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ShortQuests -- individual adventure modules! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed to plug in to your game.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Azlan" data-source="post: 1214004" data-attributes="member: 2340">When I first got into 3E D&D, I heavily house-ruled it, because over the years I had painsakingly developed lots of house rules for 2E D&D, mostly for combat, and I wanted to continue with the "look and feel" of combat that I had developed.However, with the advent of 3.5, I want to discard my old, heavy-handed house rules, and go instead with what I call "house rules lite". (Some of you may think I'm still being heavy-handed here. But believe me, this is indeed "lite" compared to what I formerly used, with 3E.)Here are some rules variants, most of which are from the DMG, which I'm considering using in my campaigns. (Note that I have slightly modified some of these variants.)Comments, observations, criticisms, and so forth are welcome here. (However, if all you have to say is, "I like D&D the way already it is, thank you," then, please, don't bother.)1. INITIATIVE: ROLL EACH ROUND Well, not "each round"... I think rolling initiative at the beginning of each round (and then gathering and re-recording those initiatives on whatever you use to keep track of each PC, NPC, and creature in combat) is too much, as it slows down combat considerably. However, I also think it's not enough, rolling once for initiative at the beginning of each encounter. So, my compromise is to use "median" rolls for initiative. What this means is, you roll three d20 at the beginning of each encounter; you discard the highest and the lowest of the three rolls, and you apply your initiative bonus to the remaining roll. That determines your initiative for the entire encounter. 2. INCREASED CRITICALS This rules variant makes combat a little more deadly. The threat ranges of *all* melee and missile attacks is increased by one step. Example: Using this rules variant, a weapon with a critical of "19-20/x2" becomes "18-20/x2", whereas a weapon with a critical of "x3" becomes "19-20/x3". Whenever a threat range is "doubled" by something (such as by a weapon with the "keen" enchantment, or by the Improved Criticals feat), it is instead increased by two steps. Example: Using this rules variant, a rapier has a threat range of 17-20; a "keen" rapier, a threat range of 15-20; and a "keen" rapier used with the Improved Criticals feat, a threat range of 13-20. 3. DEFENSE ROLLS  For simplicity and to reduce the number of rolls, you and your opponents are normally considered to be "taking 10" on your defense rolls, and thus you are using a base 10 for your AC.However, you can elect to *roll* your defense against a particular attack. You have to declare this before the attack itself is rolled. By rolling your defense, you hope to roll better than a 10 on the d20, thereby improving your AC against that attack. (Of course, you may end up rolling lower than a 10, thereby worsening your AC.)Note: I'm using this rules variant mostly because I also use "heroic luck" rules that allow players to re-roll the dice, a certain number of times per game session based on a character's Cha and alignment.4. FUMBLESWhenever you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, you not only automatically miss your target, but there is a chance you will fumble.To avoid a fumble, you must make a Reflex save, and the DC for this is determined by the weapon you used in the attack, as follows...    Unarmed attacks (including the natural weapons of creatures): DC 15.    Light melee weapons: DC 17.    1-handed melee weapons: DC 19.    2-handed melee weapons: DC 21.    Ranged weapons: DC 19.If you fail this Reflex save, you fumble, and you must spend a move equivalent action on your next turn recovering. Until you have recovered, you are considered to be stunned, i.e. you lose your Dex bonus to AC (if any), and foes gain a +2 attack bonus against you.</blockquote>

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