my house rules

[ydirbut]

For my ebberon campaign i am considering the following house rules

please critique

1. Dwarves remain as the were in 3.0

2. modified half orcs, half elves and kobolds

3. you get to choose a number of skill groups (see later posts).

4. All your stats start out at 8 and you get 32 point to add to them (not point buy)

5. you can buy an additional 10 point for +1 ecl

6.you can use the expert as a base class from
here

7. i am using the ultimate fighter and ultimate sorceror, from these boards.ultimat fighter

8. lots of new feats

9. anything from complete warrior, except frenzied berserker

10. you can take leadership multiple times but can only bring 1 cohort on each adventure

the rest of these are from unearthed arcana

11.Reducing level adjustment

12.racial paragon class

13. the bardic sage, divine bard, savage bard, cloistered cleric, druidic avenger, thug, monk fighting styles, paladin variants, planar/urban ranger, wilderness rouge, battle sorceror, specialist wizards.

14. complex skill checks

15. spelltouched feats

16.summon monster variants

17.legendary weapons

18. incantations

19.contacts

 

[CRGreathouse]

For my ebberon campaign i am considering the following house rules

please critique

1. Dwarves remain as the were in 3.0

Many people think that dwarves are too powerful in 3.5. While I happen to not agree, there's nothing wrong with this house rule; people will probably still play dwarves, and it's better to err on the side of caution regardless.

3. you get to choose a number of class skills instead of a preset list.

This could be problemetic, as the skills aren't balanced against themselves. Spot, for example, is more powerful than Use Rope.

Have you considered breaking skills into 3-4 categories and pricing them differently?

4. All your stats start out at 8 and you get 32 point to add to them (not point buy)

This is very powerful (but OK, as long as you realize what you're doing). This would allow three 18s, a 10, and two 8s.

Might I recommend 8s plus 25 points?

 

[Doomhawk]

What exactly are your modified races? Can you tell us what you've changed?

One idea I've pondered for class skills is having it work somewhat like weapon groups (from UA) - classes get a certain number of "skill groups" as class skills, and each skill group contains several related skills. Spot, Listen, and Search, for instance, would be the Awareness skill group. Weaker skills, like Use Rope, would be made more useful my putting them in large skill groups - so if you take Awareness, you only get three skills, although they're great skills. On the other hand, the Self-Sufficient skill group would give you not only Use Rope, but also Survival, Heal, Knowledge (Nature), and maybe one other skill. Use Magic Device might be all alone in a skill group, simply because it's such a great skill.

 

[AeroDm]

The gaining 10 points for +1 ECL and then the option to buy off level adjustments from AU couldbe broken pretty easily, especially if everyone decided to do it and then just hang out at level one a few sessions longer.

 

[ydirbut]

response

One idea I've pondered for class skills is having it work somewhat like weapon groups (from UA) - classes get a certain number of "skill groups" as class skills, and each skill group contains several related skills. Spot, Listen, and Search, for instance, would be the Awareness skill group. Weaker skills, like Use Rope, would be made more useful my putting them in large skill groups - so if you take Awareness, you only get three skills, although they're great skills. On the other hand, the Self-Sufficient skill group would give you not only Use Rope, but also Survival, Heal, Knowledge (Nature), and maybe one other skill. Use Magic Device might be all alone in a skill group, simply because it's such a great skill.

Thats a great idea, in fact i think i will use that.

The gaining 10 points for +1 ECL and then the option to buy off level adjustments from AU couldbe broken pretty easily, especially if everyone decided to do it and then just hang out at level one a few sessions longer.

Sorry for clarifying that in my first post, but you can only buy of racial la.
The buying of stat point is mainly to help bards, paladins, warlords type fighters etc.

4. All your stats start out at 8 and you get 32 point to add to them (not point buy)

This is very powerful (but OK, as long as you realize what you're doing). This would allow three 18s, a 10, and two 8s.

Might I recommend 8s plus 25 points?

I am running a high power campaign, but for a normal campaign, that would be a good idea.


Races

Half-orc
• +2 Strength, –2 Intelligence, –2 Charisma.
•A half-orc’s starting Intelligence score is always at least 3. If this adjustment would lower the character’s score to 1 or 2, his score is nevertheless 3.
• Medium: As Medium creatures, half-orcs have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Half-orc base land speed is 30 feet.
• 4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level.
• Darkvision: Half-orcs (and orcs) can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and half-orcs can function just fine with no light at all.
• Orc Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-orc is considered an orc.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Orc. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, and Abyssal.
•+2 to survival and intimidate checks.
•+2 to fort saves against poisons and diseases.

HALF-ELVES
• Medium: As Medium creatures, half-elves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Half-elf base land speed is 30 feet.
• Immunity to sleep spells and similar magical effects, and a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells or effects.
• Low-Light Vision: A half-elf can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. She retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• +1 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks.
• +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks.
• Elven Blood: For all effects related to race, a half-elf is considered an elf.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Elven. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages, such as Druidic).
• Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass half-elf takes an experience point penalty, her highest-level class does not count.
In addition add 1 of the following templates.
Human Raised Half-elf
•They do not learn elven automatically.
•Penalties ,Like the Rangers favored enemy, operate at half the bonus the would get from elves unless it apllies to both elves and humans.
•They get a free skill Focus at level 1
Elf raised half-elf
• Proficiency with the longbow, shortbow, longsword and rapier.
•Gain the auto search ability.

Kobold 2.0
Size: Small (+1 attack, +1 AC, +4 Hide, -4 Grapple, 3/4 carrying capacity)
Speed: 30 ft.
-4 Str, +2 Dex
Darkvision 60 ft.
Natural Armor bonus +1
Daylight Blindness: Dazzled by Daylight spell or natural sunlight, no save vs. Flare spell

Draconic Heritage: Choose one chromatic Dragon type, which is your ancestor. Your scales are tinged with this color, and you have Energy Resistance 5 against damage of this energy type:
- Red: Fire
- Green: Acid
- Blue: Electricity
- Black: Acid
- White: Cold

Skill Bonuses: +2 Climb, +2 Jump, +2 Move Silently, +2 Spot, +2 Search, +2 Craft (Trapmaking), +2 Profession (Miner)

Favored Class: Sorcerer

The kobold 2.0 was originally posted by someone else on the Wotc forums.

 

[ydirbut]

Skill groups

Stolen from birthright
Leadership skill group
Administrate
Lead
Warcraft

Acrobat skill group
Balance
Tumble
Escape artist
Jump
Perform

Merchant skill group
Appraise
Forgery
Sense motive

Thief skill group
Bluff
Hide
Disguise
Move silently
Sleight of hand

Self-sufficient skill group
Climb
Swim
Survival
Knowledge nature
Use rope
Knowledge (dungeoneering)
Decipher script
Intimidate

Awareness skill group
Spot
Listen
Search

Spellcaster skill group
Concentration
Knowledge (arcana)
Spellcraft
Knowledge (religion)
Heal

Statesman skill group
Diplomacy
Gather information
Knowledge (nobility and royalty)
Knowledge (local)

Engineer skill group
Disable device
Knowledge (architecture and engineering)
Open lock
Use magic device

Rider skill group
Ride
Handle animal

Sage skill group
(all knowledge’s)

all classes receive speak language, profession and craft
You receive half as many skill groups as you do skill points

 

[Nifft]

The kobold 2.0 was originally posted by someone else on the Wotc forums.

Me. And there's a 2.1 version now:

http://fishnet.cx/~josh/DnD/DHE/character.shtml
... and:
http://fishnet.cx/~josh/DnD/DHE/prc.shtml#kobold

-- N

 

[Eldragon]

I like the idea of skill groups, I just have 1 quick question: When I take a second class, do I get another skill group (E.g. a fighter taking a level of sorceror might want the spellcaster skill group)? I can only assume I do.

But could this lead to abuse as higher level players started picking up PrClasses or a third class altogether?

 

[ydirbut]

Reply

Me. And there's a 2.1 version now:

http://fishnet.cx/~josh/DnD/DHE/character.shtml
... and:
http://fishnet.cx/~josh/DnD/DHE/prc.shtml#kobold

-- N

I fail to see the difference between 2.0 and 2.1

I like the idea of skill groups, I just have 1 quick question: When I take a second class, do I get another skill group (E.g. a fighter taking a level of sorceror might want the spellcaster skill group)? I can only assume I do.

But could this lead to abuse as higher level players started picking up PrClasses or a third class altogether?

How about this, You have different skill sets for each class IE. Bob the fighter has the athletic and self-sufficient skill groups. He multi classes as a sorceror and picks spellcaster and sage. He then continues with his fighter advancement. When he gains a level as a fighter, he chooses from self-sufficient and athletic. When he advances as a sorceror, he chooses between spellcaster and sage.

 

[Nifft]

I fail to see the difference between 2.0 and 2.1

The PrC, maybe?

In any case, you're welcome to use either version.

-- N