Questions tagged [house-rules]

House rules are small fan-created additions and replacements to core rules in a rules set, and this tag should be used when there are locally-created rules at the core of the question. In most cases, they are not officially sanctioned by the designer, in contrast to optional rules (see the [optional-rules] tag). For creation of substantial new content or rules subsystems, use the [homebrew] tag instead.

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House ruling the Shaman's Spirit Companion's HP

As written, the Shaman's spirit companion has a damage threshold set at 10+half-level. At levels below 4, this is above the average damage (level+8) of a monster, and above 4, it quickly becomes an ...
Brian Ballsun-Stanton's user avatar
157 votes
22 answers
20k views

How do you help players not focus on the rules?

Background — My Group's Gaming Style When I GM, I run games loosely from a rules standpoint, and do not feel bound to adhere to what the rulebook says when it doesn't make sense in a given situation. ...
mxyzplk's user avatar
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14 votes
4 answers
3k views

Are there any full stats for firearms of differing tech levels?

My DM would like to run a DnD adventure set in 1930s-tech era, replacing technology with magic-punk stuff. He's pulling a lot from Eberron. Guns will exist, however, and he's just "renaming" bows ...
Stephen Furlani's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
4k views

How do you improve Death Saves for the character?

I don't know if my group is particularly incompetent in combat or if its our own feckless dice at fault, but we frequently find ourselves locked in desperate combat, with multiple members of the party ...
GWLlosa's user avatar
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8 votes
3 answers
2k views

4e Skills in D&D 3.5?

One of my favorite facets of 4e is the new simplified skill system, particularly the reduced skill lists. Stealth vs Hide and ...
C. Ross's user avatar
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6 votes
4 answers
2k views

What class features or items can be given to a fighter in Dungeons and Dragons 4e to allow him to parry as his mark punishment?

In a game I am in, the DM wants to encourage the fighter, who is a very reluctant defender to more actively defend. The fighter is built on the "gentleman adventurer" lines, and the DM has expressed ...
Brian Ballsun-Stanton's user avatar
17 votes
9 answers
1k views

What are the pros, cons, and hitches of having only the players roll dice?

I ran a variant of DnD3.5 a few years a go with this house rule Player Only Rolls. The basic of the idea was that the referee never rolls at all. The players roll to attack vers the creatures AC. They ...
David Allan Finch's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
806 views

Any Non-Unit-Payroll Based Merc Contract Mechanism?

FM: Mercs and its predecessors lays out a fine little minigame mechanic for mercenary contract negotiations. I like the bargaining point system, as a concept. Given the level of standardization in ...
qoonpooka's user avatar
  • 992
100 votes
13 answers
33k views

3d6 vs a d20: What is the effect of a different probability curve?

What is the effect on game play of replacing d20 rolls with 3d6 rolls in a D&D 4e campaign? I started thinking about this after reading this question where the example was given of playing a d20 ...
yhw42's user avatar
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12 votes
7 answers
1k views

What alternative system best handles the mundane skills and knowledge that were removed from the D&D 4e's skill list?

I decided that my urban campaign setting for 4E would be better off if characters had some "mundane skills and knowledge." One solution is adding the Knowledge, Craft, and Profession skills back in ...
Adam Dray's user avatar
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18 votes
12 answers
467 views

To document house rules, or no?

Or, how much documentation should your "campaign world" provide? This is a fairly generic (and subjective) question, but there is a genuine purpose behind it: I have a set of "house rules" for Tales ...
John Rudy's user avatar
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9 votes
4 answers
542 views

Will a house-rule for trained skills work?

I've been using a house rule for a while now. If you have a trained skill, and you are making a knowledge check it's free. For example, if you are trained in nature, and fighting natural beasts; you ...
Präriewolf's user avatar
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