House Rules
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 11:50 am
Please note, I have just taken what I like from Jaded's nifty thread so full credit to him, and added one or two of my own devising. Any questions, please ask.
Character Generation - Method V (4d6, drop the lowest, choose order). I am also willing to work with the point-buy system if you have your heart set on a particular class.
Firing into Melee - This rule is completely ignored. You can only hit an ally during melee with a projectile weapon if you roll a fumble or if they move directly into your line of fire (and are larger than or the same size as your target). If you try and fire a projectile weapon at a target while someone else is meleeing you, the opponent gets a free attack.
Crossbows - A character need not take a proficiency in order to effectively use a crossbow. Light crossbow deal 1d6 with a RoF of 1/1. Heavy crossbows deal 1d8 with a RoF of 1/2 (Attacks on rounds 1, 3, 5, etc...) and ignore armor of ringmail quality or below (unless magical).
Intelligence Bonus to Proficiencies - For every language slot a character gets from INT, they get an extra NWP slot, as well.
Nonweapon Proficiencies - I use both weapon and nonweapon proficiencies in my game, not secondary skills. Unless stated otherwise, a character must train to learn a new proficiency slot once it becomes available.
Critical Hits/Misses - I use both. A natural 20 is a critical hit, and the character is allowed to roll for damage twice (not once and then multiplied by two). On a natural 1, the character fumbles. What this means is up to the DM, but it can involve a weapon breaking, accidentally hitting oneself or an ally, dropping a weapon or falling down to the ground. It depends on the situation.
Hovering at Death's Door - I do use this rule. At 0 HP, a character becomes unconscious and bleeds out (losing 1 HP per round) until they reach death at -10 HP. A character who is bleeding out can have their wounds bound (no check or roll needed) to stop the bleeding. Magical healing spells only restore an unconscious character to 1 HP and no more can be used until the character has rested one day (exception--the Heal spell).
No Racial Ability Minimums or Maximums
No Level Limits
Relaxed Racial/Class/Alignment Restrictions - I'm willing to consider most race/class/alignment combos, but only if they make sense. For example a dwarf could not be a wizard because of their racial resistance to magic. Likewise a CE paladin would just be right out.
Proficiency Slots - If a player adds an empty NWP slot to a proficiency he/she already has, they get a +2 to their rolls.
Aid Another - If two characters have the same proficiency, one can 'aid' the other in their roll, and this adds a +2 to the roll.
Full HP at 1st level - Characters will automatically receive full HP at first level; subsequent levels must be rolled for, however.
Posting
Present Tense - Keep your posts in present tense, please.
Three Day Rule - The DM will wait for any given player at least three days before moving on.
Name Your Targets! - When in combat, make sure to specify who you are hitting or where you are centering any spells.
Roll or No Roll - If you roll (attack, damage, initiative, whatever), use Invisible Castle and then (most importantly) post the results of your rolls. If you do not roll, the DM will roll for you. If you forget your modifiers, the DM will add them (when he remembers to).
AWOL - If a player vanishes (stops posting, doesn't even log in) for at least a month without giving any prior explanation or warning, they are dropped from the game and their character becomes a permanent NPC.
Character Generation - Method V (4d6, drop the lowest, choose order). I am also willing to work with the point-buy system if you have your heart set on a particular class.
Firing into Melee - This rule is completely ignored. You can only hit an ally during melee with a projectile weapon if you roll a fumble or if they move directly into your line of fire (and are larger than or the same size as your target). If you try and fire a projectile weapon at a target while someone else is meleeing you, the opponent gets a free attack.
Crossbows - A character need not take a proficiency in order to effectively use a crossbow. Light crossbow deal 1d6 with a RoF of 1/1. Heavy crossbows deal 1d8 with a RoF of 1/2 (Attacks on rounds 1, 3, 5, etc...) and ignore armor of ringmail quality or below (unless magical).
Intelligence Bonus to Proficiencies - For every language slot a character gets from INT, they get an extra NWP slot, as well.
Nonweapon Proficiencies - I use both weapon and nonweapon proficiencies in my game, not secondary skills. Unless stated otherwise, a character must train to learn a new proficiency slot once it becomes available.
Critical Hits/Misses - I use both. A natural 20 is a critical hit, and the character is allowed to roll for damage twice (not once and then multiplied by two). On a natural 1, the character fumbles. What this means is up to the DM, but it can involve a weapon breaking, accidentally hitting oneself or an ally, dropping a weapon or falling down to the ground. It depends on the situation.
Hovering at Death's Door - I do use this rule. At 0 HP, a character becomes unconscious and bleeds out (losing 1 HP per round) until they reach death at -10 HP. A character who is bleeding out can have their wounds bound (no check or roll needed) to stop the bleeding. Magical healing spells only restore an unconscious character to 1 HP and no more can be used until the character has rested one day (exception--the Heal spell).
No Racial Ability Minimums or Maximums
No Level Limits
Relaxed Racial/Class/Alignment Restrictions - I'm willing to consider most race/class/alignment combos, but only if they make sense. For example a dwarf could not be a wizard because of their racial resistance to magic. Likewise a CE paladin would just be right out.
Proficiency Slots - If a player adds an empty NWP slot to a proficiency he/she already has, they get a +2 to their rolls.
Aid Another - If two characters have the same proficiency, one can 'aid' the other in their roll, and this adds a +2 to the roll.
Full HP at 1st level - Characters will automatically receive full HP at first level; subsequent levels must be rolled for, however.
Posting
Present Tense - Keep your posts in present tense, please.
Three Day Rule - The DM will wait for any given player at least three days before moving on.
Name Your Targets! - When in combat, make sure to specify who you are hitting or where you are centering any spells.
Roll or No Roll - If you roll (attack, damage, initiative, whatever), use Invisible Castle and then (most importantly) post the results of your rolls. If you do not roll, the DM will roll for you. If you forget your modifiers, the DM will add them (when he remembers to).
AWOL - If a player vanishes (stops posting, doesn't even log in) for at least a month without giving any prior explanation or warning, they are dropped from the game and their character becomes a permanent NPC.