What rule does your group ignore?

[Joshua Randall]

Speaking of drawing weapons, a lot of people for whom I DM wish that I would ignore the rules about what you have in your hands. I'm quite a stickler for things like (for example) if you have a heavy shield equipped, you do not have a hand free. So...

Player (of Fighter with sword-and-heavy-shield): Oh man, I'm really badly wounded. I use a minor action to pull out a potion and another minor action to drink it.
DM (me): OK, you drop your sword and pull out and quaff a potion. Still have a standard action left.
Player: Why would I drop my sword?!
DM: You wanted to pull out a potion. You don't have a hand free. I just assumed... [evil glint in my eye]
Player: Oh, ****!
DM: *chuckle evilly*

I'd let him take back the action if he wanted to.

 

[Zaran]

Drawing weapons. I can't remember a single 4e game in which anyone kept a track of whether or not you had a weapon or implement in your hand at the start of combat.

Changing weapons, to a certain extent, but drawing weapons is pretty much a free action.

Yeah, in my group if we are "on the job" those weapons are out already.

 

[KarinsDad]

Speaking of drawing weapons, a lot of people for whom I DM wish that I would ignore the rules about what you have in your hands. I'm quite a stickler for things like (for example) if you have a heavy shield equipped, you do not have a hand free. So...

Player (of Fighter with sword-and-heavy-shield): Oh man, I'm really badly wounded. I use a minor action to pull out a potion and another minor action to drink it.
DM (me): OK, you drop your sword and pull out and quaff a potion. Still have a standard action left.
Player: Why would I drop my sword?!
DM: You wanted to pull out a potion. You don't have a hand free. I just assumed... [evil glint in my eye]
Player: Oh, ****!
DM: *chuckle evilly*

I'd let him take back the action if he wanted to.

It gets worse climbing down a rope.

Player: "Ok, I climbed down the rope, I now charge the foe."
DM: "It's a minor action to pull out your weapon and you do not have your shield out."
Player: "What?!?!?"

I've even had a player go so far as to say "Well, I wouldn't have come into the room last round if I didn't have my shield out". As if the whopping +1 AC and Reflex bonus from her Light Shield does doodley squat 95+% of the time.


My wife plays a Sword and Heavy Shield Fighter and she is constantly giving me the evil eye when her Fighter wants to throw a spear.


To me, the "what do people have in their hands" and what it takes to swap them around rules are a very enjoyable part of the game for the DM. I might adjust them a bit, but I would never drop them.

DM: "You want to jump over the pit and grab the rope and swing to the other side with a sword and heavy shield in your hand??? Ok, you drop the sword into the pit and you are at -5 to grab the rope one handed."

 

[ArcaneSpringboard]

I think we've basically been ignoring the "daily magic item uses per day" limit--though mostly because I'm not sure it's ever come up.

How do you avoid the situation where someone might buy duplicates of magic items?

 

[Mouseferatu]

How do you avoid the situation where someone might buy duplicates of magic items?

We don't allow casual purchase of items--at least not without DM approval--so it's never come up.

Though honestly, I can't see it coming up too often anyway. While I'm sure exceptions exist, I can't think of too many items where it's worth the cost for an extra use of the daily power, given that none of the other benefits stack from wearing/carrying two of the same item.

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Btw, how do I use those comment thingies?

The group I game for has this houserule.

Several of my houserules rewrite things I don't like, so it's hard to pinpoint a rule I ignore. But one would be that you can only retrain 1 thing when you level. If you don't like something, you don't LIKE it, you shouldn't be forced to stick with it. Change it after an encounter. Just don't go crazy swapping things in and out constantly.

Let's see... The need to juggle implement/weapons. I just declared that everyone works the way a swordmage does: your weapon works as an implement. The end.

Hybrid classes can take Hybrid Talent as frequently as they like.

Amen, why is RAW so strict about this stuff? And why don't more DMs realize how silly it is? (Don't know about hybrid stuff yet; that whole mess is at the end of my 10 foot pole.) I do allow MCed PCs to swap powers as if they had the power swap feats; why players should have to blow feats on that is beyond me.

Man, if only you were a bit closer, I'd kill to play in your game!

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Its the little green thumb in the middle at the bottom of the profile bar beside the post.

 

[Prestidigitalis]

Separate commentors above have said that they ignore the milestone rules regarding action points and daily item uses. That's just about it for milestone effects, isn't it?

Would anyone be interested in a thread about alternative milestone rewards?

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

Well, rings typically get more powerful with milestones, as do certain magic items... but yeah, action points and daily item powers are the big ones.

I think if you go to the 4e houserules forum I'm sure you'll find some threads on houseruling how action points work. That would probably be the right place for alternate milestone awards too.

 

[jbear]

Let me see...

The Implement usage for Multiclass and Half Elf Powers limitation. Totally ignored. You get a multiclass power, it triggers off the implement you use.

The limited use of magical Items. Big time old ignore on that one.

Monsters knowing what capabilities you have before they have seen how they work. No, the kobold didn't shift because he knew you are a fighter and since he is marked you would have hit him anyway. They study that kind of stuff in their spare time, which between one caravan raid and another, is quite a lot. Ignored. Monsters find out about PC skills when they get stung by them. Dumb ones learn from their mistakes slowly. Smart ones tell their friends. PCs also don't get explicit metagame knowledge of monster power effects. They get clues. But that is in line with what is suggested per the rules, or am I mistaken?

Ogres don't have threatening reach. Umm, yes they do.

Insight is not a mystical sixth sense. My players totally ignore that one!

The amount of points given to distribute at character creation. 29 instead of 22.
so they can achieve 3 16s or an 18 and a 16. They are tough, but I can be tough too.

Intimidate can make bloodied creatures surrender. Well that all depends on the state of the fight. That only happens once I declare that the enemies morale has broken.
We have a minor action version that can cause an attack penalty on a bloodied targets next attack) And Bluff, a standard action? Nah, minor action too, but you're going to have to show me how you do that standing up! Our group enjoys playing out those moments. And when I discovered they were standard actions and applied the correct rule, they just completely disappeared. We all agreed we wanted them back.

I think those are the main ones.