Variant rules

[Theobod]

Curious to see what variants, official, third party or homebrew, playgrounders tend to use. To start in one of my current groups we use: E6, Vitality and Wound Points, Armor as DR, Shields as cover (base boni doubled, half bonus to ref), Incremental Masterworking (base increases at bonus squared times base, special masterworks are ten times (so a Masterwork grade 2 rapier with the SMasterwork of dex instead of str to damage is 4200gp on top of rapier)) and finally no coup de gras, if you are rendered helpless or at your opponents mercy and they are physically capable of hurting you, they can kill you, no exceptions. Yes these were player voted variants and yes this group is a lot more lethal xD For this thread a variant is a rule that fundamentally changes an assumption in the game in a significant manner (rather than say, a certain feat is banned or a certain spell doesnt exist) yes that is a fuzzy designation :)

[Curmudgeon]

Yes:

Level Adjustment buyoff
Class variants and substitution levels (excepting rules-incompatible combinations)
Lesser Versions of races with LA (Player’s Guide to Faerûn, pages 190-191)
Dragon magazine content

No:

Sovereign archetypes (Dragons of Eberron, pages 30-31)
Bloodlines
Third-party sources not under a D&D license from Wizards of the Coast
Non-D&D settings (Ravenloft, Kingdoms of Kalamar, Dragonlance, & c.)
Gestalt characters
Generic classes
Ancestral Relic (Book of Exalted Deeds, pages 39-41) (Each Exalted feat requires explicit DM approval, per BoED page 39.)
Item Familiar (Unearthed Arcana, pages 170-174)

[Theobod]

Aha i forgot la buyoff. We run with that too along with racial sub levels and gestalt. Been using those so long i forgot they were variants, which is odd as i also run a non gestalt game.

[Greenish]

Sovereign Archetypes tend to be something for nothing type of deals for PCs that can access them, bloodlines are a pain, and so forth, but what puts Ancestral Weapon on the latter list?

[BWR]

Non-D&D settings (Ravenloft, Kingdoms of Kalamar, Dragonlance, & c.)


Please explain how Ravenloft and Dragonlance aren't D&D settings.


For my PF game:
In general, hardcover first party PF books only, with some very few exceptions (Ancestral Relic and Practised Spellcaster were brought in from 3.5). Players are always free to ask for something else from another source if they want (one player tends to look stuff up on the pfsrd and take it in without looking at the source, to my annoyance), and I'll probably ok it but for the most part the ok'd sources are enough.
Some restrictions on available classes and spells (no Ninja or Samurai, Magus is an elf-only class in honor of the BECMI elf, for instance), some houserules and changes to existing stuff.

[Crake]

What is this incremental masterworking you mention, where can i find it, or is it homebrew? I ask because i'm running a low magic campaign and would be interested to incorporate something like that.

[Theobod]

It is indeed homebrew. The project grew out of that throwaway line in the phb describing other masterwork tools. The essence is simply the bonus squared mechanic of magic items applied to the masterwork cost to a max of 5 steps in the base or any.special 'chain'. With specials beyond the base numeric scaling being 10*cost. As the dm you have total say over what specials are available and are encouraged to keep them thematically attuned. Some examples: mwk3 climbing tools with smwk1in rapid pittoning grants a 6bonus to climb and pitons are placed twice as fast (perhaps with a piton gun for example) and (afb so base mwk climbers kit may be more than 50g base) 950gp. A pathfinder revolver may be mwk 2, enhanced ammo capacity 2 and reliability 1 and have a 2 enhance bonus to hit, 8 shots and never missfire for 4kgun+1200mwk+12000mwk+3kmwk.

[Curmudgeon]

Sovereign Archetypes tend to be something for nothing type of deals for PCs that can access them, bloodlines are a pain, and so forth, but what puts Ancestral Weapon on the latter list?
Ancestral Weapon is a feat which lets an Exalted character create one magic weapon and improve it as they advance. When they're disarmed of this weapon it can be used against the PC just like any other magic weapon. I got tired of players thinking their weapon was imbued with special plot armor against enemy action just because it's a family heirloom. Basically, it's a DM defense against whining.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Ancestral Weapon is a feat which lets an Exalted character create one magic weapon and improve it as they advance. When they're disarmed of this weapon it can be used against the PC just like any other magic weapon. I got tired of players thinking their weapon was imbued with special plot armor against enemy action just because it's a family heirloom. Basically, it's a DM defense against whining.

I'm AFB, but I could have sworn Ancestral Relic was non-exalted good. I know it still requires a good alignment, just not exalted levels of good.

[Curmudgeon]

I'm AFB, but I could have sworn Ancestral Relic was non-exalted good. I know it still requires a good alignment, just not exalted levels of good.
You know, you're right; it's not an Exalted feat despite immediately following the "EXALTED FEATS" blurb (likely a contributing factor in why I made the mistake, along with the feat requirement of consecrated/hallowed work space and prayer). So scratch that as a variant choice. (It's still a DM defense against whining, of course.)

[Zaq]

I'm a huge fan of using fractional BAB, from Unearthed Arcana. It makes a lot of characters a hell of a lot more, well, possible, particularly once you start trying to qualify for feats and PrCs. The group I'm currently playing with doesn't use it, and that makes me sad.