House Rules from my Crusade.

[AslanC]

These are a mix of original and modified hous rules I found around the web.

If you see something of yours here, let me know and I will give you credit for them
GENERAL

Initiative is rolled as individuals using 1d20 + Dex Bonus + Character Level, Monsters substitute level with hit dice.

Fate points; Each character starts with 1d4 Fate Points. See below.

Roleplayer of the night (as voted by peers) gets extra Fate Point as well as a 10% bonus to their XP.

Experience is calculated at 100xp per hit die of opponents defeated.

At 4th level all players may add +1 to the attribute of their choice.

Skills are added to the game, see section below.

CHARACTER GENERATION

Characters are created by me with a short bio and rp notes for the player to use. If a player does not like or is not connecting to their character they may request a new one and provide input as to what they are looking for.

All starting characters get max hit points at first and second level.

Attribute bonus for 19 is +4, 20 is +5

Clerics

Clerics get a one time bonus of their Wisdom bonus as spells per-day. This bonus never increases or decreases unless their Wisdom does.

Clerics do not memorize spells, they pray for them at the time they need them.

Will be introducing Spell Domains by God.

Weapon and armor restrictions as imposed by their religion, not class.

Fighters

Are considered basic thug soldiers with stats as per book.

Instead of Combat Dominance at 4th level they receive Cleave as per 3.5

Wizards

Wizards get a one time bonus of their Intelligence bonus as spells perday. This bonus never increases or decreases unless their Intelligence does.

Wizards have a list of memorized spells that they cast via Spells Per Say slots. Memorized spells are determined by Int and max number of spells per level chart from AD&D 2nd Edition.

May give up a spell to cast counterspell against opposing spellcaster. See spell casting rules below.

Start with Read Magic, Detect Magic, 1 offensive spell and 1 other spell at 1st level. All other spells must be acquired from books or scrolls. (EDIT: They get their full allotment of 0 level spells though, my bad)

Dwarves

Get a bump to next highest die regardless of class to a maximum of d12. A Dwarven mage would have a d6 hit die instead of a d4.

Halflings

Are called Hobbits in my world. Screw the Tolkien Estate.

New Classes

Defender. Others may be added later.

COMBAT

20s and 1s are criticals. Each situation varies as to what happens.

Shield Defense

Shields offer no AC bonus but instead on a Siege Check (modified by type) the defender can block one successful attack per round.

Bonus to Dexterity Siege Check

Buckler - +1

Small Shield - +2

Medium Shield (Kite Shield) - +3

Large Shields (Tower Shields) - +4

DEATH AND DYING

At 0 hp characters are unconscious. They can then go to negative their Con before being beyond the pale.

Defensive Bonus for Castles & Crusades

In the standard rules, a characters skill at attacking gets better as he goes up in levelbut not so his skill at avoiding attacks. Characters rely on armor and an ever-growing collection of magic items to protect them in combat. But what about campaigns in which its not common or appropriate for characters to go everywhere in full plate?

The following tables provide a progressive increase in defensive abilities for characters as they climb in levels. These bonuses are added to the Armor Class in and out of armor, plus any magic or Dexterity bonus.

This does make for a slightly tougher PC but better represents cinematic combat and heroes.

Monk, Illusionist, Rogue and Wizard (A); Assassin, Bard and Ranger (B); Barbarian and Druid (C); Cleric, Defender, Fighter, Knight and Paladin (D)

Level A B C D

1 +0 +0 +1 +1

2 +0 +1 +1 +1

3 +1 +1 +2 +2

4 +1 +2 +2 +2

5 +1 +2 +3 +3

6 +2 +3 +3 +3

7 +2 +3 +4 +4

8 +2 +3 +4 +4

9 +3 +4 +5 +5

10 +3 +4 +5 +5

11 +3 +4 +5 +6

12 +4 +5 +6 +6

Fate Points

Bounce Back That hit just put you down to negative 5 hit points! The Cleric out of healing spells? By spending a Fate Point, you are able to immediately heal your maximum hit die or level (whichever is higher) in damage.

Heroic Surge Need to get that ogre before he gets the mage? Want to try and stop the High Priest of Unglederk from activating the ancient clockwork device? By expending a Fate Point you are able to take a extra action immediately and with no multiple action penalty.

Lets Try That Again That roll didnt quite get the job done and now you look like an idiot? Cant take 10 or 20 on it? By expending a Fate Point you can roll again. If the roll is under 10 add 10 to it, plus all your bonuses so the minimum is 11.

I Have it Right Here Forgot to buy a lantern? Dropped your sword down the gully and have no back up? By expending a Fate Point you have that piece of gear you needed, at the CKs discretion of course.

Inspiration Dont know which way to go? Cant figure out that riddle? By expending a Fate Point you gain a clue or hint at the CKs discretion that can help you.

I Know A Guy! Need help renting a boat? Need a safehouse to lay low? By expanding a Fate Point the CK will give you a local contact who can help. Of course it may be a side adventure just to get to them, CKs discretion of course.

Characters start play with 1d4 Fate Points (+1 per level if not making 1st level characters) and receive and extra one each level they advance.

Also as a side reward the MVP of the night also gets an extra one as a reward (on top of a 10% xp bonus)

Once a Fate Point is spent, it is gone.

Skills

Skills are rated from 1 5 and add to a Siege Check on the parent attribute.

Characters receive 1 Skill Point per level and 5 at character creation (+1 per level if not making 1st level characters).
Edit: Please download the Delving Deeper Skills Systems from BHP for the full list of skills I use. It was my error to post that here as I just copied and pasted the document I give my players.

It's only 75 cents!


Spell Casting

The spellcaster does not 'prepare' spells, but can cast any spell she knows, up to the maximum number of spells of a given level (e.g. first level spells) that she can cast at that class level (e.g. seventh level spellcaster).

So a 7th level wizard can cast 5 zero level spells, 4 first level, 3 second level, 2 third level, and 1 fourth level spell. According to this house rule, she can cast up to any 5 zero level spells that she knows (magic missile, charm person, etc.). She doesn't have to 'prepare' or 'memorize' specific spells ahead of time. However, once she uses up her 5 zero level spell 'slots', that is it for zero level spells for that day -- unless, she wants to expend a higher-level spell 'slot' on a lower level spell (e.g. use one of her 4 first level spell 'slots' to cast a zero level spell). Lower level spell slots cannot be used to cast higher level spells (e.g. a first level spell 'slot' could not be used to cast a second level spell).

There is a onetime bonus for Intelligence modifier. Those bonus spells can be of any level (An 18 Int gives a +3 one time bonus. Those spells can be of any level the caster can cast).

Eventually a Wizards spellbook will have more spells than she can know at one time. How do you decide which spells she has available to cast? This is done by simpley maintaining a active spell list. Check the table below to see how many spells per level the wizard can actively know (this does not replace slots).

If at some point the wizard wishes to change the list, she must either have an available active memorization spot or forget a spell of that level to be replaced with the new spell.

Wizard Known Spells Per Level

Int Max Spells Per Level

1-8 -

9 6

10-12 7

13-14 9

15-16 11

17 14

18 18

19 All

These rules also apply to Clerics, but they do not have a limit to the spells the can know. Clerics are praying for Divine Intervention.

Counterspell (Arcane Only)

A wizard may use his or her arcane knowledge to attempt to neutralize an opponent's spell. This is referred to as a counter-spell or spell duel. To engage in a duel a wizard must be able to see the attacking wizard and he or she must have at least one spell slot, of any level available. Cleric spells cannot be countered. Any condition which would prevent a wizard from casting a spell would likewise prevent the countering of a spell by that wizard.

Compare the level of the countering mage with the attacking wizard and apply the difference as a penalty to the countering mages Siege Check. If the Siege Check succeeds, the spell is countered and both parties have lost that spell slot. If the check fails consult the table below.

d20 Result

1 Unconscious 1d4+1 rounds

2-4 Damage 1d4+1 hit points

5-9 Charmed

10-14 Confusion 1d4+1 rounds

15-17 Suffer effects related to attempted spell*

18-19 Lose all remaining spell slots for the day

20 Feeblemind

*to be determined by referee, results should be flashy and dramatic but damage should not be too severe; otherwise the wizard becomes too penalized by this rules variant

Note that engaging in a counter-spell duel negates any further spell use by both participants for the remainder of that round.

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If we come up with more I will add them
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[finarvyn]

My initial thought, based on a quick skim, is that these are really neat. I made a copy to read more slowly later, but I like what I see here.

* I like d12's for initiative, but nothing wrong with d20's. The d12 makes numbers a little smaller, plus I like to use a d12 for something so that it doesn't get lonely.
* Fate points are a neat idea. I've seen similar ideas around, but your seem to be more useful than many of the systems I've seen. (I don't like Roleplayer of the Night because my group is more cooperative than competitive, but the idea would work well in some groups.)

* Will you have many 19 or 20 attributes? Just curious.

* I like the 20 and 1 criticals. We do this as well.

* The defensive bonus is a neat idea.

* Fate points -- rather than 1d4, why not let everyone have a certain number per adventure and start 'em over next time. I find that my players never want to spend them, but if they don't carry over it makes them more likely to do so. Maybe you can set up a number of Fate points based on character level so that high-level characters get to do all kinds of cool stuff.

* I tend to avoid Skill points. Your rules look fine for them, but I don't know that I want them in my own campaigns. Certainly your list is short and managible, so it might work out well. I'll have to ponder further.

* I also use a "spellcaster can cast any spell" system rather than memorizing, but keep in mind that this gives a lot more options to spellcasters. It may tip the balance in strange ways if you have clever players running the spellcasters.

* Counterspell is pretty sweet.

Bottom line is that this looks like a pretty good list of house rules. I don't see anything that will totally destroy a campaign, and they may add just the right depth and flavor to the game you want to run.

Nice work!
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Finarvyn

Lord Marshall, Earl of Stone Creek, C&C Society

C&C Playtester in 2003
OD&D player since 1975

[AslanC]

Thanks for the words.

A note on the Player of the Night thing. I got tired of giving it out myself so what I did was have each player vote via secret ballot who the player was who most impressed them, or was the most entertaining. Then I tally them, and announce the winner.

Then each player in turn tells who they voted for and why, what their favorite part of the night was and their feeling overall for the session.

It works like a charm
And as to adding more Fate Points. We tried that and it was a bit too much. Over the top even. So we are gonna try this way and see how it works out.

I assume there will be a happy medium we will find.

I am also thinking about Whimsey Cards too! Those are really awesome
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[CharlieRock]

We usually vote on The Closest/Worst Encounter of the Night.

No prizes or anything. just so we all know exactly when we were praying/crapping our pants.
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The Rock says ...

Know your roll!

[MacLeod]

AslanC wrote:
Initiative is rolled as individuals using 1d20 + Dex Bonus + Character Level, Monsters substitute level with hit dice.

What are you hoping to achieve with this modification? I'm not so sure I get the reasoning.

You could probably just take the character with the highest level compared to the monster with the highest HD, whoever is higher adds the difference as a bonus to their team's rolls.

Quote:
Fate points; Each character starts with 1d4 Fate Points. See below.

I'm thinking of implementing a Fate/Fortune point system in my own game as well... Mine would be more akin to WFRPs though.

Quote:
Characters are created by me with a short bio and rp notes for the player to use. If a player does not like or is not connecting to their character they may request a new one and provide input as to what they are looking for.

Does this actually work for your group? I think I'd rather create my own character, it doesn't even take very long.

Quote:
Instead of Combat Dominance at 4th level they receive Cleave as per 3.5

I can agree with this one.

Quote:
The following tables provide a progressive increase in defensive abilities for characters as they climb in levels. These bonuses are added to the Armor Class in and out of armor, plus any magic or Dexterity bonus.

I have had similiar thoughts about fixing how AC works. Have you playtested this house rule yet?
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In this world of LIES... the TRUTH, it means RESISTANCE!

[AslanC]

MacLeod wrote:
What are you hoping to achieve with this modification? I'm not so sure I get the reasoning.

Diversity and less simultaneous actions.

Quote:
I'm thinking of implementing a Fate/Fortune point system in my own game as well... Mine would be more akin to WFRPs though.

Not familiar with the WFRP one.

Quote:
Does this actually work for your group? I think I'd rather create my own character, it doesn't even take very long.

It requires trust and when I make the character, they get a little 2 or 3 page package with notes, background, etc... it's like being actors
It works very very well for us, new comers hate it and if they stick it out come to enjoy it.
It also removes the ego clashes of "Well I see my character this way" or "Well I didn't put that in my background, so why are you adding a long lost brother?"

Quote:
I can agree with this one.

Yeah saw that here in some's rules and really liked it alot.

Quote:
I have had similiar thoughts about fixing how AC works. Have you playtested this house rule yet?

We have not playtested it yet, but we will this Saturday
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[MacLeod]

AslanC wrote:
Diversity and less simultaneous actions.

I usually break ties by Dexterity or some similar stat... which isn't easy to do with C&C unfortunately.

Quote:
Not familiar with the WFRP one.

Its pretty similar to what you'd expect from Action Point systems. Except with one important difference; Fate Points represent automatic successes while Fortune Points are rerolls. You have has many Fortune Points as you have Fate Points. Fortune replenishes on a daily basis. Fate points are lost permanently when used.

I think its one of the more creative Action point systems.

Quote:
We have not playtested it yet, but we will this Saturday

I'm interested in hearing how this works out for you. EDIT: Weird, it double posted my message. x_x
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In this world of LIES... the TRUTH, it means RESISTANCE!

[csperkins1970]

AslanC wrote:
Roleplayer of the night (as voted by peers) gets extra Fate Point as well as a 10% bonus to their XP.

There are A LOT of cool ideas in there (I will probable swipe a few... including the counterspell rules) but I'm really liking the roleplaying bonus. The fact that the players choose the person is genius!
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http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/dnd3e/cnc.htm

[AslanC]

I wish I could say there are mine, but I found them somewhere on the web. I had to rewrite them a touch and make it from the counter's perspective and not the caster's, as the rules I found were. I also trimmed out some other stuff that was in there.

Feel free to to use any/all of these house rules, they are not mine, most are tweaks from other sources.

The Rper of the night though, that's mine
I am thinking of changing the fighters defensive AC bonus column to go a up to +7 and get there faster... for example;

Level A B C D

1 +0 +0 +1 +1

2 +0 +1 +1 +2

3 +1 +1 +2 +2

4 +1 +2 +2 +3

5 +1 +2 +3 +3

6 +2 +3 +3 +4

7 +2 +3 +4 +4

8 +2 +3 +4 +5

9 +3 +4 +5 +5

10 +3 +4 +5 +6

11 +3 +4 +5 +6

12 +4 +5 +6 +7

But I am not sure if that would unbalance things too much.
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[jaguar451]

Defense bonus -- instead of a chart, how about 'just' 1/2 BAB?

If want more for fighters, could Include Weapon Specialization bonus (if wielding said weapon, of course.)

Include before or after dividing by two.... (and decide if round up or round down, or 'Fighting' classes round up, others round down....)