Scary Tales from the Game Table: The House Rule that Wouldn’t Die!

[Belgarath]

my take

My gaming group has come up with something similiar. We had the base damage went directly to hit points, but the multiplied damage went to fatigue. So if you crit with long sword and roll a total of 10 points damage, 10 went to hit points and 10 went to fatige. A battle axe with a crit and 10 points rolled means 10 goes to hit points and 20 goes to fatige. Works out a lot better that way and doesnt change the weopon stats very much.

 

[Frostmarrow]

We had something similar. Some of the players in my group got fed up with the rules for dying and resurrection. They complained loudly whenever they were about to lose a level. I agreed because I thought it was a hassle to re-write the character sheet, erasing all skills and so on...

So a proposition was made. The idea gets tweaked to fit the system and then we voted on it. The idea was to have dead people lose a point in Con instead of a level. However, since Con is more important to some characters than others we settled on "dead people lose a randomly determined ability score point".

The rules-change didn't affect me at the time (I didn't expect to die soon) so I supported the proposition. We agreed upon the new rule and implemented it.

Now it turns out my fellow gamer's motive for changing the rule was not to avoid losing a level but avoid losing xp. There is a difference. They don't like to be behind in xp. They feel -50 xp is an affront to their character concept somehow. (I play a wizard and is about a level behind all the time so I'm used to it).

The party is now quite high level (15th) so we have access to Resurrection but not True Resurrection. Moreover since, storywise, characters have been almost impossible to replace we resurrect any and all who die. This means that the characters have dropped from being heroic 28 point characters to average 25 point shmoes. (If you lose an 18 to 17 it means the point buy value drops by 3).

It also means that our characters never can compete with high level NPCs as they (the NPCs) will have a full set of ability scores but our characters have become a shadow of their former selves.

I realized how much I hated the house rule when I died and died again. However, now I can't get my fellow gamers to change it back. They won't listen to reason and they use botton line arguments such as "It affects all characters the same way" or "-Then don't die".

In order to fix my broken scores I have found that my character's priorities have shifted from "building a powerbase" to "GET TOMES". Sheesh.

 

[laiyna]

I know the feeling.....

I started a Wheel of Time campaign but the rules where fuzzy or incompleet so I started to add, then it became clear that the choice of characters you got in Wheel of Time was very low, so I added 3 new classes. And it did go on, and on and on.

Now I got a pdf file with house rules for creating a new character and some rules you need to know before the game starts, its just 30 pages..... And the best part is that my campaign is not started jet..... first session is in 4.5 weeks.

Lai

 

[twjensen]

Vitality

After my friend who is playing a star wars campaign described their vitality / wounds system I *seriously* considered it for my D&D campaign. After working it all out and having about as many pages of remarkably similar text to what was posted here I decided it was too complicated and didn't use it.

As for the death thing, I'm using an annoying geas system instead. The gods involved (the cleric's god and the dead character's god) make a deal behind the screen (players unaware).

Then the dead character is presented with a quest and asked if he/she will complete the quest in return for a new chance at life.

If the character accepts, he/she awakens and feels the presense of an unbreakable geas for completing the quest. But as we know, pagan gods are capricious liars. So the geas will almost certainly have. . . other. . . components. But, true to form, once the *primary* quest is complete the geas goes away.

Players *really* don't want their characters to die, but no annoying re-levelling or stat adjustments! Plus, there's a lot of cool storytelling possibilities. It also leaves open DM interpretation on the type of death. Death by stupidity and you'll get a *super* annoying quest. Death by bravery and standing up for right and justice and your quest will probably be something the party really should do anyway.

 

[Jack Daniel]

I prefer a more traditional way of screwing with dead PCs. The "Play a Game With Death (TM)" home version can now be yours, too! All you need is a pack of cards and a good working knowledge of straight five-card stud (trust me on this--avoid Twister at all costs). Roleplay the dead character's encounter with Grim Himself (TM) and have Death explain to the dead PC that he can challenge Death to one game (simple 5-card poker with no draw is great for tension here, especially if you've ever played Mokey Island 3.) If you're using my luck points system up there, you get an added benefit -- the player could be allowed to spend remaining luck points if he loses, in order to call Death out for "best 2 out of 3," "best 3 out of 5," "best of 7? Damn right!" and so forth. If the player wins, no EXP or CON loss upon being raised.

 

[apoptosis]

I know the feeling.

I really liked some things about 3E but really didnt like a lot of things about it, so the house rules started.

Grim'nGritty combat (we all love rolemaster).
Low magic-item world (dont like the normal comic book level)
then had to change the magic system some
Then thought cleric was a bit too much now days.
changed evasion some.
Psionics use the Ken Hood system...

etc........

so basically while my players seem to really enjoy the game (though we mostly play rolemaster) it really isnt D&D so much anymore. It is closer to some chimera of 3E

 

[Lela]

The party is now quite high level (15th) so we have access to Resurrection but not True Resurrection. Moreover since, storywise, characters have been almost impossible to replace we resurrect any and all who die. This means that the characters have dropped from being heroic 28 point characters to average 25 point shmoes. (If you lose an 18 to 17 it means the point buy value drops by 3).

What can be going on in a story that doesn't let you bring in a new character? Can't you just tell your DM that you want to bring in someone new the next time you die? I'd hope that he'd try and find a way for you to do so. After doing this, you could really show the other players what a wizard can do with an 18 Int.

In order to fix my broken scores I have found that my character's priorities have shifted from "building a powerbase" to "GET TOMES". Sheesh.

Dang! That really creates a problem. I remember when my DM slippend a Tome of Leadership and Influance to us. I mean we just found it sitting on the side of the road! I think that was the only real arugument that our group ever had. Who got the Tome? It was for Cha for crying out loud! Why was the Fighter so adamint with the Paladin?

 

[Jack Daniel]

Wow, I found this old thread! Buried on page 36... jeez... ah, the nostalgia!

 

[Jerrid Al-Kundo]

Wow... Still using these rules, by the way?

 

[clark411]

wow.. and my players rise up in revolt a the notion of the Critical Success / Failure variant for skill checks.