Houserules you've cribbed from other editions&systems?

[Coidzor]

So, I was thinking the other day about what ideas from 4e and Pathfinder would be good to steal wholesale or at least take inspiration from for modifying the base rules set of 3.X.

For instance, one thing that stood out to me the first time I tried 4e was the idea of having starting hp equal to one's constitution score plus whatever value at first level as a way of having better survivability from the get-go.

Anyone else try out anything like that in their 3.x games? What worked and what didn't in your experiences with it?

[Goonthegoof]

Cribbed a lot of stuff from 4E- starting hit points, death at -50% of hp, able to convert move and standard actions to minor.

[Firechanter]

I once tried the Wound/Vitality system from Star Wars, and it disappointed. As is, everyone only goes crit-fishing. Even with that removed, the Con-for-wounds applies to everyone including the monsters, so in the end the math works against the players. Combat tends to get drawn out and tedious, while failing at making the PCs more survivable.

--

What I'm going to carry over to our upcoming 3.5 campaign is a rule from Conan D20 concerning skills: you can use your bonus skill points from Int to purchase _any_ skill as class skill.
Also, Int gear gives bonus skills as in Pathfinder.

[Tvtyrant]

Wouldn't that make the Wizard even more amazingly versatile, what with them having maxed int? "I put them all into auto-hypnosis" isn't something I would like to hear a Tier 1 say in one of my games.

[Coidzor]

Wouldn't that make the Wizard even more amazingly versatile, what with them having maxed int? "I put them all into auto-hypnosis" isn't something I would like to hear a Tier 1 say in one of my games.

...You'd have a T1 unaltered and you'd be worried about auto-hypnosis? :smallconfused:

[Thurbane]

I've included variations on the 1e and 2e "firing into melee" rules. I just don't like people firing into a melee with nothing more than a -4 penalty to show for it. :smalltongue:

[Tvtyrant]

...You'd have a T1 unaltered and you'd be worried about auto-hypnosis? :smallconfused:

Or other such skills, yes. UMD, UPD, Psionic Focus, Iajutsu, the point is that a Wizard gets more benefit from that rule then almost anyone else and needs it less.

[Shpadoinkle]

I use the "all skills are class skills" thing, except 'trained only' skills. Those work like any other skill for classes that normally have it on their class lists, but classes the don't have it on their lists DO have to find a trainer.

I like how Pathfinder handled class skills and favored classes (pretty much the only thing I like from Pathfinder) and adopted those rules (no multiclassing XP penalties; taking a level in your races' favored class gives you an extra HP and skill point per level.)

I also borrowed some skill stuff from Pathfinder and 4e (instead of search, spot, and listen, there's just "active perception" based on intelligence and "passive perception" based on wisdom.) I rolled some other skills together, too (swim, climb, and jump get rolled into "athletics," and hide and move silently are conglomerated into "stealth.")

[Firechanter]

Well, we're not going to have a Wizard in the party so I don't see such a big problem there. The only Tier 1 will be a Cleric and the player is a non-optimizer. (Actually he thinks he is an optimizer, but he also thinks Flame Strike is the bestest spell... you get the idea.)

Another player will probably make either a beguiler or a factotum; factotum obviously doesn't pose a problem there, and if he goes for beguiler we still need a skill monkey so he can do that.

[Ozreth]

The DM in the PF game I am in uses 4e's minions idea. It was kind of fun running down a street one shotting kobolds who were attacking dozens of frenzied townspeople.

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I'm not sure what you'd call it, but I use a blend of Pathfinder and 3.5 classes with a variant on the AD&D multiclassing rules, and Classic D&D style races as classes.

I use the 4e rules for Acrobatics reducing falling damage.

I use the 4e skill rules with the Pathfinder skill list.