What house rules do you use?

[Mordax]

Hrm...

0) Point buy system for attributes.
Can't imagine still rolling stats. Yuck. I stopped doing it as a DM sometime during 1E - started handing out 80 flat points, stuff like that.

I haven't even been subjected to this as a player in a long, long time. Shortly after the PHB came out, another guy around here had us roll up some 1st level characters.

I came out at the top of the heap: my attribute bonuses added to something like +13, and I ended up triple classed before too long. The low guy got something like 10-12 points, and wasn't even competent in his *initial* class.

Nobody in the group ever suggested rolling stats again.

1) +2 base skill points for all classes.
That is, a Fighter is now 4+Int mod per level, Rogues are 10+Int mod, etc. This is a relatively recent change, but everyone seems to love it. Reduces multiclassing a lot.

2) Certain classes have been reorganized:
a) Monte Cook Sorcerer. (The PHB Sorcerer is still a "monster class.")
b) Bertman Ranger.
c) PrC Paladin (Blackguard spell progression).
d) Druids don't lose their spellcasting privileges for 24 hours if they use "forbidden" items. They just suffer spell failure, same as a Wizard, in metal armor. And Wildshaping doesn't work.

3) Bards have perks:
a) 8+Int mod skill points (figuring in house rule #1, above).
b) They can cast Still spells at +0 spell level, encouraging them to actually use some freaking armor.
(I thought about using the Monte Bard, but I don't own either BoEM, and I don't like using classes I haven't fully read.)

4) Fixed some broken stuff
a) Harm works exactly as written in the PHB, except that it caps at inflicting 100 hp damage.
b) Vorpal weapons gain +4 to their critical multiplier. No more instant death, just...heavy nastiness.

5) Rolling hp is strictly optional. In a standard campaign, players can just take 1/2HD+1. In an epic game, they get 3/4HD.

Edit: Oh, who can stop at 5 house rules?

6) I changed the races a little:
a) Elves have preferred Bard & Sorcerer. (Works like Favored: Any, but only for those 2 classes.)
b) Half Orcs no longer take a Cha penalty.

7) Tumble is opposed by a Ref save. (*Very* new rule, but so far, I'm liking it.)

 

[ConcreteBuddha]

1) Characters can save skill points and feats.

2) Eliminated cross-class skills.

3) Twinked every class to balance #2.

4) Ambidexterity allows full off-hand strength damage.

5) Made new feats and twinked things to balance #4. (Feats: Single Weapon Fighting, Two Handed Weapon Fighting. Twink: Shields give more AC.)
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P.S. Am I the only one who makes PCs roll hps? Granted, they can reroll 1's...

 

[mikebr99]

1) Skill focus is still +2.. but it is 2 rank points, so PrCs are easier to get too.

2) A Save for Harm.

3) Double weapons (ie. Quarterstaff etc.) is given full STR damage bonus on both ends.

4) Monte's Ranger.

5) The FR attuning a spellbook thing... even if we aren't in FR.

 

[Thanee]

Let's see... probably more than five...

Tumble: Attack roll sets DC for Tumble

Exclusive Skills: Half the class levels of classes that do not have the skill on their list is added to the maximum of ranks you can get.

Harm: Will save (partial) - you lose half your current hit points (or any other effect, didn't use it yet).

Concentration: If you suffered damage during the last round, you have to succeed in a Concentration check against DC 10+Spell Level+Half of the highest damage you suffered in order to be able to cast a spell. If you do not succeed, your action is wasted, but the spell remains memorized/spell slot is not used up.

Dispelling spells made permanent with Permanency: You have to target the spell specifically, an area dispel or creature targeted dispel cannot end the permanent spell, instead the spell is treated like a magic item (suppressed for a few rounds only).

Spiked Chain: Banned.

Haste: Duration starts with your next action instead of immediately.

Bye
Thanee

 

[the Jester]

1) Roleplaying xp: I give half xp for overcoming challenges. At the end of each session each pc gets a chance to make their case for awards in four roleplaying categories: race, class, alignment and personal. Each award is worth 25xlevel xp (so a full award of all four yields 100xlevel xp for the character). Characters can also get bonus xp for props and especially good ideas (good idea xp is rare; it has to stand out in my mind as a good idea at the time). Overall this slows advancement down a little, but not very much.

2) Colorful critical hits: a character who crits then rolls a hit location and effect based on the proportion of damage dealt to target's current hp (current so that even high-level characters and powerful creatures can lose limbs, etc.) This doesn't add damage but does add color, for example broken limbs, scars, missing bits, etc.

3) Step equals reach: since it seems that a 15' tall giant would move pretty far in a single step we decided to change a 5' step to an adjustment equal to a creature's natural reach by size.

4) Harm gives a Will save for 3d6+level damage.

5) Fumbles: On a natural 1 the character rolls a potential fumble. A reflex save, DC15, avoids the fumble (1-3 on the die always fails), but a character unlucky enough to roll a second potential fumble in a row has his reflex save increase 5. If a fumble occurs, the pc rolls 3d6 for severity and then d% to determine exactly what happens, ranging from losing your balance to spontaneously combusting.

 

[Frostmarrow]

1) All movement counts as 5" (one square) even diagonal movement.
2) Any to hit roll of 1 results in the player shouting "Riposte!" and provokes an op-attack from the opponent attacked.
3) Raised or resurected characters suffer a -1 penalty to a randomly determined ability score (no level) loss. I'm not crazy about this house rule.
4) Skill focus makes the skill into a class skill.
5) Any skill from any class counts as a class skill. I.e. A fighter/wizard can buy ranks in spellcraft for 1sp even at fighter levels.

 

[dcollins]

My house rules are listed here: www.superdan.net/housrule.html

I currently have only 6 actual rules changes, so I'll just post them all and you pick out the least important:

- Lance sizes are as listed only when used mounted; increase size one category otherwise (see PH98).
- Withdrawing freely from a threatened space is a standard action, allowing a single move (alters PH122, 126).
- The rule requiring a saving throw for massive damage is not used (PH129; however, see below).
- Falling and environmental damage is increased in a cumulative fashion (see www.superdan.net/environs.html).
- Drowning takes Constitution in rounds (with MEAs), half for standard/full actions, double for no actions (DMG85).
- Each time a magic item is created, there is a 1-in-20 chance that an error causes it to be cursed (see DMG231).

 

[Y.O.Morales]

I do not like the rules that obligate a player to customize her character in some way. For example, the rules for multiclassing says that a -20% exp. penalty is imposed until the character balances the levels of the classes. So a player who wants to take only one level in rogue, for example, is obliged to level it with the other in order to elminate the penalty. So here are my house rules:

#1: Requisites for prestige classes that are racial are eliminated (I also do not like character options that are exclusive to races).
#2: As for the exp. penalty for multiclassing, it only counts until the character reachs the next character-level. A penalty goes for every new class the player adds.
#3: A player which got a natural 1 has the opportunity for rerolling (this is actually a variant explained in chapter 3 of the DMG).
#4: The sorcerer starts with a number of cantrips that equal 6+Cha modifier (this was made to balance the sorcerer a little bit with the wizard).
#5: A character is proficient with the favored weapon of the deity (this rule depend on how the deities function in the setting of the game)

 

[Grymlorde]

Highlights of the Grymwurld d20 Rules

Hit Points
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1. Damage to hit points is treated as subdual damage. Hit points are healed at the subdual rate.
2. All characters receive max hit points per die.
3. There are no negative hit points. Overflow damage is taken as temporary Con damage.

Critical Hits
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1. Critical hits are not multiplied and do temporary con damage.
2. Death occurs at Con = 0.

Armor & Shields
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1. Armor does not improve AC. Instead it provides DR vs. Critical Hits. 1 AC = 1 DR.
2. Shields provide cover bonuses to AC & Ref saves, based on size of shield, e.g. small +2/+1, medium +4/+2, large +7/+3, and tower +10/+4.

Initiative
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BAB improves inititiative

Healing
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All healing magic (except for potions and items) are empathic. Either the spellcaster sucks up the damage or finds a scapegoat.

More Grym Rules found at http://www.grymwurld.com

 

[RobNJ]

1) In my game, alignment has absolutely no game effect except for those classes and creatures that are supernaturally aligned. For example, detect evil would work only on paladins, clerics, demons, etc. Creatures that are intrinsically their alignment. I've found alignment-as-a-rule to be clumsy at best, an actively bad thing at worst.

2) If one strike causes 75% of your hit points in damage, you get scarred by it.

3) If you have Ambidexterity, your off-hand Strength bonus to damage is not half, it is full.

4) If you roll a 1 in combat, you roll to hit again. If you hit, nothing bad happens, you just miss. If you miss the touch AC, you drop your weapon. If you miss AC 10 - any dex and size penalty the creature has, you drop your weapon and fall prone.

5) Sorcerers can have magically-related Knowledge skills as class skills if they have had personal experience of the thing in question.

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Then there's the unofficial 6th house rule my players seem to have invented

6) NPCs exist to be bullied if they're weaker than you and insulted if they're stronger than you.