Quick Simple House Rules

Quick Simple House Rules / Adjustments

Active vs Passive Skill Checks: If the player asks to do something, that is an active roll, and done as normal. At any time, I can roll at a half chance check to determine if they notice or realize something that just jumps into their heads.

Roll vs Role Playing: Yes we use the dice to determine success, but how they do is more important then what they do. For example with trap finding: If a player tells me what they are going to do or how they are going to check, if it works in the scenario, I give them a bonus to the skill check roll. If a player tells me look for traps, without any detail or description, they just roll the dice.

Low Magic; My world is a low magic item world, every dweomered item essentially decays over weeks or months or years, so going into a dungeon or long-lost Tower, they might find info, scrolls and coins, but all the 'Real Magic' has long since faded back into the Ether. Only items found on an outer-plane or at last partially stuck in the Ether can avoid this, but then once on Nyssa, the decay starts to happen.

No penalty for changing characters: outside of a dungeon.  Go ahead, play what you want. Getting killed imposes a three level drop for starting a new character.

All players are proficient with a rapier. Lots of duels happen; this is the weapon of choice for Aristocrats or city folk. You can carry this weapon anywhere as most cities do not restrict these unlike most other weapons.

Firearms (non-advanced ones) are in theory available. They cannot be enchanted; ammunition can be, but is very rare for this to happen.

Spells or spell-like affects are not affected by critical or fumble rolls.

Sorcerers can switch spells freely; they do this between sessions by concentrating or studying, going on a retreat, or however we want to frame the game events for one week per spell level.

Clerics except for a few specific spells only need their holy symbol as the divine focus for their spells. All cleric spells need V, S & M regardless of what is stated in the rulebooks.

Teleport Spell (5th level) can only be done from one teleport pad to another. You must know the exact location of the second pad. If it is blocked (a simple cloth covering it) you cannot teleport through. It takes one hour to carve a temporary teleport pad which can be done on any substantial substance. The Greater Teleport (7th level) does not need a teleport pad to begin; but it always needs a teleport pad to go to.

A hoard of gold (especially coins) act as a blocker, which is one reasons why kings and dragons cannot be scryed
A hoard of silver (especially coins) acts as an enhancer to many spell & spell effects.


Possible Change

I'm also considering ditching the formal cleric class and allowing sorcerers to use either the wizard or cleric spell list. All the other cleric functions can be feats that they can choose.