What house rules do YOU use?

[dave_o]

Inspired by the most insignificant house rule thread, I decided to make this -- I LOVE reading other people's house rules and have incorproated some amazing ones I read here over the years. So here are the ones I tend to use, though I've been known to mix it up for campaigns that need it:

1. No multiclass penalties!
2. At the end of each session we discuss what we dug and didn't dig about the session. We also vote via secret ballot on the best roleplayer and that person gets an XP reward.
3. Roll not made where the GM can see them will be rerolled.
4. At the beginning of each session players get ONE Swashbuckling Card (thanks, barsoomcore!). Even if the player doesn't use the card during the session, it goes away at the end of it. Thus, a new card each session.
5. When you level, you must see if the GM will allow you to take a level in the class you wish to. This is based on what your character has been up to: a PC who's been doing lots of magical research would be more eligable for Wizard or Sorcerer than Fighter.
6. Bonus XP for backgrounds or visual representations of your character (sketches, found art, etc.).
7. Too much OOC chatter results in Paying the Pig, IE putting some change in a piggy bank in the center of the table. This cash is used to buy (HEALTHY!!!) snacks for the group, books, mats, markers, etc.
8. Along with normal combat XP, each player is rated on a scale of 1-5 in categories of Roleplaying, Story, and Table Manners. This number is then multiplied by 100, and the player recieves that much XP. Also, a 100xp reward is given for showing up, as well as various other awards for exceptional roleplaying, planning, helping look up a ruling, etc.

That's all I can think of, but I'll totally post more if I do think of them. Post yours NOW!

 

[Jeff Wilder]

Some of those are what I would call "table rules," rather than "house rules." My table rules have been posted to at least one other thread.

I have only four broad house rules:

(1) Hero Points: Each full adventure, the group gets a number of HP equal to the number of PCs. With unanimous consent, a HP can be spent to reroll any d20 roll.

(2) Training: No PC can gain more than two levels without taking down time to reflect and "train" in some fashion. If the PC takes the down time after one level, it need only be a month; if after two levels, it must be four months.

(3) Death, Dying, And Coming Back: A character is disabled at 0 through <= negative Con modifier. A character is dying at < negative Con modifier through > Constitution. A character is dead at negative Constitution.

Raise dead and resurrection don't exist, and have been replaced by revivify and resuscitation; these two spells effectively bring a character back to life before he actually dies. They must be used within a certain number of rounds and minutes, respectively. True resurrection and reincarnation remain unchanged.

(4) Hit Point Minimums: d4 (3), d6 (3), d8 (4), d10 (5), d12 (6). If you roll less than the minimum, you may take the minimum.

 

[Turanil]

As a DM in my precedent 3.0 campaign:
1) No multiclassing penalty, just because players wouldn't be bothered making calculations.
2) XP handled on a whim by me, because I too wouldn't be bothered making calculations.
3) Spell duration outside of combat handled on a whim by me because there again I wouldn't be bothered making calculations.
4) Attacks of opportunity and everything pertaining to movement, battlemat and what not handled extremely loosely, because still again I wouldn't be bothered making calculations.

Now my next campaign as a DM will be with Castles & Crusades that will be heavily houseruled...

 

[CrusadeDave]

My house rules

For my 3.5 SRD only game...

1) XP is awarded upon 8 hours of rest.
2) Death occurs at whatever is more negative -10 or HD*Con Modifier*-1
3) Assasins can use their death attack from range, if it qualifies as a sneak attack.
4) 1's are never auto fails on saving throws. 20's are never auto saves.
5) Outsiders NEVER level up with Racial HD. They take Class levels.
6) There are no racial requirements for SRD Prestige Classes (Arcane Archer/Dwarven Defender)

 

[Wormwood]

I have a .doc file for all this, but I cvan't find it---so off the top of my head:

Darkness: Caster can choose shadowy illumination or complete darkness at time of casting.

Hold Person: As per 3.0 version.

Improved Critical and Keen stack. No brainer.

Paladin and Monks may freely multiclass (barring alignment changes). Super-ultra-mega-no brainer.

Power Components rule variant.

No druids. 3.5 pretty much put the last nail in the coffin. I don;t know what it is about them, but they always seem to dominate play and slow down the game.

 

[Psion]

Well, rather than type afresh, I'll repost from this recent thread:

I have some rules concerning injury.

I am retro with the spells.

I have an action point variant which is too generous and I will tone down next game.

Lots of my house rule document is an index to which supplements (or parts thereof) to use and which not to use.

 

[The Lost Muse]

http://members.shaw.ca/timaritimus/rules.html

I have added in some rules from the Wheel of Time book, and Testament. It's all working quite well so far.

 

[Gwaihir]

Sorry for the Hijack. Wormwood, pls elaborate on Druids. They seem to me to be vastly underpowered. thanks

 

[Southern Oracle]

Probably the biggest or most significant house rule I use is allowing spells from spellbooks to be cast as scrolls. The spell disappears from the spellbook, of course. It's strange, but most of my players tend to shy away from wizards, and this rule lets the spellbooks recovered from opponents be a little more useful than just barter for magic items. Also, it encourages players to put ranks into Use Magic Device.

 

[Psion]

Sorry for the Hijack. Wormwood, pls elaborate on Druids. They seem to me to be vastly underpowered. thanks

How funny. In other recent threads, some folks were going on about how overpowered druids are...

(example... not that I agree.)