Quasqueton
First Post
The thread about Bad House Rules on the general forum has prompted me to post my house rules for examination. Please look over this list and tell me if you think any of these are bad, ill advised, complicated, or in anyway not good. I am open to any and all criticism on this. This is your chance to save my Players from potentially really dumb rules.
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Spells and Spellcasting
When casting a touch spell, a caster cannot cast & move & touch in the same round. A caster can cast-touch & then move, or move & then cast-touch, but no move in between during the same round. This keeps the core standard action + move action each round (instead of standard action + move action + standard action).
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Mirror Image: all images are in the same 5' square as the caster.
Magic Items
To use a wand or scroll (or other spell trigger or completion item), the character must be of high-enough level to actually cast spells, not just have the spell on the character's list. This means rangers and paladins cannot use wands or scrolls until at least 4th level, at which time they have a caster level.
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Magic items will resize to fit only within its size category. A magic ring sized for a halfling will fit any other Small size creature, but will not fit a human, elf, ogre, etc.
* * *
Note: Magic items are available to buy through a broker or by commission in most settlements (based on the gold piece limits explained in the DMG). Acquiring a magic item takes 3 days per 1,000gp in its market price (with a minimum of 3 days). This includes the effort of actually looking for shops, brokerage firms, and/or guilds, and the wait for the item to be located or created. [Not really a change of anything.]
Character Classes
Paladins have the option of keeping their special mount permanently, instead of summoning and dismissing each day. A summoned and dismissed special mount arrives at the summons without equipment or gear, and carries away no equipment or gear when dismissed. Any gear worn or carried by the special mount when dismissed falls to the ground. Otherwise, a summoned and dismissed special mount follows the core rules. A kept special mount also follows the core rules, but has no duration on how long it stays with the paladin each day.
* * *
Rangers have the option of taking a favored terrain instead of a favored enemy. In a favored terrain, a ranger gets a +2 bonus to all Survival, Spot, Listen, Hide, Move Silently, and Search checks.
* * *
Druids gain the extraordinary abilities of the forms they take when they wildshape, not just the extraordinary attacks.
* * *
No prestige classes
Feats
You can save taking a feat until another level up. For instance, you do not have to take a feat at 1st level; you can save it till 2nd or 3rd or whatever later level.
* * *
Dodge gives a +1 AC bonus against all opponents.
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Natural Spell is a metamagic feat. When preparing spells, the caster must determine which spell will be affected, and which form the spell can be cast in. A Natural Spell cannot be cast in any other form, including the caster's natural (humanoid) form. There is no increase in spell level for using this feat.
* * *
Improved Critical stacks with the keen weapon enhancement.
* * *
New feats:
Versatile [General]
Benefit: Pick any two cross-class skills. Those two skills are class skills for you.
Expanded Study [General]
Benefit: You gain 2 extra skill points when this feat is chosen, and then 2 extra skill points each level thereafter. If this feat is taken at first level, gain 8 extra skill points at this time, and then 2 extra skill points each level thereafter.
Equipment
Half-plate and full-plate armor can be "stripped down" to just a chain shirt-equivalent (for city wear or sleeping). Removing the full armor down to the chain shirt takes 1 minute less than removing the entire suit. Donning the full armor from the chain shirt base takes 1 minute less than donning the entire suit.
The Battle Grid
All squares on the battle map are 5', even diagonals. No need to worry with counting 5', 10', 5' through the diagonals. Area effect spells are square on a square grid.
Special
Player characters have Luck Points. A character starts the game with 2 LPs, and gets another with each level gain. A LP can be used to reroll one die, before or after learning what the result would be from the first roll. LPs do not regenerate---once used they are gone. NPCs do not have Luck Points.
* * *
At level up, PCs gain a set amount of hit points according to their hit die size: d4 = 3 hit points, d6 = 4, d8 = 5, d10 = 6, d12 = 7.
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I actually would prefer to run a game with no house rules. And listing all these out in one place actually makes me wince to see just how many house rules I have. But most of the changes above are because the situation without the house rule makes me cringe when it comes up in game (like a fighter 2/ranger 2 using a wand of cure light wounds; or a mage casting a spell, moving forward, and touching all in the same round; or a paladin summoning and dismissing his living storage cabinet).
And note, also, my game runs only with the 3 core books -- PHB, DMG, MM.
****************************
Spells and Spellcasting
When casting a touch spell, a caster cannot cast & move & touch in the same round. A caster can cast-touch & then move, or move & then cast-touch, but no move in between during the same round. This keeps the core standard action + move action each round (instead of standard action + move action + standard action).
* * *
Mirror Image: all images are in the same 5' square as the caster.
Magic Items
To use a wand or scroll (or other spell trigger or completion item), the character must be of high-enough level to actually cast spells, not just have the spell on the character's list. This means rangers and paladins cannot use wands or scrolls until at least 4th level, at which time they have a caster level.
* * *
Magic items will resize to fit only within its size category. A magic ring sized for a halfling will fit any other Small size creature, but will not fit a human, elf, ogre, etc.
* * *
Note: Magic items are available to buy through a broker or by commission in most settlements (based on the gold piece limits explained in the DMG). Acquiring a magic item takes 3 days per 1,000gp in its market price (with a minimum of 3 days). This includes the effort of actually looking for shops, brokerage firms, and/or guilds, and the wait for the item to be located or created. [Not really a change of anything.]
Character Classes
Paladins have the option of keeping their special mount permanently, instead of summoning and dismissing each day. A summoned and dismissed special mount arrives at the summons without equipment or gear, and carries away no equipment or gear when dismissed. Any gear worn or carried by the special mount when dismissed falls to the ground. Otherwise, a summoned and dismissed special mount follows the core rules. A kept special mount also follows the core rules, but has no duration on how long it stays with the paladin each day.
* * *
Rangers have the option of taking a favored terrain instead of a favored enemy. In a favored terrain, a ranger gets a +2 bonus to all Survival, Spot, Listen, Hide, Move Silently, and Search checks.
* * *
Druids gain the extraordinary abilities of the forms they take when they wildshape, not just the extraordinary attacks.
* * *
No prestige classes
Feats
You can save taking a feat until another level up. For instance, you do not have to take a feat at 1st level; you can save it till 2nd or 3rd or whatever later level.
* * *
Dodge gives a +1 AC bonus against all opponents.
* * *
Natural Spell is a metamagic feat. When preparing spells, the caster must determine which spell will be affected, and which form the spell can be cast in. A Natural Spell cannot be cast in any other form, including the caster's natural (humanoid) form. There is no increase in spell level for using this feat.
* * *
Improved Critical stacks with the keen weapon enhancement.
* * *
New feats:
Versatile [General]
Benefit: Pick any two cross-class skills. Those two skills are class skills for you.
Expanded Study [General]
Benefit: You gain 2 extra skill points when this feat is chosen, and then 2 extra skill points each level thereafter. If this feat is taken at first level, gain 8 extra skill points at this time, and then 2 extra skill points each level thereafter.
Equipment
Half-plate and full-plate armor can be "stripped down" to just a chain shirt-equivalent (for city wear or sleeping). Removing the full armor down to the chain shirt takes 1 minute less than removing the entire suit. Donning the full armor from the chain shirt base takes 1 minute less than donning the entire suit.
The Battle Grid
All squares on the battle map are 5', even diagonals. No need to worry with counting 5', 10', 5' through the diagonals. Area effect spells are square on a square grid.
Special
Player characters have Luck Points. A character starts the game with 2 LPs, and gets another with each level gain. A LP can be used to reroll one die, before or after learning what the result would be from the first roll. LPs do not regenerate---once used they are gone. NPCs do not have Luck Points.
* * *
At level up, PCs gain a set amount of hit points according to their hit die size: d4 = 3 hit points, d6 = 4, d8 = 5, d10 = 6, d12 = 7.
****************************
I actually would prefer to run a game with no house rules. And listing all these out in one place actually makes me wince to see just how many house rules I have. But most of the changes above are because the situation without the house rule makes me cringe when it comes up in game (like a fighter 2/ranger 2 using a wand of cure light wounds; or a mage casting a spell, moving forward, and touching all in the same round; or a paladin summoning and dismissing his living storage cabinet).
And note, also, my game runs only with the 3 core books -- PHB, DMG, MM.
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