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DiBastet
2018-05-10, 08:20 PM
Hello playgrounders, it's a-me, DiBastet! Recently some people have been asking for my houserules (mostly because I mention one or another when giving feedback), so I'm sharing them around.

Without further ado.


Character Options Rules

Feats are Amazing
Every character receives a feat at 1st level. The Human race is changed as thus:

Human
Ability Score Increase: Three different ability scores of your choice increase by 1.
Skills: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.
Adaptable: Once per short rest you can give yourself advantage to a single ability check, attack roll or saving throw. Once you use this ability you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.


Fighting Styles
The following fighting styles are changed:

Great Weapon Fighting
When you attack with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you increase the weapon’s damage die type by one step. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls you make with those weapons.


Multiclass Handwave
Multiclass requires no minimum ability scores.



Quick and Dirty Class Changes

Barbarian

Berserker
Frenzy is reworded.

Frenzy
You can go into a frenzy when you rage. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns after this one. This attack uses your Strength modifier, its damage die is a d4, and it deals your choice of bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage.


Druid
Wild Shape is reworded.

Wild Shape
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action to magically assume the shape of a beast that you have seen before. You can use this ability at will. You can revert to your normal form by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. Your druid level determines the beasts you can transform into, as shown in the Beast Shapes table.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:
• Your game statistics remain your own, except when noted here.
• You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike. Your unarmed strike damage type is the same as your form's natural weapons.
• Your AC becomes 13 + Dexterity modifier.
• You gain all of the creature's skill and saving throw proficiencies, using your own Proficiency bonus.
• You gain all of the creature's natural abilities and senses, like Darkvision, movement speed, Pack Tactics and Pounce, but not its natural weapons or special attack options, like Multiattack. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can’t use them.
• You can’t cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn’t break your concentration on a spell you’ve already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell, such as call lightning, that you’ve already cast.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can’t use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.
• You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the GM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature’s shape and size. Your equipment doesn’t change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can’t wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Moon Circle
Circle Forms and Primal Strike are reworded.

Circle Forms
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Wild Shape to transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as 1, but must abide by the other limitations there. Starting at 6th level, you can transform into a beast with a challenge rating as high as your druid level divided by 3, rounded down.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:
• You can use Wisdom instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes.
• Your unarmed damage changes as you gain druid levels, at the same rate as a Monk of the same level.
• Your AC becomes 12 + Proficiency bonus + Dexterity modifier.

Primal Strike
Starting at 6th level, while in beast form you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Additionally, your attacks in beast form count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.


Fighter
The fighter class gain the Combat Superiority ability at 1st level and Relentless at 13th.

Combat Superiority
At 1st level, you learn several martial maneuvers that are fueled by special dice called superiority dice.

Maneuvers. You learn two maneuvers of your choice. Many maneuvers enhance an attack in some way. You can use only one maneuver per attack.
You learn one additional maneuvers of your choice at 5th, 9th, 13th, 17th. Each time you learn new maneuvers, you can also replace one maneuver you know with a different one.
Superiority dice. You have two superiority dice, which are d6s, and you expend one whenever you use a maneuver. You regain them all when you finish a short or long rest.
Saving Throws. Some of your maneuvers require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice).

Relentless
Starting at 13th level, when you roll initiative and have no superiority dice remaining, you regain 1 superiority die.


Arcane Archer
Arcane Shot is reworded. Ever-Ready shot is removed, as it’s unneeded because of the Fighter’s Relentless ability.

Arcane Shot
Replace “You have two uses of this ability, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.” with “Using this ability spends one of your superiority dice.”


Battlemaster
Combat Superiority is reworded.

Master Combat Superiority
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you improve your maneuver ability.

Maneuvers. You learn one additional maneuver of your choice. You learn one additional maneuver of your choice at 7th, 10th and 15th level. And the end of a Long Rest you may replace one maneuver you know with a different one.
Superiority Dice. Your superiority dice turn into d8. You also gain two additional superiority dice. You gain another superiority die at 7th level, and one more at 15th level.


Cavalier
Unwavering Mark and Warding Maneuver are reworded. The Cavalier gains the Extra Combat Superiority ability at 3rd level.

Extra Combat Superiority
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain two additional superiority dice. You gain another superiority die at 7th level, and one more at 15th level.

Unwavering Mark
Replace “you can make this special attack a number of times equal to your Strength modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.” with “, using this ability spends one of your superiority dice.”

Warding Maneuver
Replace “you can roll 1d8 as a reaction” with “you can expend one superiority die as a reaction”. Replace “You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.” with “Using this ability spends one of your superiority dice.”


Champion
The Champion gain the Always Armed ability at 3rd level.

Always Armed
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you become proficient with improvised weapons and your unarmed strikes use a d4 for damage.


Samurai
Fighting Spirit is reworded. Tireless Spirit is removed, as it’s unneeded because of the Fighter’s Relentless ability. The Samurai gains the Focused Combat Superiority ability at 3rd level, and Improved Combat Superiority at 10th.

Focused Combat Superiority
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, your superiority turn into d8.

Fighting Spirit
Replace “You can use this feature three times, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a long rest.” with “, using this ability spends one of your superiority dice.”

Improved Combat Superiority
When you reach 10th level, your superiority dice turn into d10. When you reach level 18, your dice turn into d12.


Monk
Add the following line to the Ki ability: “You can use your Ki save DC in place of the normal save DC of an attack option, such as Grapple or Shove.”

Way of the Four Elements
All Ki costs are reduced by 1. Whenever an Elemental Discipline allows you to learn and cast a specific spell that deals Acid, Fire, Cold, Lighting or Thunder damage (such as Burning Hands or Fireball), you can choose to learn any other spell of the same level that deals Acid, Fire, Cold, Lighting or Thunder damage (such as Ice Knife or Lightning Bolt).


Ranger
Use the UA Revised Ranger

Beast Master
Animal Companion and Beast Bond are reworded.

Animal Companion
You learn the Find Familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual. The spell doesn't count against your number of spells known. When you cast the spell, you can choose for your familiar to assume the form of any beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. It gains all the benefits of your Companion's Bond ability.

Beast Bond
Add the following bullet point to the ability.
• Unlike other familiars, the companion can take the Attack action normally.



General Rules

Charges, not Ammo
Just like melee attacks represent multiple swings, feints and parries, it is assumed that each ranged attack represents multiple shots, with a character reloading whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Instead of counting each and every spent projectile, the player writes down a single Charge of ammo on its character sheet. A charge is an arbitrary narrative number, between 5 and 20 shots, similar to a “quiver”, and is the only unit a player needs to care about. Whenever a player roll a 5- on an attack roll with a ranged weapon that has the Ammunition property, at the end of the attack one ammunition charge is spent. If the weapon has the Loading property it must be loaded again. The Loading property is changed as thus:

Loading. Because of the time required to load this weapon, after spending a charge of ammunition you must spend an action reloading this weapon before being able to attack again with it.

Encumbrance
Players don't count wieight but carried items. Instead characters can carry any number of individual items up to their Strenght score. If a character carries weight in excess of that, he is encumbered, which means its speed drops by 20 feet and it has disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. Items are assumed to be carried in the most efficient fashion, so any item can be accessed with an item interaction action.

Backpacks and other containers. Any item securely stored within a container (such as an extra quiver or a set of thieves's tools inside a backpack) don't count against a character's limit of carried items. On the other hand such items can only be accessed by taking a whole action to reach them.

Gritty Realism
A short rest is 8 hours and a long rest is 5 days.

Heroic First Aid
As an action, you can spend one use of a healer’s kit to tend to a creature, allowing it to spend a single Hit Die as if on a short rest. The creature can’t regain hit points like this again until it finishes a short or long rest.

Instant Death
When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your Constitution Score.

DiBastet's Favorite HP-Reduction Rule
The hit points formula is changed as thus:

Hit Points at 1st Level: Constitution score + half your class' Hit Die maximum (3 for d6, 4 for d8, 5 for d10 and 6 for d12).
Hit Points at Higher Levels: Half your class' Hit Die maximum.
NPC Hit Points: Instead of following a formula NPC's Hit Points are simply reduced by half.



Combat House Rules

Attack Options
Using the Attack action, you can make a special attack. Instead of making an attack roll, you use one of the Attack Options below. If you’re able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this attack replaces one of them. The save DC for any of these options equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + the stat modifier listed in the option.

Climbing onto a Bigger Creature
You can climb on a creature that is at least two sizes larger than you and is within your reach. Using at least one free hand, you try to cling to the target. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw. The save DC uses your Strength modifier. On a failed save you successfully moves into the target's creature space and clings to its body. While in the target's space, the you move with the target and have advantage on attack rolls against it.
Shaking Off. The larger creature can use its action to remove you. When it does so you must make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (you choose the ability to use). The save DC uses the target’s Strength modifier. On a failed save you land on a space adjacent to the target, of its choice.

Disarm
The target must make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (the target chooses the ability to use). The save DC uses your Strength modifier. On a failed save, it drops the object you choose. The object lands at its feet.

Grapple
The target of your grapple must be no more than one size larger than you and must be within your reach. Using at least one free hand, you try to seize the target. The target must make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (the target chooses the ability to use). The save DC uses your Strength modifier. On a failed save, you subject the target to the grappled condition. The condition specifies the things that end it, and you can release the target whenever you like (no action required).
Escaping a Grapple. A grappled creature can use its action to escape. To do so, it must succeed on a Strength or Dexterity saving throw at the same DC.
Moving a Grappled Creature. When you move, you can drag or carry the grappled creature with you, but your speed is halved, unless the creature is two or more sizes smaller than you.

Shove
The target must make a Strength or Dexterity saving throw (the target chooses the ability to use). The save DC uses your Strength modifier. On a failed save, you either knock the target prone or push it 10 feet away from you.

Taunt
The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. The save DC uses your Charisma modifier. On a failed save, it has disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you until the end of your next turn.

Threaten
The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. The save DC uses your Charisma modifier. On a failed save, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.


Theater of the Mind and Combat Zones
Action scenes are divided in Zones, narrative regions of arbitrary size, typically around 30 ft across. A narrative zone may be connected to adjacent narrative Zones. For example, a tavern brawl might primarily happen on the tavern floor (one zone), while some of it might also happen on the stairs and balconies of the upper floor (another zone, adjacent to the main one), or the immediate region outside of the front door (another zone, adjacent to the main one). Characters don’t move on a grid, but if required they move from narrative Zone to another.


https://i.imgur.com/NDw5Zyx.jpg
Fig 1. a visual example of using three combat zones.

Attacks in Combat Zones
Melee: Every creature on the same Zone is considered to be in melee range (within 5ft) with any other creature in the same Zone.
Ranged: Anything on the same zone as a creature is also considered to be up to 30ft away for range purposes. Creatures one zone away are from 31ft up to 60ft away. Each zone adds another 30ft to the distance.

Movement in Combat Zones
A creature that moves between 15 and 40ft per turn may move from one zone to another by using its move. A creature that moves between 45 and 70ft may move up to two zones, and every 30 additional feet increase the number of zones by 1. When a creature leaves a combat zone it takes up to 1d4-1 opportunity attacks from hostile creatures within the zone, provided there are enough opponents for that.
Dash: When using the dash action a creature may move the number of zones allowed by its movement.
Disengage: When using the Disengage your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks for the rest of the turn.

Targets in Areas of Effect in Combat Zones
The number of creatures affected by an area of effect is random. Any area that covers a 30 ft circle hits everything in the zone. Areas larger than that may cover or hit multiple zones by the DM’s discretion.
Circle, Cylinder or Sphere: 1d2 + Radius / 5.
Cone: 1d2 + Size / 10.
Cube or Square: 1d2 + Size / 5.
Line: 1d2 + Length / 30.


Two Weapon Fighting
When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, or attack with any weapon on one hand and weapon with a d4 damage die or lower on the other, you add the two weapon damage dice together when rolling for damage with your attacks. You can use either weapon damage type. If either weapon has a special property, such as Reach, Throw or magical abilities, when you make an attack roll you can choose that the abilities from one of the weapons apply to your attack.

Note: If using DiBastet's Simplified Weapons and Armor below, use the weapon's Simple damage die to determine if it's compatible with two weapon fighting, before applying any damage die increase. In other words a larger creature or a character with martial proficiency isn't penalized because he increases his damage die.



DiBastet's Simplified Weapons and Armor

Weapons and armor are simplified and have specific names removed from their stats, so each stat may represent a wide range of armament. A Finesse weapon might be a rapier, a sidesword or saber, while a medium armor might be brigandine, light chainmail or anything else the DM and player might come up with.

Proficiency
Since there are no specific weapon stats, there is no specific weapon proficiencies. Sorcerer and Wizard have no weapon proficiency. Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Rogue and Warlock have Simple Weapon proficiency. Barbarian, Fighter, Paladin and Ranger have Martial Weapon proficiency. Any racial weapon training becomes Martial Weapon proficiency.

The point of Martial Proficiency
There are no different lists for simple and martial weapons. Instead characters who are proficient in no weapons or Simple weapons only use the first damage value; characters proficient in Martial weapons use the second damage value.




Name
Price
AC
Steatlh
Weight




Light Armor




Light I
5gp
11 + Dex modifier
-
8 lbs


Light II
50gp
12 + Dex modifier
-
10 lbs




Medium Armor




Medium I
50gp
13 + Dex modifier (max 2)
-
20 lbs


Medium II
500gp
15 + Dex modifier (max 2)
Disadvantage
40 lbs




Heavy Armor




Heavy I
75gp
16
Disadvantage
55 lbs


Heavy II
1000gp
18
Disadvantage
65 lbs




Shield




Shield
10gp
+2
-
6 lbs





[/tr]

Name
Price
Damage (Simple)
Damage (Martial)
Weight
Properties





Melee Weapons




Finesse
10 gp
1d6
1d8
2 lb
Finesse


Heavy
15 gp
1d10
2d6
4 lb
Heavy, two-handed


Light
2 gp
1d6
1d8
4 lb
Light


Light, Finesse
2 gp
1d4
1d6
1 lb
Finesse, light, thrown (range 20/60)


Polearm
2 gp
1d4
1d6
2 lb
Versatile (1d6 or 1d8), thrown (range 20/60)


Polearm, Heavy
8 gp
1d8
1d10
4 lb
Heavy, two-handed, reach


Polearm, Mounted
10 gp
1d10
1d12
6 lb
Reach, special


Primitive
1 sp
1d4
1d6
2 lb
Light


Primitive, Throwable
5 sp
1d4
1d6
2 lb
Light, thrown (range 30/120)


Throwable
2 gp
1d6
1d8
2 lb
Thrown (range 20/60)


Versatile
5 gp
1d6
1d8
3 lb
Versatile (1d8 or 1d10)


Whip
2 gp
1
1d4
3 lb
Finesse, reach





Ranged Weapons




Blunderbuss
25 gp
1d8/1d6
1d10/1d8
6 lb
Ammunition (range 30/120), firearm, heavy, loading, two-handed


Bow
25 gp
1d6
1d8
2 lb
Ammunition (range 150/600), two-handed


Capturing
1 gp
-
-
3 lb
Special, thrown (range 10/30)


Carbine
30 gp
1d10
1d12
6 lb
Ammunition (range 150/600), firearm, loading, two-handed


Crossbow
25 gp
1d8
1d10
5 lb
Ammunition (range 100/400), heavy, loading, two-handed


Crossbow, hand
30 gp
1d4
1d6
3 lb
Ammunition (range 30/120), light, loading


Pistol
30 gp
1d8
1d10
3 lb
Ammunition (range 150/600), firearm, loading, two-handed


Pistol, Light
20 gp
1d6
1d8
2 lb
Ammunition (range 100/400), firearm, light, loading


Primitive
1 sp
1d4
1d6
-
Ammunition (range 30/120)


Rifle
50 gp
1d12
2d8
8 lb
Ammunition (range 180/720), firearm, heavy, loading, two-handed


Throwing
5 cp
1d4
1d6
0,25 lb
Finesse, thrown (range 20/60)



Weapon Properties
Capturing Weapon. A Large or smaller creature hit by a capturing weapon is restrained until it is freed. It has no effect on creatures that are formless, or creatures that are two or more sizes larger than the user. A creature can use its action to make a DC 10 Strength saving throw, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success.
Dealing 5 slashing damage to the capturing weapon (AC 10) also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the weapon.
Blunderbuss. When you make an attack roll with this weapon at close range you use the first damage die, and the second one on attacks made at long range.
Firearm. When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll with this weapon it jams and stops working. When it becomes wet it jams and stops working. You must spend one minute and make a DC 10 Gunsmith tool check to unjam it. Not all settings have firearms available.
Loading. Because of the time required to load this weapon, after spending a charge of ammunition you must spend an action reloading this weapon before being able to attack again with it.
Polearm, Mounted. You have disadvantage when you use a mounted polearm to attack a target within 5 feet of you. Also, a mounted polearm requires two hands to wield when you aren’t mounted.
Reach. You may choose to not count as being within 5 feet of opponents in the same zone when using this weapon.

Lalliman
2018-05-11, 04:15 AM
Great Weapon Fighting
How does this actually work for great swords and great axes? I know d14s exist, but most people don't have them. And 2d8 is actually two steps above 2d6 rather than one. (2d6 is average 7, 2d8 is average 9.)


Charges, not Ammo
This is an interesting abstraction, but like... why? Just cause you don't want people to track individual arrows? How do you price a charge of ammo if it explicitly does not represent any real number? Why does a crossbow only require reloading after you've spent 5-20 bolts? Does it have a magazine like a gun? Seriously, how do you narrate that?

This also implies that anyone using a bow is shooting five arrows per round. In six seconds. If you've never fired a bow before, I suggest you try out physically pantomiming the act of pulling an arrow out of a quiver, notching it to a bowstring, pulling it back, taking aim and firing. Even if you have no actual target to aim at and are doing it as quickly as possible, I doubt you can do it in under 1.2 seconds.

I don't want to be the guy who goes "hurr durr unrealistic" but this is way out there. Not only is it absurd to assume that a first level character is physically capable of shooting arrows this way, but it's even more absurd to think that they would choose to do so, instead of preserving their arrows by actually taking proper aim and shooting one at a time.


Encumbrance
What's the smallest item that counts as an item? Am I encumbered if I carry 20 loose coins in my pocket? What about a pencil? Are clothing items? What if I wear a scarf? If I tape two swords together, do they become one item? If I have ten backpacks of, say, one cubic foot in size and I fill each to the brim with gold coins, could my 10 Strength character effectively carry ten cubic feet of gold, weighing in at over 3000 pounds?

I appreciate the idea behind it, but this rule seems to require far too much DM arbitration to be practically useful.


Disarm, Grapple and Shove
It's a good call separating these from Athletics, so rogues are no longer the supreme grapplers. It's kind of a shame though that the barbarian's Athletics bonus while raging no longer applies to it. I would consider letting the rage damage bonus also apply to the save DC for grappling and shoving.


Taunt and Threaten
These are great. I'm probably gonna steal em.


The number of creatures affected by an area of effect is random. Any area that covers a 30 ft circle hits everything in the zone. Areas larger than that may cover or hit multiple zones by the DM’s discretion.
Circle, Cylinder or Sphere: 1d2 + Radius / 5.
Cone: 1d2 + Size / 10.
Cube or Square: 1d2 + Size / 5.
Line: 1d2 + Length / 30.
I'm missing something here. Are the calculations for the amount of creatures affected? Do you only use those for areas that don't cover the entire zone, or are you saying that it hits that amount of creatures even if other creatures are theoretically within the area?


Armour table
These are great, except:
- Medium II is way less expensive than Medium I. That must be a mistake.
- Medium II doesn't have a Dex cap. That has to be a mistake, given that it would allow an AC of 20.
- Why does Heavy II not impose disadvantage on Stealth?
- Is there any reason you removed the Strength requirement on heavy armour?

DiBastet
2018-05-11, 09:55 AM
How does this actually work for great swords and great axes?
2d6 becomes 2d8. I don't care the average is 1 point higher.



but like... why?
We simply don't like the idea of tracking individual ammo, but also implying that a single attack is a single shot. We just don't like how that sounds. I don't care how you (as in "you the person that is playing at my games") see it in your mind or what kind of RL situation you picture, it's not only just a mechanical benefit for us but also a quality of life one (just track a full quiver of ammo instead of each shot). I'm not usually in the business of feeling like I have to ground my fantasy rules in reality, but if one can roleplay and so expect that it's possible in the game universe that someone with crossbow expert can fire a crossbow multiple times (up to 8, depending on the marksman) within 6 seconds, because of reasons (which are mostly: because the game isn't trying to be realistic and are rather mechanical, being "the player who chooses a crossbow has to have a way to not stay behind") then I'm not afraid of removing the feat tax roleplaying restriction and just roleplaying as your character shooting and reloading whenever he can, and when he finally spends a charge then he has to fumble with a new crossbow case. It really makes no difference in our games.



What's the smallest item that counts as an item? Am I encumbered if I carry 20 loose coins in my pocket? What about a pencil? Are clothing items? What if I wear a scarf? If I tape two swords together, do they become one item? If I have ten backpacks of, say, one cubic foot in size and I fill each to the brim with gold coins, could my 10 Strength character effectively carry ten cubic feet of gold, weighing in at over 3000 pounds?

If it has some discernible weight or size, it should occupy space. Two swords tapped together seems like an actual perfect way of expanding the idea of "items within a container", which is in universe supposed to represent items somehow tightly packed together and that you're not keepin "at the ready" for use, and mechanically just means "an item you need a whole action to draw". Two swords tied together to the back just so you can carry more seems like a good idea one of my players could come up any of these days. But if you want to use either you'll have to intie them. You might have thought of that as reductio ad absurdum, but it's actually clever in a good way and not just smartass clever.

Now the backpacks are just stupid; anyone that even asks such a question already knows the answer to that. But from this reductio I already know why this rule might not fit your taste. And as an abstract rule it won't fit the taste of those that want very RAW, very strict, very listed rules. But they are very useful to me and act as a halfway between grognard hurr durr carry weight and complete handwave. There are some other games which go this route with items, and I think one of the best examples is shadow of the demon lord (which I believe is where I've taken this from). It works there. It works here. It might just not work for you.



These are great. I'm probably gonna steal em.
Stright out of Savage Worlds, so non-combat characters (which is a thing on SW but not really on D&D) can actually contribute very well on a fight. Also you can keep it a conteste Ability Check if you want. Just make it Persuasion or Intimidation vs Insight.



I'm missing something here. Are the calculations for the amount of creatures affected? Do you only use those for areas that don't cover the entire zone, or are you saying that it hits that amount of creatures even if other creatures are theoretically within the area?
There's nothing really new here, these rules first appeared on the dmg. You might have missed it because abstraction doesn't seem to be your cup of tea, but it's a rules for DMs that need some help arbitrating aoe in Theather of the Mind. It's also suspiciously very similar to how Savage Worlds (which assumes Theater of Mind) offers to handle areas. Instead of having an area spells just affect a certain number of creatures according to the table, with lots of "and the DM can increase or decrease this number", like if the area is tight packed. What my houserules expands on is adding 1d2, saying that restrained and somehow immobile creatures are also hit not counting against the random number of foes, that grappled is hit if the other grappled creature is hit. And making the friendly fire clear: If you roll more random targets than there are enemies you need to target some friendlies as well. These additions are meant to give us a bit more structure in ToM.



Armor
Typos! My GitP tables skills are rusty! :smallfrown: Thanks for pointing those out. As for the miminum STR that's just season to taste. Since we go narrative zones route the -10ft penalty wasn't worth keeping.

Lalliman
2018-05-12, 03:14 AM
Ammo
I mean, whatever floats your boat. I'm all for handwaving whatever is convenient, but I was mostly commenting on the fact that you explicitly define a charge of ammo to be at least 5 arrows, and that you're expected to empty it within 1 round about 25% of the time. I personally don't enforce the tracking of arrows to any degree, though my players tend to insist on doing it anyways :smallconfused:


And as an abstract rule it won't fit the taste of those that want very RAW, very strict, very listed rules.
I specifically do not like very strict rules, and I feel like that's exactly what this invites. Weight is easy to handwave, I've never had to count and calculate my entire inventory to know whether I was carrying more than I should. You'll pretty much know based on the two or three heaviest things. Meanwhile, this set-up does require you to count and keep track of all your things, which invited exactly the kind of shenanigans and stupid questions that I just posed. Mine were intentionally stupid, yes, but where do you draw the line?

Anyways, I'm definitely not saying you should stop using these rules based on my opinion of them. It's just that posting your homebrew here is generally considered an open invitation for criticism.


There's nothing really new here, these rules first appeared on the dmg. You might have missed it because abstraction doesn't seem to be your cup of tea, but it's a rules for DMs that need some help arbitrating aoe in Theather of the Mind. It's also suspiciously very similar to how Savage Worlds (which assumes Theater of Mind) offers to handle areas. Instead of having an area spells just affect a certain number of creatures according to the table, with lots of "and the DM can increase or decrease this number", like if the area is tight packed. What my houserules expands on is adding 1d2, saying that restrained and somehow immobile creatures are also hit not counting against the random number of foes, that grappled is hit if the other grappled creature is hit. And making the friendly fire clear: If you roll more random targets than there are enemies you need to target some friendlies as well. These additions are meant to give us a bit more structure in ToM.
I'm not criticising the idea of this rule at all, it seems useful. But I didn't understand how it works based on the description. The rule in your original post doesn't actually say that the numbers listed are the amount of affected creatures, so I needed confirmation of that. It also doesn't say whether you get to choose the targets, nor the various additional rules you just mentioned. It's just not spelled out clearly.

I can't find these rules in the DMG by the way. Any idea what the page number is?


Typos! My GitP tables skills are rusty! :smallfrown: Thanks for pointing those out. As for the miminum STR that's just season to taste. Since we go narrative zones route the -10ft penalty wasn't worth keeping.
Welp, GitP tables are hard. It's true that the -10 speed is unlikely to do anything, but I figure it's worthwhile to keep something equivalent in the game in order to restrict Dex characters from using heavy armour. Letting Dex characters wear heavy armour removes one of the few advantages that Str characters have.