What is your most trivial house rule?

[Gundark]

"If you want to cast a summoning spell, you are required to provide pre-printed stats." None of this running critters out of the MM for my players!

I'm adopting this ome!!!!!!

 

[fanboy2000]

1. If you don't name your character, the name defaults to Carlos.
2. The Norse kill all Candle Casters on sight.
3. No Candle Caster jokes until after 10pm.

You'd be suprised how necessary number 3 was.

 

[qstor]

Standard races from the PHB or non LA subraces, no evil alignments

Mike

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

The DM will never have a halfling or gnome NPC. By the same factor, no PC may ever have a halfling or gnome cohort via Leadership, as that would constitute the DM having a halfling or gnome NPC.

 

[woodelf]

All female dwarves have beards! And halflings are not kender.

Those aren't houserules. That's the way it's always been--it's not our fault that WotC's wrong.

 

[woodelf]

If your character is gay, you are immune to any mind-influencing effects from Nymphs or similar creatures. I didnt make it up, the other DM did, and it has become accpeted in the group.

Well, if you're gonna presume sexuality enters into it, and it isn't a purely gender-determined bizarre magical power, shouldn't gay female characters be affected by nymphs?

 

[Vraille Darkfang]

Well, if you're gonna presume sexuality enters into it, and it isn't a purely gender-determined bizarre magical power, shouldn't gay female characters be affected by nymphs?

And shouldn't, well, straight women be immune to nymphs?

And, while were at it. Can the DM, just say you have latent homosexual tendencies & have to make the save anyway?

These type of rules quickly leads to 2 places.

1. Mature exploration of adult issues usually ignored in the modern gaming environment.

2. Immature 14 year olds, suddenly developing Programmed Images of Paladin Nymph IX; Battles of Lust.

If you won't to bring sexuality into your game, watch the maturity of your players (or lack thereof).

 

[Aeson]

I'm not sure whether your straight or gay should make you immune to a magical effect. You might find the male fighter hitting on the male wizard next time they encounter a nymph.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

I had a DM in 2nd edition D&D rule that the succubus' powers worked only on straight males and lesbians.

I was playing a succubus at the time. Not a big deal, I thought, it makes sense, especially since there was a male version called an incubus. Same thing, but slanted towards females.

Made sense, that is, until every guard, npc, and BBEG that my character tried to use her powers on was gay. Not female, which would have made at least some sense, but gay male.

Turns out, unbeknowst to me when I joined the game, that the DM did something similiar to all the characters' special powers or specializations. Didn't game with that DM for long after that.

That said, it makes sense on at least some level, and in my game I do have some gender-biased house rules - but they are always balanced by a house rule for the opposite gender (for instance, succubuses and incubuses always travel together, unless on a specific mission). Drow females have a favored class cleric, males favored class wizard. Stuff like that.

Honestly, none of the house rules have ever come into play - although I have had a player play a gay male before, and group discussion about the topic spawned said house rules (even though we never used them). In other words, I think my group ended up in category 1 of Darkfang's list.

 

[Nifft]

There is no such feat as Combat Casting. Anything that requires it instead requires Skill Focus (Concentration).

-- N