When do we REALLY need house rules? Really?

[Nifft]

I need house rules because I need to tinker.

If the WotC rules police came to my game and stood behind me with jackboots forcing me to play by the rules-as-written, I'd give up D&D and go back to writing computer games in my spare time.

Tinkering is half the fun.

-- N

 

[comrade raoul]

... I'd give up D&D and go back to writing computer games in my spare time.

Speaking of that, are "fixed" artifacts like the Sword of Power somehow harder to find than the "unrandom" artifacts like Cekugob or the Armor of Zin? I had a period of shameful savescumming in the bottom of the Tomb, and I managed to see pretty much all of the unrandoms, but none of the fixed ones.

 

[comrade raoul]

As to the original post, I've got an awful lot of house-rules written up (mainly tinkering with feats, classes, and spells), but after running a one-shot last weekend, with players I hadn't gamed with before, I realized (when ease of mastery of the rules was paramount, and extensive house rules were ruled out) just which house rules seemed indispensable (keen and Improved Critical, simple but important changes to dwarves, elves, and half-leves, 3.0e Power Attack), and which didn't. This was pretty illuminating, actually.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I need house rules because I need to tinker.

<snip>

Tinkering is half the fun.

Ditto. It keeps my mind occupied and looses up my creative juices.

 

[Nifft]

Speaking of that, are "fixed" artifacts like the Sword of Power somehow harder to find than the "unrandom" artifacts like Cekugob or the Armor of Zin? I had a period of shameful savescumming in the bottom of the Tomb, and I managed to see pretty much all of the unrandoms, but none of the fixed ones.

Ack! I'm busted! And I can't remember anything about that part of the codebase.

Maybe it's... er... easy to miss them in Pandemonium and the Abyss?

Twistedly yours, -- N

 

[Storyteller01]

When ever the rules don't match your idea for the campaign.

IMC, sorcerers get a meta magic feat every 5 levels, and there are no wizards (we use the AU runethane). Gives a better feel as to how the campaign world works.

You only ever 'need' a change to make sure the rules match what's available to the campaign. If you're playing a basic game, nothing really needs to be changed.