Your favorite house rules

[Olaf the Stout]

I was doing that for awhile but it really seems to suck the fun out of the game when you hit an ally. I now handle it by they lose a turn.

That was the other option I was considering. Your bowstring breaks and it takes a full round action to fix it (i.e. miss a turn).

What happens for something like a thrown dagger or hand axe though. How do you justify the missed turn?

Olaf the Stout

 

[Rune]

I've done both of these things in 4e. (Actually, I think the lose a turn thing is suggested in the DMG.) I found that there are problems with both. granting AoOs (or OAs) disproportionately punishes melee types, while having a 1 immediately end the turn disproportionately affects builds that make full use of the action economy (charge builds, for instance, usually always make their attacks at the end of the turn (since a charge in 4e ends the turn), and builds that do their thing by granting other people actions, for instance, would hardly be affected).

Nowadays, if I do run with fumbles, I just have a 1 rolled on an attack make the attacker grant combat advantage to all enemies until his/her next turn.

 

[Hellefire]

Some of these going back to 1ed and even od&d....

When initiative was a d6, re-roll on a tie, 3 ties in a row = reinforcements show up (for the other side).

Max hp/level

custom crit and fumble tables (fell in Love with these when playing MERP in the 80s)

bonus xp for some out of game stuff (bringing of group munchies, cleaning up of game room, bringing new players to game if we were short, etc).

And for one Shadowrun campaign, whenever the song Hotel California came on the radio during game, the entire team would warp back to their base of operations...

 

[steeldragons]

Most of these are setting specific to my game world of Orea and some go back...ooooo...a decade or two. But I suppose they would be considered "houserules/homebrew" all the same. Since it is the only setting/world I game in, I suppose all of them are.

1) Max HP at first level. Following levels you can take 1/2 your HD automatically or roll...but if you roll less than half, you're stuck with it. Con applies as normal.

2) Spontaneous casting for Clerics & Druids 1st & 2nd level spells.

3) Spontaneous casting for Mages cantrips & at two spell levels lower than your highest. (A 5th level wizard can cast 3rd level spells. So she is able to spontaneously "remember" and cast the 1st level spells in their book. At 7th level, they gain 4th level spells, so 1st and 2nd level spells can be chosen on the fly. )

4) Orea's Barbarian culture/human tribes. Barbarian is a class and race with 7 (?) possible tribes of varying flavor, totemic animal, ability bonuses, special clan weapons, etc.

5) Orea's worldwide Druidic Organization (the Anicent/Holy Order of Mistwood) with special items and abilities built-in.

6) Several "Prestige" or "Specialty" Orean classes, mostly in the clerical/divine area. Of particular flavor and use in play over the years include: The paladinic order of "Redstar Knights", the "Gilean Protectress" and the "Witch-Priests of Manat."

(Yeah, it's a lot of/high magic kinda setting )

7) I don't know if its a house rule or just carried over from somewhere I do not recall, but any class/character can "bandage/stabilize" a character at negatives. Obviously, if they have some sort of healing skill, they can do more, but anyone can remove themselves from combat to assist a fallen ally (and naturally risk attack in the process). Can't add any HP back, but can "hold you"/stop the descent to -10 until more skilled help is available. Healing magic will work as normal, of course.

As kind of "unspoken rules" (at least I haven't had to make them spoken rules in a verrrry long time), but will be brought up as necessary: the already mentioned "No evil characters", "No disruptive characters" (you can get across that you're introverted or selflish or what have you without detracting from anyone else) and "Come up with how you guys are together." As DM, I am willing to fudge this last one for players who "just don't know/can't figure it out" or have a first session scene in mind to get themselves together. Sure, I can allow that...usually. But at least a few of the PCs should be acquainted before play starts.

That's about all I can think of right now...I'm sure there are others.

 

[Elf Witch]

That was the other option I was considering. Your bowstring breaks and it takes a full round action to fix it (i.e. miss a turn).

What happens for something like a thrown dagger or hand axe though. How do you justify the missed turn?

Olaf the Stout

You could say that the throw was so bad it threw them off balance and it takes a round to get your equilibrium back.

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I've used quite a lot of different house rules over the years. My favorites for D&D (3x) are.

Players determine their characters' attributes. No rolling. No point-buy. Just write in the numbers that you feel are appropriate.

Characters make magic items via high skill.

Character death is at -10 minus Charisma score.

 

[howandwhy99]

-10 is dead for Player Characters instead of 0.
NPCs gain XP at a 50% rate to PCs.
Called Shots (thank you Babe Ruth)

 

[Tequila Sunrise]

Character death is at -10 minus Charisma score.

"We're too pretty to die. Look at that chiseled chin!"

 

[Olaf the Stout]

I've done both of these things in 4e. (Actually, I think the lose a turn thing is suggested in the DMG.) I found that there are problems with both. granting AoOs (or OAs) disproportionately punishes melee types, while having a 1 immediately end the turn disproportionately affects builds that make full use of the action economy (charge builds, for instance, usually always make their attacks at the end of the turn (since a charge in 4e ends the turn), and builds that do their thing by granting other people actions, for instance, would hardly be affected).

Nowadays, if I do run with fumbles, I just have a 1 rolled on an attack make the attacker grant combat advantage to all enemies until his/her next turn.

I think the melee types are helped out by the fact that there is a "confirmation roll" for the fumble. So fumbles against easier to hit opponents will occur less often than those with a high AC.

The fact that fighters have better BAB also means they are going to hit more often, therefore giving up less AoO's due to fumbles.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Olaf the Stout]

You could say that the throw was so bad it threw them off balance and it takes a round to get your equilibrium back.

Do you consider them to be flat footed as well, or do they just simply miss a round of actions?

Olaf the Stout