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D&D 3E/3.5 What are your current 3.5 House Rules?
- Thread starter Aluvial
- Start date
Aaron L
Hero
Dodge: The Dodge feat gives the user a +2 dodge bonus to armor class, instead of a +1. It may be taken more than once, each additional time adding +1 to the dodge bonus to AC.
Monk and Paladin multi-classing restrictions: All restrictions are removed.
Paladin’s mounts: Paladins lose the ability to summon their mounts, and have no time limit on their mount; once it is called, it is like any other animal, requiring food and shelter. In compensation, their mounts gain the celestial template, and a new spell has been added to the paladin spell list:
Call Mount
Conjuration (teleportation)
Level: Paladin 2, Blackguard 2
Components: V, DF
Range: see text
Target: Bonded Mount or Fiendish Companion of the caster
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: none
Spell resistance: Yes
This spell summons the target as greater teleport, which appears at a place chosen by the caster (but always within 10 feet of him.) The target must appear on a horizontal surface capable of supporting its weight.
Critical Threat ranges: Multiple effects that affect the threat range stack, as long as they are not from the same source. Thus, the Improved Critical feat stacks with the keen edge spell, OR with the Keen magical weapon ability. Keen edge does not stack with the Keen magical weapon ability.
Druids: Druids are proficient with all light and medium armor. They suffer no penalties when from wearing metal armor. However, when wildshaping, no metal item weighing more than 5 pounds will shift into the new form the druid takes. Such items will fall to the ground at the users feet. If the druid is wearing metal armor, wildshaping will cause the armor to be to be ruined if the form the druid assumes is larger than his normal form. Magic armor survives the change with a DC 15 Fortitude save.
Silver (and alchemical silver) is an exception to this rule, and will shift with the form of the druid carrying or wearing such an item. Alchemical silver armor has an armor class one worse than normal and an armor check penalty one better than normal. It weighs the same as steel. For example, an alchemical silver breastplate has an AC of 4 and a max dex of 4 and weighs 30lbs.
Alchemical silver armor costs +500 for light, +1000 for medium, and +5000 for heavy.
Druid weapon proficiencies are as follows: club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, longsword, handaxe, shortspear, sling, and spear.
Sorcerers: Sorcerers receive the feat Eschew Materials for free at first level. At 5th level they receive the feat Spell Thematics for free. At 10th level they may select one spell from any class’s spell list to know and cast as an arcane spell of equal level. They may select another such spell at 15th and another at 20th.
Sorcerers do not gain familiars
Sorcerers gain these additional class skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Use Magic Device.
Rangers: Rangers may select this additional combat style tree:
Mobility, Spring Attack, and Whirlwind Attack
Monks Monks may benefit from taking from this new feat:
Kung Fu Action Grip (general)
prerequisites: flurry of blows class ability, special (see below)
Choose one melee weapon. You may treat this weapon as a special monk weapon, allowing you to use a flurry of blows with it. Your base unarmed damage must equal or exceed the weapons base damage before you make take this feat. This feat may be taken more than once, each time applying to a new weapon.
Masterwork Armor: masterwork armor also increases the max dex bonus by one.
Special Weapon Materials: Mithril will bypass Silver DR. Alchemial silver weapons do two extra points of damage to creatures with the shapechanger subtype and to undead.
Psionics: The monk’s ki and psionics are recognized as the same energy, and the terms are used interchangeably. Monks gain the psionic subtype, and may achieve psionic focus and use psionic feats.
Half elves and half orcs: Half elves raised by humans get an additional skill point per level. Half elves raised by elves gain weapon proficiency with the longsword, rapier, and all straight bows, but their favored class becomes wizard.
Half orcs raised by humans gain an additional feat at 1st level, and gain a +4 racial bonus to intimidate checks. Half orcs raised by orcs gain weapon familiarity with the orcish double axe and do not receive a –2 penalty to charisma.
Monk and Paladin multi-classing restrictions: All restrictions are removed.
Paladin’s mounts: Paladins lose the ability to summon their mounts, and have no time limit on their mount; once it is called, it is like any other animal, requiring food and shelter. In compensation, their mounts gain the celestial template, and a new spell has been added to the paladin spell list:
Call Mount
Conjuration (teleportation)
Level: Paladin 2, Blackguard 2
Components: V, DF
Range: see text
Target: Bonded Mount or Fiendish Companion of the caster
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: none
Spell resistance: Yes
This spell summons the target as greater teleport, which appears at a place chosen by the caster (but always within 10 feet of him.) The target must appear on a horizontal surface capable of supporting its weight.
Critical Threat ranges: Multiple effects that affect the threat range stack, as long as they are not from the same source. Thus, the Improved Critical feat stacks with the keen edge spell, OR with the Keen magical weapon ability. Keen edge does not stack with the Keen magical weapon ability.
Druids: Druids are proficient with all light and medium armor. They suffer no penalties when from wearing metal armor. However, when wildshaping, no metal item weighing more than 5 pounds will shift into the new form the druid takes. Such items will fall to the ground at the users feet. If the druid is wearing metal armor, wildshaping will cause the armor to be to be ruined if the form the druid assumes is larger than his normal form. Magic armor survives the change with a DC 15 Fortitude save.
Silver (and alchemical silver) is an exception to this rule, and will shift with the form of the druid carrying or wearing such an item. Alchemical silver armor has an armor class one worse than normal and an armor check penalty one better than normal. It weighs the same as steel. For example, an alchemical silver breastplate has an AC of 4 and a max dex of 4 and weighs 30lbs.
Alchemical silver armor costs +500 for light, +1000 for medium, and +5000 for heavy.
Druid weapon proficiencies are as follows: club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, longsword, handaxe, shortspear, sling, and spear.
Sorcerers: Sorcerers receive the feat Eschew Materials for free at first level. At 5th level they receive the feat Spell Thematics for free. At 10th level they may select one spell from any class’s spell list to know and cast as an arcane spell of equal level. They may select another such spell at 15th and another at 20th.
Sorcerers do not gain familiars
Sorcerers gain these additional class skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Use Magic Device.
Rangers: Rangers may select this additional combat style tree:
Mobility, Spring Attack, and Whirlwind Attack
Monks Monks may benefit from taking from this new feat:
Kung Fu Action Grip (general)
prerequisites: flurry of blows class ability, special (see below)
Choose one melee weapon. You may treat this weapon as a special monk weapon, allowing you to use a flurry of blows with it. Your base unarmed damage must equal or exceed the weapons base damage before you make take this feat. This feat may be taken more than once, each time applying to a new weapon.
Masterwork Armor: masterwork armor also increases the max dex bonus by one.
Special Weapon Materials: Mithril will bypass Silver DR. Alchemial silver weapons do two extra points of damage to creatures with the shapechanger subtype and to undead.
Psionics: The monk’s ki and psionics are recognized as the same energy, and the terms are used interchangeably. Monks gain the psionic subtype, and may achieve psionic focus and use psionic feats.
Half elves and half orcs: Half elves raised by humans get an additional skill point per level. Half elves raised by elves gain weapon proficiency with the longsword, rapier, and all straight bows, but their favored class becomes wizard.
Half orcs raised by humans gain an additional feat at 1st level, and gain a +4 racial bonus to intimidate checks. Half orcs raised by orcs gain weapon familiarity with the orcish double axe and do not receive a –2 penalty to charisma.
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1) We also use Critical Misses:
Player rolls a natural 1 to hit, they must immediately roll a DC 10 Dex check in order to retain their weapon. If they fail, the weapon drops into an adjacent square (roll 1d8). If they fail spectacularly (another 1), then a random bad event happens, such as accidentally striking an adjacent ally, or the weapon sails across the field of battle, or they stab themselves, or something similar. My players enjoy the randomness and it does make encounters much more exciting.
2) We also use the instant kill rules from the DMG: Natural 20, followed by another Natural 20, followed by a natural 'hit'.
3) Paladin's get Mounted Combat feat for free when they gain a mount.
4) Reroll '1s' when rolling for Hit Points when you level up
Player rolls a natural 1 to hit, they must immediately roll a DC 10 Dex check in order to retain their weapon. If they fail, the weapon drops into an adjacent square (roll 1d8). If they fail spectacularly (another 1), then a random bad event happens, such as accidentally striking an adjacent ally, or the weapon sails across the field of battle, or they stab themselves, or something similar. My players enjoy the randomness and it does make encounters much more exciting.
2) We also use the instant kill rules from the DMG: Natural 20, followed by another Natural 20, followed by a natural 'hit'.
3) Paladin's get Mounted Combat feat for free when they gain a mount.
4) Reroll '1s' when rolling for Hit Points when you level up
Storyteller01
First Post
Defense is rolled instead of 'taking 10'. Because of this, a lelvel bonus is given to a character's AC (the exact amaount is based on the character's combat ability). I use a modified version of the AC bonus table in Arsenal.
Skill rolls are open ended (if a natural 20 is rolled).
Skill rolls are open ended (if a natural 20 is rolled).
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Thanee
First Post
Aaron L said:
Part of this looks a bit similar to my house rule (I give half elves +1 sp/lvl and half orcs +4 to intimidate
).However, don't you think you have gone a bit far with the half orc there?
+2 Str and a bonus feat?
And why do you remove the charisma penalty, if they are raised by orcs?
This particular part seems pretty weird to me.
The general idea to give them different benefits when raised by one or the other side is pretty good, tho.
Bye
Thanee
Here are some of my house rules.
Books Allowed to players:
Players Handbook: see below for changes
Complete Warrior: Swashbuckler Class and certain prestige classes
Green Ronin's Psychic Handbook
Green Ronin's Shaman's Handbook
Green Ronin's Witch's Handbook
Miniatures Handbook: Healer Class (and new Healer spells) only
Unearthed Arcana (variouss parts)
Arms and Equipment Guide: certain armor and weapons only
Forgotten Realms: only specific regional feats
I may consider certain items from other books (WOTC and non WOTC) on a case by case basis
Material not allowed
Book of Exalted Deeds
Deities and Demigods
Expanded Psionics Handbook (nor is the Psionics Handbook)
Manual of the Planes
I. Races
1) Humans get +2 to one stat of their choice
II. Classes
1) Barbarian: The Barbarian Hunter variant( with Favored Environment replacing Favorite Enemy) from UA is allowed. Barbarians do not start with medium armor proficiency for free. Starting weapon proficiencies are hand axe, dagger, spear and additional weapons based on the barbarian's culture. At first level barbarians receive a bonus regional feat such as Nomad (mounted nomads), Stealthy (Jungle or Forest), or Survivor.
2) Bard: The divine bard and bard sage from UA are allowed in addition to the standard PHB version. However each version of bard has a modified skill and spell list from that in the PHB. For instance, only the divine bard has access to cure spells while only the PHB bard has "roguish" skills as class skills.
3) Cleric: The PHB cleric is replaced by the cloistered cleric and champion of good variants from UA. All clerics must have a deity. All clerics have a spell list based upon their deity.
4) Druid: Druids do not have Wild Shape as a class ability. Druids are cloistered clerics, but use the Druid spell list (with some additions and subtractions).
5) Fighter: Fighters do not start with medium or heavy armor proficiency at first level. Fighters gain medium Proficiency at third level and heavy armor at fifth level. At sixth level, the threat rating of any weapon in which the fighter has weapon focus improves by 1pt. The threat rating improves by an additional 1pt at 11th level and 16th level. If the character also has Improved critical, apply improved critical to the weapon's the threat rating first
6) Monk: variant is used (will edit later to elaborate)
7) Paladin: not available. Use the champion of good cleric from UA or take a LG fighter and certain feats
8) Ranger: The ranger must worship the campaign's nature deity.
9) Rogue: Rogues use the bonus feat variant from UA. The bonus feats come from a set of rogue bonus feats. Sneak Attack is a feat that acts as improved crit if the opponent is caught flat-footed
10) Sorceror: No familiar. After first level, a character must take a level from a bloodline to take the sorceror class
11) Wizard: A generalist wizard may choose Sage Lore or metamagic feat in place of a familiar. Specialists use the alternate specialist abilities from UA and get a set list of spells. A specialist can learn arcane spells not on their list. However spells not on the specialists list are considered to be one additional spell level higher than stated and they suffer a severe penalty to learning the spell.
Other allowable classes
-Healer (Miniature's Handbook)
-Psychic (Green Ronin's Psychic's Handbook)
-Shaman (Green Ronin's Shaman's Handbook)
-Swashbuckler (Complete Warrior): Switch Reflex save to Good. Grace is renamed and provides a bonus to fortitude saves instead of reflex.
-Wilderness Rogue (UA)
-Witch (Green Ronin's Witch's Handbook)
Feats
Improved Critical: Stacks with keen but keen modifies threat by 1pt
Improved Familiar: not allowed
Weapon Groups (2e style)
Combat
-Wound/Vitality Points
-Armor as Dr
-Class Defense bonus
Magic
-spell points are used.
-All Divine spell casters have access to specific group of spells plus additional spells determined by their deity.
-Certain arcane and divine spells are unavailable either in the campaign or to certain classes despite being on the class's spell list (e.g., rope trick, flaming sphere, goodberry and blade barrier).
-Summon Monster is changed to Summon Divine, Summon Elemental and Summon Infernal. Many of the monster's listed under summon monster are not available (e.g., there are no celestial badgers).
Books Allowed to players:
Players Handbook: see below for changes
Complete Warrior: Swashbuckler Class and certain prestige classes
Green Ronin's Psychic Handbook
Green Ronin's Shaman's Handbook
Green Ronin's Witch's Handbook
Miniatures Handbook: Healer Class (and new Healer spells) only
Unearthed Arcana (variouss parts)
Arms and Equipment Guide: certain armor and weapons only
Forgotten Realms: only specific regional feats
I may consider certain items from other books (WOTC and non WOTC) on a case by case basis
Material not allowed
Book of Exalted Deeds
Deities and Demigods
Expanded Psionics Handbook (nor is the Psionics Handbook)
Manual of the Planes
I. Races
1) Humans get +2 to one stat of their choice
II. Classes
1) Barbarian: The Barbarian Hunter variant( with Favored Environment replacing Favorite Enemy) from UA is allowed. Barbarians do not start with medium armor proficiency for free. Starting weapon proficiencies are hand axe, dagger, spear and additional weapons based on the barbarian's culture. At first level barbarians receive a bonus regional feat such as Nomad (mounted nomads), Stealthy (Jungle or Forest), or Survivor.
2) Bard: The divine bard and bard sage from UA are allowed in addition to the standard PHB version. However each version of bard has a modified skill and spell list from that in the PHB. For instance, only the divine bard has access to cure spells while only the PHB bard has "roguish" skills as class skills.
3) Cleric: The PHB cleric is replaced by the cloistered cleric and champion of good variants from UA. All clerics must have a deity. All clerics have a spell list based upon their deity.
4) Druid: Druids do not have Wild Shape as a class ability. Druids are cloistered clerics, but use the Druid spell list (with some additions and subtractions).
5) Fighter: Fighters do not start with medium or heavy armor proficiency at first level. Fighters gain medium Proficiency at third level and heavy armor at fifth level. At sixth level, the threat rating of any weapon in which the fighter has weapon focus improves by 1pt. The threat rating improves by an additional 1pt at 11th level and 16th level. If the character also has Improved critical, apply improved critical to the weapon's the threat rating first
6) Monk: variant is used (will edit later to elaborate)
7) Paladin: not available. Use the champion of good cleric from UA or take a LG fighter and certain feats
8) Ranger: The ranger must worship the campaign's nature deity.
9) Rogue: Rogues use the bonus feat variant from UA. The bonus feats come from a set of rogue bonus feats. Sneak Attack is a feat that acts as improved crit if the opponent is caught flat-footed
10) Sorceror: No familiar. After first level, a character must take a level from a bloodline to take the sorceror class
11) Wizard: A generalist wizard may choose Sage Lore or metamagic feat in place of a familiar. Specialists use the alternate specialist abilities from UA and get a set list of spells. A specialist can learn arcane spells not on their list. However spells not on the specialists list are considered to be one additional spell level higher than stated and they suffer a severe penalty to learning the spell.
Other allowable classes
-Healer (Miniature's Handbook)
-Psychic (Green Ronin's Psychic's Handbook)
-Shaman (Green Ronin's Shaman's Handbook)
-Swashbuckler (Complete Warrior): Switch Reflex save to Good. Grace is renamed and provides a bonus to fortitude saves instead of reflex.
-Wilderness Rogue (UA)
-Witch (Green Ronin's Witch's Handbook)
Feats
Improved Critical: Stacks with keen but keen modifies threat by 1pt
Improved Familiar: not allowed
Weapon Groups (2e style)
Combat
-Wound/Vitality Points
-Armor as Dr
-Class Defense bonus
Magic
-spell points are used.
-All Divine spell casters have access to specific group of spells plus additional spells determined by their deity.
-Certain arcane and divine spells are unavailable either in the campaign or to certain classes despite being on the class's spell list (e.g., rope trick, flaming sphere, goodberry and blade barrier).
-Summon Monster is changed to Summon Divine, Summon Elemental and Summon Infernal. Many of the monster's listed under summon monster are not available (e.g., there are no celestial badgers).
Thanee
First Post
Thanee said:
In one game, Sorcerers also get 4 skill points / level and more class skills (Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge: the planes and Use Magic Device).
Some more...
Rogues can automatically find traps when moving carefully (half-speed). This works like the elven ability to find secret doors.
Prone 5-foot step (basically replaces crawling). Costs a move action in addition to the 5-foot step. Does not provoke an AoO.
Clarification: Metamagic rods have to be used during preparation (and wielded during casting), when you prepare spells. It's a full-round action to use them with spontaneous casting as normal.
Bye
Thanee
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