Common House Rule Checklist
Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:38 pm
Common House Rules
Excludes specific rules from the CKG
Some "reasonable" defaults checked for convenience.
Unlike the CKG list, this is mostly guesses based on conversations here, experience, and my own goofy ideas. I'm not going to even try to capture all of the possible house rules. These are supposed to represent the most common house rules, though a few are my own inventions. Feel free to suggest more, but keep in mind, mostly I want very common rules frequently found in the wild that are useful for a skeletal starter document for your more complete house rules.
I know there are other common Surprise rules but I couldn't remember any, feel free to comment.
This thread isn't the correct place to discuss which rules are great or stupid, but feel free to start a new thread!
Excludes specific rules from the CKG
Some "reasonable" defaults checked for convenience.
Unlike the CKG list, this is mostly guesses based on conversations here, experience, and my own goofy ideas. I'm not going to even try to capture all of the possible house rules. These are supposed to represent the most common house rules, though a few are my own inventions. Feel free to suggest more, but keep in mind, mostly I want very common rules frequently found in the wild that are useful for a skeletal starter document for your more complete house rules.
I know there are other common Surprise rules but I couldn't remember any, feel free to comment.
This thread isn't the correct place to discuss which rules are great or stupid, but feel free to start a new thread!
Code: Select all
Declaration of Actions
[ ] Require for spell casters
[ ] Require for all actions
[x] Do not require
Hit Points
[ ] Full hit die of HP at first level
Starting Gold
[ ] Max starting gold
[ ] Starting equipment bundles (provide:)
Alignment
[x] Allow evil characters
Starting at Higher Levels
[ ] Use Crusader rules (Crusaders 8 and 9, Mike Stewart, "Expertise on the Fly")
[ ] Use AD&D 1e DMG rules (Appendix P.)
[ ] Use 3.5e Wealth by Level
[ ] Something else (explain:)
Interruptibility of Spells
[x] Spells are interrupted if caster takes damage before casting
[ ] Spells are interrupted if caster takes damage and doesn't make a SIEGE check
Natural 1, 20
[x] Have no special meaning
[ ] Have special meaning just for attack rolls (explain:)
[ ] Have special meaning (explain:)
Combat Movement
[ ] Casters can move and cast
[x] If attacking, can move 1/2 movement
[ ] If attacking, can move full movement
[x] Charging as written: move at least full movement and up to twice full movement
[ ] Charge a different way (explain: )
[ ] Can split move and attack
Ranged Combat
[ ] Roll an attack for targets behind missed target at successive penalties (RAW)
Initiative
[ ] Use a die other than d10 (explain:)
[ ] Add dex modifier to roll
[x] Long weapons go first in initial round
Spells
[ ] Allow spontaneous cures (trade a prepared spell for a Cure xxx Wounds spell of the same or lower level on the fly)
[ ] Require a SIEGE check for spontaneous cures
[ ] Require spell components
[ ] Require spell components only for components with a listed price
Equipment and Encumbrance
[ ] Encumbrance enforced (specify version of rules used)
[ ] Common sense encumbrance, explain to CK how you are carrying everything if asked.
[x] Buy expert items at character creation
[x] Can buy +1 Attack, +1 To Hit, or +1 to both expert items
Magic Items
[ ] Magic shops exist
[ ] Buy magic items for M&T price at character creation
Surprise
[x] Use wisdom checks for surprise
[ ] Use dexterity checks for surprise
[ ] Something else (explain:)
Facing
[ ] Require facing (useful to determine flank and rear attack)
[ ] Facing based on most recent attack made by character or monster
Disengaging
[x] Enforced as per Hasty/Fighting disengagement in PHB
[ ] Not enforced
[ ] Not enforced, but can't attack and then move away in the same round
[ ] Foe gets "free shot" when moving out of melee
[ ] Require SIEGE check to move out of melee without penalty
Classes
[ ] Use Barbarian from older printing
[ ] Use Illusionist and spell list from older printing
[ ] Allow multi-classing per newer PHBs
[ ] Allow class-and-a-half per newer PHBs
[ ] Allow multi-classing per Yggsburgh
[ ] Allow dual-classing per Yggsburgh
Flanking
[x] Flank as written (a flank is rear oblique attack) (see fig 1.)
[ ] Flank means attackers on opposite sides of a foe. (see fig 2.)
SIEGE Checks
[x] Disallow use of abilities on another class's list
[ ] Disallow use of abilities on another class's list only if characters of that class are in the party
[ ] Allow use of abilities on another class's list on a case-by-case basis
[x] If using abilities of another class, do not add level
[x] Add level to racial abilities
[ ] Always use your class prime and attribute modifier for SIEGE checks for your class abilities
[ ] Treat class ability attribute as prime
Primes, Primaries
[ ] All races get 3 primes
[ ] PCs get primes as monsters (P or M)
[ ] Freeform primes (not required to take class prime as one of your primes)
Fig 1. Flank as written
.^.
A..
Fig 2. Alternate flank
... A..
A^A or .^. etc.
... ..A
^=Foe facing "north"
A=Attackers