ChaosRonin's Hombrew & Houserule Archive

[ChaosRonin]

Just a place to put my homebrew and house rules as I think it up, any feedback welcome. All Rules are optional and most haven't been tested if anyone uses these rules feedback would be appreciated.

Moved everything to Homebrewery (http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/r1b96XoQqZ).

[ChaosRonin]

reserved just in case.

[GalacticAxekick]

30 point buy
every class receives 4 Ability Score Increases every 4 levels (Max of +2 in any one score) and receives feats per there class. Obviously this increases the power level of the game significantly. I hope you're aware and prepared for that.

30 point buy lets a human start with a score of 14 in every ability, or a total 84. Every ASI increases this total by 2 (either by putting two points in one ability or one point in two). And once every ability caps at 20, the total is 120. The math is simple; if we want to know if it's possible to cap everything, we just check if [ASIs given] x 2 = [120 - 84], or [ASIs given] x 2 = [36]

You're giving 4 ASIs every 4 levels. That's 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th, or 5th, 9th, 13th and 17th depending on how you count, so either 16 or 20 ASIs adding either 32 or 40 to the total score.

Characters your games will be reaching 20 across the board, or close to it. Build will become less a matter of what you cap and more a matter of what single ability you don't cap. This is bad for differentiating roles in the party and horrible for balance, and only really acceptable if you want intend for everyone to be overpowered and more-or-less the same in terms of skillset.


V.human doesn't exist, normal human receives any 2 skills, 1 tool proficiency and expertise in one proficiency.
every character gets a free feat at level 1 At the very least this helps differentiate party members, but again, granting feats left and right is going to make your characters far, far more powerful than the game intended. You'll either need to escalate challenges (in which case, why make people more powerful in the first place? why not just run a high-level campaign?) or demand less numerical challenges and more challenges of creativity (in which case, why did you need to increase stats anyway?)

[ChaosRonin]

Obviously this increases the power level of the game significantly. I hope you're aware and prepared for that.

30 point buy lets a human start with a score of 14 in every ability, or a total 84. Every ASI increases this total by 2 (either by putting two points in one ability or one point in two). And once every ability caps at 20, the total is 120. The math is simple; if we want to know if it's possible to cap everything, we just check if [ASIs given] x 2 = [120 - 84], or [ASIs given] x 2 = [36]

You're giving 4 ASIs every 4 levels. That's 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th, or 5th, 9th, 13th and 17th depending on how you count, so either 16 or 20 ASIs adding either 32 or 40 to the total score.

Characters your games will be reaching 20 across the board, or close to it. Build will become less a matter of what you cap and more a matter of what single ability you don't cap. This is bad for differentiating roles in the party and horrible for balance, and only really acceptable if you want intend for everyone to be overpowered and more-or-less the same in terms of skillset.

At the very least this helps differentiate party members, but again, granting feats left and right is going to make your characters far, far more powerful than the game intended. You'll either need to escalate challenges (in which case, why make people more powerful in the first place? why not just run a high-level campaign?) or demand less numerical challenges and more challenges of creativity (in which case, why did you need to increase stats anyway?)

Think were confused on how I thought the ASI would work, basically you accumulate 4 +1 that are granted every 4th level for a total of 20 +1 at 20th, the other way to go about it is just grant a +1 every level up with the 2nd or 20th level grant +2, also feats do not grant any ASI attached to them.

This was intended to be used in 1-3 man groups using 27 pt buy or just lower scores in general (if rolling), its also supposed to encourage people to go after the less used feats and to make an interesting character progression. If you have more than 4 people in the group and wanted to use this It would be better to use the alternate leveling system in the DMG.

As for the 30 point buy, one of my groups tends to like starting a bit stronger if were using normal progression I find it makes the first 5 levels a bit less lethal.

[GalacticAxekick]

Think were confused on how I thought the ASI would work, basically you accumulate 4 +1 that are granted every 4th level for a total of 20 +1 at 20th, the other way to go about it is just grant a +1 every level up with the 2nd or 20th level grant +2, also feats do not grant any ASI attached to them.I see. So by "4 Ability Score Increases" you meant they could add +1 to an ability score four times, and not that they got the feature called "Ability Score Increase" four times. That's more reasonable, since it's effectively half as many increases, though I might work on your phrasing.


This was intended to be used in 1-3 man groups using 27 pt buy or just lower scores in general (if rolling), its also supposed to encourage people to go after the less used feats and to make an interesting character progression. If you have more than 4 people in the group and wanted to use this It would be better to use the alternate leveling system in the DMG.As long as you're adjusting challenges accordingly. Even without my misunderstanding, free ASI alongside feats will make everyone considerably stronger than the game was designed for.


As for the 30 point buy, one of my groups tends to like starting a bit stronger if were using normal progression I find it makes the first 5 levels a bit less lethal.Fair! Though remember, as DM, you're responsible for setting appropriate challenges. If the first 5 levels are lethal, you may be pitting your party against challenges above their level.

[Deleted]

Expertise should just be advantage on the roll.

Expertise (Combat Skill) is so broken.

Strength = 8 (-1)

Level 1
Bonus = +3

Level 5
Bonus = +5

Level 10
Bonus= +7

Now this doesn't seem bad compared to other players... But creatures don't have high scores.

Going with some popular monsters and athletics versus athletics...

CR 1/2 Hobgoblin: +1 Str Checks
CR 2 Mimic: +2 Str Checks
CR 3 Owlbear: +5 Strength Checks
CR 4 Lamia: +3 Strength Checks
CR 5 Earth Elemental: +5 Str checks
CR 9 Clay Golem: +5 Str Check

So this human with 8 Strength, throughout its career, can grapple/shove/prone these things and have an equal or much greater chance than the enemy. These enemies that have mid to high strength scores...

Meanwhile a fighter, paladin, or barbarian (tho while raging the barb gets advantage so that helps) who isn't a human with 16 (18 @ level 4) Strength will be

Level 1: +5
Level 5: +7
Level 10: +8

....


Then if you slightly focus on the ability score it goes way in the favor of thr player.

[ChaosRonin]

-snip-

Yea going to have to work on that phrasing!


-snip-.

Huh never realised Expertise is so powerful, prob gonna have to rethink that.

[Potato_Priest]

Yea going to have to work on that phrasing!

Huh never realised Expertise is so powerful, prob gonna have to rethink that.

Eh. Grapple barbs are going to get it either way, whether it's their racial ability or a 1 level rogue dip. I've been there.

[Deleted]

Eh. Grapple barbs are going to get it either way, whether it's their racial ability or a 1 level rogue dip. I've been there.

Oh, I would change all Expertise to just advantage.

But I certainly wouldn't give it to a race, I would never let that race in one of my games. At least with dipping rogue, you are delaying your class feature progression or spell progression (there are a lot of sorcerer/rogues and wizard rogues out there...).

[Potato_Priest]

Oh, I would change all Expertise to just advantage.

But I certainly wouldn't give it to a race, I would never let that race in one of my games. At least with dipping rogue, you are delaying your class feature progression or spell progression (there are a lot of sorcerer/rogues and wizard rogues out there...).

Why do sorcerers and wizards dip rogue? It's not as though experienced(arcana) is an especially useful ability. Do they go 2 levels for free disengage?

[Deleted]

Why do sorcerers and wizards dip rogue? It's not as though experienced(arcana) is an especially useful ability. Do they go 2 levels for free disengage?

Expertise Acrobatics is one of the best defenses against Grappling, Prone, Shoves, and generally being stuck in a location that the mage doesn't want to be in.

Some do go for 2 levels sure, but some don't like to delay spells for two levels. Most casters I've seen, in real time play, that dip only go for one level. Besides, disengage doesn't help if you get grabbed or knocked prone (though dash does help, but the OA will hurt...).

This way they can create an Eldritch Knight or Arcane Trickster without needing to take a 1/3 caster class.

Expertise Acrobatics is just down right dirty. They are typically already boosting Dex to at least 16 (because Mage Armor or they're a Dragon Sorcerer) so it is a net win. Free proficiency from the Rogue MC and then expertise?

At level 5 you are looking at a conservative number of +3 Prof +3 Expertise + 3 Dex = +9. Not a lot of creature have that much of a bonus to their Athletics check.