House rules
Posted: Mon May 31, 2021 9:46 pm
Here are a few in game adjustments that I will use for the campaign:
Combat, Weapons and Armour.
I am not using the 'to hit' weapon vs armour class adjustments table.
Thrown missile weapons:
Fighter Class types may add any strength modifiers to their weapon damage to all hand hurled missile weapons of the following types:
Spears, Javelins, Hand Axes, Throwing Hammers.
A note on javelin distance. For each 10ft the thrower of a javelin runs prior to releasing the javelin in attack, he may throw the javelin an extra 30ft, up to a maximum of 90ft in total.
Missiles thrown by hand: may be recovered with a little searching. Arrows, crossbow bolts, sling bullets or stones that miss at long range or medium range are lost unless a turn is spent searching the area, supposing it safe to do so.
Of those that hit, roll a 50/50% yes/no for each that may be reusable.
Flails: flails, spiked balls on a long chain, are essentially a melee 'reach' weapon and historically used to reach over the top of shields to bash opponents around the skull. Therefore anyone using a flail may 'attack with advantage' versus any opponent wielding a shield. 'Basically roll two 'to hit' attacks and use the most positive result to determine if a hit is successful or not. Unless specified otherwise, I will treat Flail attacks as being targeted over the shield at the opponent's head..
Dwarven Warhammers: are essentially a two handed dwarven speciality hammer which are treated as battle axes and may do 1d8 damage. s/m/ 1d10 vs large modified by Str.
Crossbows to compensate for the lower crossbow rate of fire in comparison to bows, I am going to adjudicate that all light crossbows do [2d4] damage and heavy crossbows do [2d6]. Hand-held Crossbow inflict [1d4+1].
Armour.
Armour Types:
I wanted to build something in the game which rewards armour for the protection it gives. In normal melee and man-to-man combat your armours protection is built into your AC with additional bonuses coming from dexterity, magic or other factors.
When faced with making a saving throw vs a Blast Weapon, such as fireball or acid attack, or even when you take a crushing blow such as falling into a pit trap, I am going to rule that your armour type will add an additional bonus to any saving throw you are required to make or to give a reduction in the damage received.
Light Armour types: Leather, Hide, Padded, Studded Leather anything AC 9 to AC 7 have no additional bonus.
Medium Armour types: Scale, Ring, Chain and Banded Mail anything AC 6 to AC 4 receive a+1 saving throw bonus or reduce crushing blow (not by weapons) by -1
Heavy Armour types: Platemail anything AC 3 or below. receive a +2 saving throw bonus, -2 dam reduction.
If your character is using a shield and that takes your natural AC into those of another type, for example studded armour AC7 plus a shield +1 to AC so you are AC 6 and therefore the equivalent armour as a medium type you receive the additional save bonus. Got that?
Initiative:
During encounters I will roll initiative for any NPC's or critters and ask that the first person posting rolls a Team initiative roll. The higher of the [1d6] scores will act first in my narratives. If scores are tied, I will rule on simultaneous actions with an advantage going to variables such as dexterity bonus, weapon speed factors and weapon reach or length.
Two weapon fighting:
Is allowed by any character class and is done so at a penalty of -2 to hit main hand and -4 to hit offhand. This may be modified by dexterity score with a reduction to the penalty of -1 to each attack for each point above 15 but never giving a bonus to attack (so -1/-3, 0/-2, 0/-1).
You may wield two short swords, two hand axes, two daggers or any combination of the three. You may also wield a dagger with a 'finesse' sword, such as a rapier, cutlass, scimitar or sabre but not a long, broad or bastard sword.
Fighter Class characters may also use a Shield Bash manoeuvre, striking to push back opponents or unbalance them in melee. This attack using a shield is against a single opponent and rolled as a normal 'to hit' attack adjusted with opposed strength bonus or equivalent. Success means the opponent is has become unbalanced and they receive a +1 penalty to their AC for the following round you attack them and their next attack routines receive a -1 to hit penalty.
Weapons of Proficiency
I am lumping some weapons into categories rather than as single weapons. So for example proficiency in 'mace' covers both Footman's and horseman's types. The same with any light / heavy equivalent (crossbows, flails).
Spear/javelins are listed in same group as Warhammer/Battleaxe, Clubs/Hammers, Maces/Morningstar, Short Bow/Longbow.
I am going to added an addendum to the Weapons Allowed by Race and Class as follows:
Racial
Dwarves: receive proficiency in Warhammers & crossbows in additional to weapons chosen by class.
Elves receive proficiency in Short & Longswords and Short & Longbows in addition to class restrictions.
Gnomes receive proficiency in Military picks.
Halflings receive proficiency in Slings.
Humans, half-elves and half-orcs racial weapon bonus but my choose a single weapon useable by class as an additional starting bonus.
Class Adjustments
Clerics:
Certain deities favour weapon choices which may otherwise be prohibited by class, for example Clerics of Herne may use the shortbow. Please check under your deity description.
Druids:
May use hand scythes and sickle sword blades.
Fighter Class amendment:
I am using the variable suggestion in the DMG page 74-79, which suggests fighters improve THAC0 each level rather than every two levels. This is a fighter class buff only. Please adjust your own sheet THAC0's to reflect this.
Fighters: may augment their fighting styles via the above mentioned Two-weapon fighting feat or Shield Bash feat.
Fighters alone may learn 'specialisms' in a particular weapon in order to gain an additional bonus to hit. Rather than choosing an extra weapon knowledge, you may choose to negate that in favour of specific training in one weapon. Specialism is a learned skill and may be taken upon advancement at 4th level.
Mages: may use Hand-held crossbows. They receive Quarterstaff as a free weapon of proficiency from the class.
Thieves: may take advantage of Two weapon fighting techniques. May use Hand-held crossbows. Start with proficiency in daggers.
Monks: I am adjusting the PHB ruling so as to allow Str bonus to be added to damage inflicted by Open Hands attacks.
Weapons of proficiency: players start off with WoP from race or class and may all gain an addition weapon skill at each level.
Combat, Weapons and Armour.
I am not using the 'to hit' weapon vs armour class adjustments table.
Thrown missile weapons:
Fighter Class types may add any strength modifiers to their weapon damage to all hand hurled missile weapons of the following types:
Spears, Javelins, Hand Axes, Throwing Hammers.
A note on javelin distance. For each 10ft the thrower of a javelin runs prior to releasing the javelin in attack, he may throw the javelin an extra 30ft, up to a maximum of 90ft in total.
Missiles thrown by hand: may be recovered with a little searching. Arrows, crossbow bolts, sling bullets or stones that miss at long range or medium range are lost unless a turn is spent searching the area, supposing it safe to do so.
Of those that hit, roll a 50/50% yes/no for each that may be reusable.
Flails: flails, spiked balls on a long chain, are essentially a melee 'reach' weapon and historically used to reach over the top of shields to bash opponents around the skull. Therefore anyone using a flail may 'attack with advantage' versus any opponent wielding a shield. 'Basically roll two 'to hit' attacks and use the most positive result to determine if a hit is successful or not. Unless specified otherwise, I will treat Flail attacks as being targeted over the shield at the opponent's head..
Dwarven Warhammers: are essentially a two handed dwarven speciality hammer which are treated as battle axes and may do 1d8 damage. s/m/ 1d10 vs large modified by Str.
Crossbows to compensate for the lower crossbow rate of fire in comparison to bows, I am going to adjudicate that all light crossbows do [2d4] damage and heavy crossbows do [2d6]. Hand-held Crossbow inflict [1d4+1].
Armour.
Armour Types:
I wanted to build something in the game which rewards armour for the protection it gives. In normal melee and man-to-man combat your armours protection is built into your AC with additional bonuses coming from dexterity, magic or other factors.
When faced with making a saving throw vs a Blast Weapon, such as fireball or acid attack, or even when you take a crushing blow such as falling into a pit trap, I am going to rule that your armour type will add an additional bonus to any saving throw you are required to make or to give a reduction in the damage received.
Light Armour types: Leather, Hide, Padded, Studded Leather anything AC 9 to AC 7 have no additional bonus.
Medium Armour types: Scale, Ring, Chain and Banded Mail anything AC 6 to AC 4 receive a+1 saving throw bonus or reduce crushing blow (not by weapons) by -1
Heavy Armour types: Platemail anything AC 3 or below. receive a +2 saving throw bonus, -2 dam reduction.
If your character is using a shield and that takes your natural AC into those of another type, for example studded armour AC7 plus a shield +1 to AC so you are AC 6 and therefore the equivalent armour as a medium type you receive the additional save bonus. Got that?
Initiative:
During encounters I will roll initiative for any NPC's or critters and ask that the first person posting rolls a Team initiative roll. The higher of the [1d6] scores will act first in my narratives. If scores are tied, I will rule on simultaneous actions with an advantage going to variables such as dexterity bonus, weapon speed factors and weapon reach or length.
Two weapon fighting:
Is allowed by any character class and is done so at a penalty of -2 to hit main hand and -4 to hit offhand. This may be modified by dexterity score with a reduction to the penalty of -1 to each attack for each point above 15 but never giving a bonus to attack (so -1/-3, 0/-2, 0/-1).
You may wield two short swords, two hand axes, two daggers or any combination of the three. You may also wield a dagger with a 'finesse' sword, such as a rapier, cutlass, scimitar or sabre but not a long, broad or bastard sword.
Fighter Class characters may also use a Shield Bash manoeuvre, striking to push back opponents or unbalance them in melee. This attack using a shield is against a single opponent and rolled as a normal 'to hit' attack adjusted with opposed strength bonus or equivalent. Success means the opponent is has become unbalanced and they receive a +1 penalty to their AC for the following round you attack them and their next attack routines receive a -1 to hit penalty.
Weapons of Proficiency
I am lumping some weapons into categories rather than as single weapons. So for example proficiency in 'mace' covers both Footman's and horseman's types. The same with any light / heavy equivalent (crossbows, flails).
Spear/javelins are listed in same group as Warhammer/Battleaxe, Clubs/Hammers, Maces/Morningstar, Short Bow/Longbow.
I am going to added an addendum to the Weapons Allowed by Race and Class as follows:
Racial
Dwarves: receive proficiency in Warhammers & crossbows in additional to weapons chosen by class.
Elves receive proficiency in Short & Longswords and Short & Longbows in addition to class restrictions.
Gnomes receive proficiency in Military picks.
Halflings receive proficiency in Slings.
Humans, half-elves and half-orcs racial weapon bonus but my choose a single weapon useable by class as an additional starting bonus.
Class Adjustments
Clerics:
Certain deities favour weapon choices which may otherwise be prohibited by class, for example Clerics of Herne may use the shortbow. Please check under your deity description.
Druids:
May use hand scythes and sickle sword blades.
Fighter Class amendment:
I am using the variable suggestion in the DMG page 74-79, which suggests fighters improve THAC0 each level rather than every two levels. This is a fighter class buff only. Please adjust your own sheet THAC0's to reflect this.
Fighters: may augment their fighting styles via the above mentioned Two-weapon fighting feat or Shield Bash feat.
Fighters alone may learn 'specialisms' in a particular weapon in order to gain an additional bonus to hit. Rather than choosing an extra weapon knowledge, you may choose to negate that in favour of specific training in one weapon. Specialism is a learned skill and may be taken upon advancement at 4th level.
Mages: may use Hand-held crossbows. They receive Quarterstaff as a free weapon of proficiency from the class.
Thieves: may take advantage of Two weapon fighting techniques. May use Hand-held crossbows. Start with proficiency in daggers.
Monks: I am adjusting the PHB ruling so as to allow Str bonus to be added to damage inflicted by Open Hands attacks.
Weapons of proficiency: players start off with WoP from race or class and may all gain an addition weapon skill at each level.