House Rules and Rule Interpretations

[Zhym]

I've added the following note about weapon non-proficiency penalties:

Weapon Proficiencies for Different Weapon Subtypes
Wielding a weapon with which a character is not proficient incurs one less point of to-hit penalty if the weapon is of the same type as a weapon in which the character is proficient. Weapon types are: sword, axe, bow, crossbow, mace, lance, flail, etc. Thus, for example, a fighter proficient in the long sword but not the short sword could wield the latter at a -1 penalty to hit instead of the usual -2. A cleric proficient in the footman's mace could wield a horseman's mace at -2 instead of -3.

[Zhym]

I've added two more interpretations to the post at the top of the thread:

Level Drain Effect on Current HP
When a character is level drained by a combat hit, the damage from the hit is applied before the reduction in maximum HP from the level drain. Reduction in maximum HP only lowers current HP if the new current HP would be more than the max.

Example: Ferd the 5th-level fighter has 29/30 HP when he's hit by a wraith for 6 damage, draining a level. The 4th-level Ferd's new HP is 23/24. He takes the 6 points damage (reducing him to 23 current HP), then his max HP are reduced (to 24). Because his current HP are still under his max HP, his current hit points are not further reduced by the level drain.

Fleeing vs. Retreating
I use the OSRIC rules for retreat. There are two ways a combatant can try to disengage from combat or change position: by mounting a fighting retreat, or by fleeing.

• In a fighting retreat, a character retreats backward while maintaining his defense. The attacker can follow if not otherwise engaged. The retreating character may parry but cannot attack. This move can be used to switch places with another party member, with one character engaging while the other mounts a fighting retreat. A fighting retreat does not give the character's opponent a free attack.
• Fleeing from combat means turning and running away at top speed. If a character who is in melee flees, his opponent gets a free attack at +4 to hit (in addition to any other bonuses, of course).

As usual, if you have any complaints or questions, let me know.

[Zhym]

I've added the following rule on coinage:

Money—Values and Weights
100 cp = 10 sp = 1 gp = 10 1/10 pp
Encumbrance: Gold and platinum coins are 10/lb. Silver coins are 50/lb., and copper coins are 200/lb.

[Inferno]

I think you mean one gold equals 1/10 platinum?

[Zhym]

Yes.

Thanks. I fixed it.

[Zhym]

I've added the following info for the Glyph of Warding spell:

Glyph of Warding: A glyph may have any of several effects depending on the level of the spell caster. Any caster capable of casting the Glyph can make it do fire, electrical, or cold damage for 2 points per level of the caster. Other effects are available if the caster is of high enough level to cast a spell with that effect. Thus, 5th-level casters could, for example, create glyphs that briefly paralyze or blind the target (as a hold person or blindness spell).

No more than one glyph may be inscribed on the same surface (door, 10x10 section of wall, floor, or ceiling, etc.).

Players are responsible for remembering the names of glyphs and for using them to avoid setting off the glyphs. The DM will keep track of those passwords and the glyph locations but not mark them on maps. It is up to the players to remember the location of glyphs and to use the passwords before doing anything that might trigger one.

[Zhym]

I have added the following to the first post:

Turning Undead

• A cleric may make only one turn attempt per encounter unless multiple types of undead are encountered, in which case the cleric may make one attempt per undead type as long as each attempt is successful. An unsuccessful turn attempt prevents any more turning attempts for that encounter.
• Turning is the cleric's only action for that round, but the cleric can take other actions in subsequent rounds (i.e., the cleric doesn't need to "hold" the turn to keep it effective).
• When an undead monster that has been turned is attacked, that monster may defend itself by striking back at its attacker(s). It may continue to do so until its attackers clearly disengage from attacking it.
• Because turned undead will be fleeing unless cornered, attacks against turned undead will usually receive the usual bonus for attacking from behind.
• When the duration of the turning expires, the undead are free to return, but their return is not guaranteed. Whether they return will depend on the intelligence of the monsters and whether they were encountered in their lairs.
• When undead that have been turned come back, the cleric who successfully turned them may try to do so again. This can be repeated as long as turning attempts are successful. Each turn attempt requires a new roll for the number of undead affected.

[Stirling]

All very clear

[Zhym]

I've added the following explanation of how Light and Darkness spells interact:

The Interaction of Light and Darkness Spells
There's a difference between "negation" of a light spell and temporary cancellation of the spell's effect. For a spell to be truly negated, the opposing spell must be cast on the same location or object as the original spell. If two light spells merely overlap, they temporarily cancel each other out, leaving only whatever ambient and natural light is in the area.

Example: Mac the Magnificent casts Continual Light on the end of a stick to make a "wand" of light. If Dirk the Dire casts Continual Darkness on the end of that stick, it negates the Continual Light spell and Mac the Magnificant's "wand of light" is once again just a stick. But if Dirk casts Darkness on Mac's hand instead of the wand, the wand's light is extinguished for as long as it remains within 40' of Mac's hand or until the Darkness spell expires or is dispelled. The darkness is likewise suppressed by the light from Mac's wand. What's left is whatever light is in the area. If Mac and Dirk are outside in sunlight, Mac can see. If Mac and Dirk are deep in a dungeon with no other light sources, it is dark. And if Mac's friend Minnie has a torch, her torchlight illuminates the area covered by the two competing spells.

The following table shows which spells negate the others:

Code: Select all

Spell                    Countered By
-----                    ------------
Light                    Darkness, Darkness 15', or Continual Darkness
Darkness                 Light or Continual Light
Continual Light          Continual Darkness
Continual Darkness       Continual Light
Darkness, 15' Radius     Light or Continual Light

[Zhym]

I have added the following rule interpretation to the top post:

Identifying Scrolls
The contents of a scroll are not necessarily evident to anyone who did not inscribe it. The following rules apply:

• An arcane caster will recognize any spell that he or she already knows but will need to use read magic or some other form of identification (e.g., an identify spell) to reveal spells with which the caster is not already familiar.
• Clerics and druids immediately recognize the spells on cleric spell scrolls and druid spell scrolls, respectively.
• Protection scrolls can only be identified by read magic, an identify spell, or the like. The protection scroll can be used by anyone, but until the scroll has been identified the nature of its protection will be unknown.