that's one thing, but there's no reason to put it in the rules as a default. Pretty much any other rule I can see some kind of rationale for. Even death from massive damage... sure, if you can take 50 damage you'll usually pass the DC 15 save, but it at least is trying to model some kind of standard "death from extreme shock" that makes sense in theory, even if the exact implementation is awful.

For a truly superfluous rule -

From Settlers of Catan (4 player game, each player has his own color pieces, color means nothing except whose pieces are whose)

"If you're playing with only 3 players, don't use the red pieces."

-Nate