Help me build… the “Avatar” of 3e house rules

[Quertus]

What’s the strongest (yet most representative) character we can build, if everyone’s house rules are fair game?

Rules:
Playground standard “no infinite, no arbitrary”.
This isn’t just RAW: anything that has been posted as someone’s house rules (or someone’s rules interpretation, whether you agree with it or not) is fair game.


So, for example, I’ve posted about a group that didn’t understand that you paid for metamagics - yup, every metamagic a character took as a feat was applied to all spells for free (effectively +0 spell level cost). So we could give that to this character.

Or there’s groups that allow you to apply any metamagic you have repeatedly. So, twice-extended, thrice-widened? Yeah, that’s a thing.

What we couldn’t do would be to combine both of those, because that would break the “no infinite, no arbitrary” rule.

However, “you can apply each metamagic repeatedly, up to a number of times equal to your caster level” would be fair game to couple with “all metamagic is free”.

So, what rules can we cobble together from things played at actual tables? Tristalt, Prestige classes allowed on all sides, duel progression classes allowed, race only takes one side, pathfinder “race costs # levels = CR”? The most generous ruling on Reserves of Strength? Max HP at each level? Any wealth you spend on consumables comes back? Stat roll methods that can give you 40s or 50s? 3.0 Haste? 3.0 Solar infinite progression of iterative attacks (not actually infinite, just a 5th attack at BAB 21, 6th at BAB 26, etc)?

What other house rules can we give this monstrosity, to build the ultimate “Avatar of house rules”?

[Jervis]

I once knew a guy who played up to level 90 in a game that didn’t use BAB. That table also ignored bonus stacking rules so every spell stacked with itself. Those seem appropriately chimeraesqu. Likewise I played in a game ran by that guy where rolling a nat 1 when casting a spell summoned a demon.

[lylsyly]

Have our house rules to play with


ALLOWED SOURCES All First Party and Dragon Magazine 3.5 era Issues (minus all forgotten realms and ebberon content).
ALL GAMES ARE GESTALT
Races and Templates: All races in allowed sources are available. Any CON reductions from races or templates is simply removed. LA+3 is free so use it up ;-) The Half Minotaur is +1 or +3 if you take the large size adjustments. Undead Templates of any kind are not available.
Ability Score Generation: Everyone rolls 8+1d4+1d6 8 times and retains the best six. Round any odd scores up and assign as you wish
Ability Score Adjustments:
4th Level: +2 to any ONE ability score
8th Level: +2 to any TWO different ability scores
12th Level: +2 to any THREE different ability scores
16th Level: +2 to any FOUR different ability scores
20th Level: +2 to any FIVEdifferent ability scores
Ability Scores and Casters:


Spontaneous Casters: High Inherent Ability Scores add to BOTH spells per day AND to spells known.
Magic Items that add to your casting stat DO NOT grant you additional spells per day. Only raising your Inherent Ability Score may do so. They still add to ability score checks, skill checks, saving throws and caster level checks.

Class Levels: May only Prc on one side, the other side must remain one (and only one) class. Any 1st Party Base Classes plus Mystic Ranger, Totem Druid, from Dragmag are available. Prestige Classes from any source are available. ACFs from any source are available. Variant classes from UA are available. NO Planar Shepherd/Incantatrix!!!
Hit Dice: Max +CON for the 1st three levels. Average +CON beginning at 4th level.
Hit Points: If you are reduced to zero hit points you DIE!!!
Skill Points: Each Class gets +2 Skill Points.
Skills: There is no such thing as Class Skills. Buy ranks in whatever you want.
Bundled Skills:
Perception = Listen and Spot
Stealth = Hide and Move Silently
Athletics = Climb, Jump, and Swim
Acrobatics = Balance and Tumble and Escape Artist
Disable Device = Disable Device and Open Locks
Knowledge: History = Knowledge: History and Knowledge: Nobility and Royalty
Feats: Everyone gets a Bonus Feat at 1st level. This replaces any Racial Bonus Feats!!!Feats at every odd level ala Pathfinder. The only Metamagic feats available for either arcane or divine are the Sudden line AND they are usable 3/day!!! DIvine feats that burn Turn attempts are NOT metamagic! Two Flaws and one trait allowed and I don’t care what they are. The Sudden Quicken Feat prereqs have been changed to any TWO other Sudden Metamagic feats. Sorcerers get Bonus feats the same as Wizards ala 3.0.
Arcane casting and Armor: An arcane caster who gets casting arcane spells in armor from any class can also cast spells from other arcane classes they have.
Critical Hits: The feat Improved Critical: (Insert Weapon) and the Keen Weapon Property DO stack. There is no Confirm Critical die roll. If you roll a Crit, it's a crit, simple.
Alignment: Players may NOT play an evil alignment or any race/class/prc that requires an evil alignment.
If you are playing a Cleric then your alignment MUST match that of your deity.
Wealth: Expect double Wealth by Level.
Favored Class: Just NO!!!
Barbarians: Who want to use Spirit Totems at 2nd level must use the same Totem at 1st level.

[Socksy]

There are many groups who don't realise that LA is as well as, rather than instead of, Hit Dice. Make them an Illithid or something.

EDIT: Using the LA adjustment thread, of course.

[Quertus]

Only count LA, not HD? Free +X LA? Yeah, those sound fun to combine! :smallbiggrin:

Spells stack with themselves (and any other source of bonuses (or penalties?) all stack as well)? Loads of fun.

No con reduction from templates, more ability score bonuses (reminiscent of Vow of Poverty)? Could be handy.

Add ability score bonuses to spells known for spontaneous casters? Nice.

No such thing as class skills, all classes get +2 skill points, skills get merged? Handy.

I think we can get “max HP” for all levels.

Improved crit and keen stack, and crits auto-confirm? I’m sure we can do some nice things with that.

I don’t know what to do with “didn’t use BAB” though - what does that even mean? :smallconfused:

[Jervis]

I don’t know what to do with “didn’t use BAB” though - what does that even mean? :smallconfused:

As in, in that game, base attack bonus wasn’t used. level 20 Fighters had the same bonus to attacks as a level 1 wizard with the same stats, items, feats, etc. Full attack didn’t exist. Power attack had no cap to the penalty you could take. Etc. The way he talked about it made my brain hurt but he got from level 1 to 90 so I guess things worked out. Also didn’t use CR so take that as you will.

[QuadraticGish]

A houserule we had until we realized it was bad news for PCs was no crit confirmations were necessary.

[Quertus]

Only count LA, not HD? Free +X LA? Yeah, those sound fun to combine! :smallbiggrin:


So, what rules can we cobble together from things played at actual tables? Tristalt, Prestige classes allowed on all sides, duel progression classes allowed, race only takes one side, pathfinder “race costs # levels = CR”?

I think I’ve been suboptimal.

So, pathfinder “total cost is CR”, combined with “only pay LA”, on a big pile of HD, means a huge negative LA. Put that on all three sides of a Tristalt, and you’ve got lots of free levels to spend (with the right house rule / ruling about how negative LA works).

With free metamagics per caster level, bonus spells known by casting stat, and high stats, at least one side of the Tristalt should probably be a spontaneous caster - Sorcerer, or generic Arcane Spellcaster from UA, unless there’s something better.

We’ll have to work out what big pile of HD works best for this - was Assassin Vine the one with the most absurd (or nonexistent) HD cap?

[Jervis]

With free metamagics per caster level, bonus spells known by casting stat, and high stats, at least one side of the Tristalt should probably be a spontaneous caster - Sorcerer, or generic Arcane Spellcaster from UA, unless there’s something better.



A lot of people allow pathfinder classes. Use Arcanist, they have spells known that they can change out daily.

[lylsyly]

Only count LA, not HD? Free +X LA? Yeah, those sound fun to combine! :smallbiggrin:
No con reduction from templates, more ability score bonuses (reminiscent of Vow of Poverty)? Could be handy.
Add ability score bonuses to spells known for spontaneous casters? Nice.
No such thing as class skills, all classes get +2 skill points, skills get merged? Handy.

LOL, I only said the LA was free, if you pick up RHD your ECL will go up thus slowing down your XP ;-)


A houserule we had until we realized it was bad news for PCs was no crit confirmations were necessary.

Kind of fits our play style. We usually run fast paced games with as little die rolling as possible. Play against lower level mooks but enoughnof them to not quite break action economy. Reach 0 hit point you DIE! Roll up a different character including a different race and can't use any of the same classes. jump right back into the game ;-)

[Quertus]

LOL, I only said the LA was free, if you pick up RHD your ECL will go up thus slowing down your XP ;-)

Sure. That “house rule” was from here:


There are many groups who don't realise that LA is as well as, rather than instead of, Hit Dice. Make them an Illithid or something.

EDIT: Using the LA adjustment thread, of course.

As well as from tables I’ve played at, tbf. Although, there, it was just one player’s ignorance, not an “official” house rule. And from long before the Playground LA adjustment threads existed.