Fun-Based Houserules?

[pangoo209]

I am starting a new campaign sometime soon, and I kinda want to make this one unique as opposed to standard D&D games, leading me to be curious about what houserules all of the people here on GITP used?

I was considering giving players to choose to fail a check or saving throw at any time (except CON saving throws) and to allow them to use UA and most of the optional rules in the PHB/DMG/Etc.

[Laserlight]

There was a thread on this topic recently--in the last few weeks.

[Zman]

http://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/HkZHSLvHu

Those are the houserules I use. It is meant to improve fun by balancing the game so more playstyles and options are viable or less "mandatory" and to add more stuff to the game that is also viable.

[Specter]

What I always use:

- A restrained creature can't cast spells with somatic components.
- Being knocked out gives you one level of exhaustion
But 'fun-based'? I don't know. Maybe every time they roll a 1 on an attack, roll on the Comic Blunders Table?

[LordCdrMilitant]

I make every critical hit or sufficiently massive damage roll prompt a roll on the Dark Heresy Critical Hits chart, when playing D&D.

It makes the game fairly entertaining a enemies and character have fingers chopped off, legs burned away, faces permanently scarred, and heads exploded like frag grenades.

I also don't use XP, and just award levels when convenient.

Also, I lower dc's if players have good in character dialogue, or a clever plan.

[nickl_2000]

I also don't use XP, and just award levels when convenient.

I haven't played this, but I really, really like the idea. This encourages us as players to come up with other solutions to solving problems other than just smacking the heck out the enemies. It also encourages more unique builds other than the ones with the biggest stick. Also, if a player is sick and they miss a week, the group doesn't get unbalanced in their levels.

[Specter]

I haven't played this, but I really, really like the idea. This encourages us as players to come up with other solutions to solving problems other than just smacking the heck out the enemies. It also encourages more unique builds other than the ones with the biggest stick. Also, if a player is sick and they miss a week, the group doesn't get unbalanced in their levels.

Yep. At the first tiers (levels 1-10), I'll usually give 1 level every session. At the last tiers, 1 every two sessions. The exception is if players spend the entire session doing almost nothing, or make poor tactical decisions that lead them to death, in which case I'll delay it.

[LordCdrMilitant]

I haven't played this, but I really, really like the idea. This encourages us as players to come up with other solutions to solving problems other than just smacking the heck out the enemies. It also encourages more unique builds other than the ones with the biggest stick. Also, if a player is sick and they miss a week, the group doesn't get unbalanced in their levels.

It works out really, really well. I'd recommend it over XP any day for D&D.

It certainly devalues stabbing faces, but a GM could also assign XP awards for non-combat solutions. Since I keep everyone matched in XP anyway, it doesn't make a difference is level advancement speed, it just changes the player mindset towards character advancement.

[TheManicMonocle]

As the dm I offer +1 to players if they can come up with a one-liner that matches the situation.

Also, to the bard in our group I give +1 per couplet if she can come up with anything cool.

I also add on that nat 20s for initiative means you take two actions on your first turn while nat 1s mean you skip your first turn.