House Rules - TSL

Introduction

©2001-2004 v.3 - HTML 4th Edition
by Guardian

This book gives house rules, interpretations, and clarifications for games that I run. These rules don't mean that your interpretations are wrong. This is only my interpretation, and I will use these when I'm running a game. I ask that you keep the following in mind:

1. We're still learning the ins and outs of the 3.5 rules.
2. So far, none of these House Rules contradict official rules. If you find one that does, let me know.
3. If I make a House Rule that does contradict an official rule, the text will note which rule(s) it contradicts.
4. These House Rules take into account published errata found on the WOTC website.
5. Fairness Doctrine: The PCs can do anything the NPCs can do, and vice-versa.
6. All things being equal, defenses always work to the defender's advantage.
7. If there is a contradiction in the rules, here is the order of precedence: Houserules from this site, published errata and corrections from the WOTC site, the 3.5 SRD, the original source (printed text), secondary source (tables, charts, etc.), Sage advice columns, tertiary source (supplement books).

Players's Handbook Notes

Okay, a few notes about the Player's Handbook 3.0:

1. Download the errata from the WotC Website.
2. Go through the errata.
3. Check out the Attacks of Opportunity explanation at Eric Noah's AOO Site. The explanation in the PHB sucks.

Dungeon Master's Guide Notes

Here are some notes regarding rules in the Dungeon Master's Guide 3.0:

1. Download the errata from the WotC Website.
2. Go through the errata.
3. We're trying out the variant rule for summoning individual monsters (DMG pg 96).

Other Sourcebooks

I keep track of the sourcebooks in use under the Character Creation Rules. To help out with some questions from these extra sourcebooks, here's a mini-FAQ:

Can I take a level in xxxx Prestige Class (PrC)?

Let me take a look at it. I may impose some additional restrictions on some PrCs.

Do I get access to all these extra spells in this book?

No. You do not automatically get access to those nifty new spells. Some of them are available for research. Others are available to NPCs (and you may be able to take/buy it from them). I will, of course, tell you if it's even possible to research a given spell.

Why are you nerfing my PrC?

Because I see some serious problems cropping up in the game. I will always talk to you about the changes before they go into effect. I will also give you the option to trade out your levels in the Prestige Class with something else if it doesn't work out.

Game Mechanics Changes

Selling Magic Items

I noticed a problem when PCs sell looted magic items at full price - around 8-10th level, PCs have as much gold as a 12th-level or higher character. This creates a bit of a problem. I find myself, as DM, reducing the magic items on the bad guys to keep the treasure under control. This isn't good.

As a test, I'm doing the following:

• The general resale value of looted magic items is reduced to half, modified by a given PC's contacts and bargaining skills.
• You can now buy magic items at a lower cost (again, based on contacts and bargaining). However, "pawn shop" items now have a chance of additional effects, quirks, and curses. For example: The item is stolen and the original owner wants it back, the item occasionally fails to operate (cumulative 5% chance per use, resets after failure), not all of the item's abilites were known (instead of a keen adamantine longsword +2, it's actually a chaotic keen adamantine longsword +2), or some of its abilities were misidentified (instead of a dagger +2 with detect magic 2/day, it's a dagger +2 with detect evil 2/day). The difference is, if you pay full price, you're getting what you ordered. If you bargain shop, you may get a good deal, or you may get a surprise.
• If you make a magic item, you still get full market price, plus whatever benefits you get from contacts or bargaining skills.
• All of this allows me to put more magic items on the creatures you fight. That means more treasure.
• It also means that those social skills (Diplomacy, Bluff, etc.) are more useful.

So, we're going to test this out for a couple of adventures. Then we'll look it over again.

Class Changes and Clarifications

Spellcasters

Dispelling Your Own Spell. A member of any spellcasting class can automatically Dispel his or her own spell using any of the various counterspell-type magics: Dispel Magic, Greater Dispelling, Disjunction, etc.

Bards

Well, bards in 3.0 are crippled. They have to spend the majority of their skill points on Perform just to use class abilities. So, we're going to use the 3.5 edition Bard.

Clerics

Waaay back in 2nd Edition, I created customized clerics for each of the gods in my campaign world, most notably for Accuris, Avaryan, Bael, and Set. I've continued these classes over into 3rd Edition, with only minor changes so they work with the new rules set.

However, as I've gotten more familiar with the rules, I like the idea of creating prestige classes to replace the specialty priests. So, at some point in the near future, I'm going to start introducing these prestige classes.

Prestige Classes

The following list of prestige classes are definitely available, if your character qualifies for it. If you want to try a prestige class that isn't on this list, talk to me. The abbreviations are: DMG = Dungeon Master's Guide, DoF = Defenders of the Faith, SaF = Sword and Fist, TaB = Tome and Blood, Web = This Web Site.

Shadow Dancer

Shadow Jump: The Shadow Jump ability presents a few challenges. For game mechanics purposes, I'm using the light table on page 144 of the PHB to determine what distance usable shadows appear. Low light vision doubles this distance. For example: A human Shadow Dancer (4th level) can Shadow Jump into or out of any shadows within 5' of a candle, the 60' cone of a bullseye lantern, or 60' of the Daylight spell. If he has low light vision (from a spell, for example), those ranges are doubled. The basic concept here is that the ShadowDancer has to see the shadow to use it.

Assuming visibility is nighttime with a clear sky and half moon or better, moonlight and starlight provide visibility up to 5', shadows at 10'.

Combat Changes and Clarifications

Attacks of Opportunity. Refer to Eric Noah's website for good examples of Attacks of Opportunity. Comes with pictures for easier use.

Death. See Negative Hit Points below.

Death Due To Massive Damage. We're not using this rule.

Negative Hit Points. Under normal circumstances, death occurs at -10 hit points. We're going to use a variant on that. Death occurs at your level + Con bonus negative hit points, or -10, which ever is greater.

Feat Changes and Clarifications

The following changes or clarifications are made to specific feats:

Cleave

Any attack that renders your opponent helpless and unable to make a to hit roll is considered "dropping" an opponent. This usually means reducing your opponent below 0 hit points (certain abilities allow creatures to function past 0 hit points), rendering them unconscious, asleep, paralyzed, or otherwise unable to make a to hit roll. If your opponent can still make a to hit roll with a held or natural weapon, then you can't Cleave from him or her.

You can use Cleave in combination with Whirlwind Attack.

You can use Cleave in combination with an Attack of Opportunity.

You CANNOT Cleave an opponent that you are unaware of. For example, if an invisible rogue is sneaking up on you, and you drop the cleric next to him, you can't Cleave the rogue unless you know he is there.

You CANNOT Cleave the individual creatures that make up a swarm. A swarm is considered one creature for this purpose.

Great Cleave

See also Cleave.

No, you can't dump a bag full of mice on the ground, Great Cleave through any or all of them, and still hit the orc you're fighting. For one thing, the bag full of mice would normally be considered a swarm -- if it was attacking you (in most cases, it won't). It would only count as one creature. You'd have to drop the swarm before you could Cleave or Great Cleave. For a second thing, trying to work the system so that you can regularly get more than 8 attacks a round will quickly irritate the DM. Don't Do It. Re-read What I Expect From Players and Playing Nice with Others again. I have no problem with your 18th level fighter with a greatsword Cleaving/Great Cleaving and slaughtering the 15 or 20 mooks that have surrounded him. That's what mooks are for; and that's what being high enough level to Great Cleave entitles you to do. Be creative, but don't abuse it.

Leadership

Leadership guarantees followers' and a cohort's loyalties. These are separate from NPCs you meet and whose loyalty you gain through role-playing or your character's actions. For example: Janelle the Brave rescues Kirzon from slavers. Kirzon joins Janelle on further adventures, and decides to stay with her (Janelle pays well, keeps him out of trouble, and they get along pretty good). Janelle's player can choose to keep Kirzon (the NPC) as an in-game associate of her character (a "contact"), or she can take the Leadership feat and make Kirzon a follower. Keeping Kirzon as a contact means his loyalty is more dependent on role-playing. Making Kirzon a follower guarantees a base loyalty, and counts against the maximum number of followers Janelle can have.

In other words...

Leadership:

• Doesn't involve as much role-playing
• Guarantees a certain level of loyalty (because the NPC sought your character out)
• Has a limit on the number of followers and the size of your cohort
• Is a rule mechanic

Contacts:

• Involves role-playing
• Are earned by your character's actions
• Have loyalty that fluctuates more than a follower's
• Don't have a limit on their number
• Is a role-playing aspect of the game

Generally, if you've earned the complete loyalty of an NPC in-game, keep him as a contact so it doesn't count against your followers or cohort.

Spring Attack:

Haste does not allow you to make a full round attack in the middle of your movement action. You CAN move, make one attack, move as your full round action, then attack again as your bonus partial action from the Haste. See also Haste.

Two-Weapon Fighting

If you have a weapon in each hand, you must make a decision at the start of your initiative if you are going to use the extra attack offered by this feat. If you choose to use that extra attack, you apply the listed penalties. Those penalties apply to all of your attacks until your next initiative, even if you drop one of the weapons.

If you have a weapon in each hand, you may make any of your attacks with either weapon. The off-hand weapon takes the off-hand penalty to hit and damage. The off-hand weapon takes the penalty to hit even if you are not using the extra attack offered by the Two-Weapon Fighting feat. It is your off-hand. You take a penalty for using your off-hand.

If you have a weapon in each hand, you can make Attacks of Opportunity with either weapon whether you use the extra attack offered by this feat. If you attack with your off-hand, you take the off-hand to hit and damage penalty.

New Feats

Here are some new feats for my campaign:

Tap Ley Line

[Metamagic]

You can tap ley lines for additional magical energy to power your spells.

Prerequisites: Arcane spell casting ability, Knowledge Arcana 8, Spellcraft 8

Benefit: You can tap a ley line and use its magic in place of a memorized spell. You must be within 1 mile/caster level of a ley line to tap it. To tap the ley line, you must make a Spellcraft check (DC: 10 + (spell level x 2)). If successful, you draw an amount of energy from the ley line equal to the spell's level to cast it, rather than using the memorized or available (for sorcerers) spell. You can use this feat in combination with any other applicable feats, such as Quicken, by using the adjusted spell level for determining the spellcraft skill check DC and the amount of energy drawn from the ley line. If the skill check fails, you must make a Will save (DC: 10 + (spell level x 2)) or cause a line surge, with potentially harmful results. You can use this feat a maximum of Con modifier +1 times per day.

Note that tapping a ley line reduces the amount of power "downstream" from the point you tapped it.

Special: Tapping a ley line is a free action. This feat works with other similar abilities, such as the Tap Node feat.

Tap Node

[Metamagic]

You can tap magical nodes for additional magical energy to power your spells.

Prerequisites: Tap Ley Line

Benefit: You can tap a node and use its magic in place of a memorized spell. You must be within 1 mile/caster level of a node to tap it. To tap the node, you must make a Spellcraft check (DC: 10 + (spell level x 2)). If successful, you draw an amount of energy from the node equal to the spell's level to cast it, rather than using the memorized or available (for sorcerers) spell. You can use this feat in combination with any other applicable feats, such as Quicken, by using the adjusted spell level for determining the spellcraft skill check DC and the amount of energy drawn from the node. If the skill check fails, you must make a Will save (DC: 10 + (spell level x 2)) or cause the node to surge, with potentially harmful results. You can use this feat a maximum of Con modifier +1 times per day.

Special: Tapping a node is a free action. This feat works with other similar abilities, such as the Tap Ley Line feat.

Magic Items

I'm testing out some changes to the way magic items are made:

Creating New Magic Items

I'm using the full set of rules from the DMG and T&B. The guidelines for submitting a new magic item are basically the same as for researching a spell (give me a copy in DMG format, I'll review it and return notes, you respond to the notes, and so on).

The same Do's and Dont's also apply (don't give me your only copy, maximum of 3 items submitted at one time, and so forth).

XP Cost

Two or more characters (at least one of whom provides the magic to make the item) working together to create a magic item can split the xp cost between them. In cases where they cannot divide the xp cost evenly, the highest level character takes the extra xp cost. Please note that during item creation, your character is generally unavailable for other activities.

Formerly, it was two or more spellcasters working together. I've expanded it to include any number of characters of any classes. Reason: At higher levels, PCs have to commission or make their own gear. This puts a huge strain on the xp of spellcasters.

Scrolls

Some information about scrolls in the DMG preview in the back of the PHB didn't make it into the DMG. It's rather important.

Under Activate the Spell (PHB, very back, pg 11): "Scrolls are spell completion activation items, and using a spell on a scroll takes the same time as casting the spell would take."

Spell Trigger Items

The text in the DMG is unclear about whether you can use a spell trigger item, such as a wand, if the spell is not in your spell list. For example: If you are a sorcerer, and do not have spell xyz in your spell list, can you use a wand with the Arcane spell xyz?

For my campaigns, if you have Arcane spells in your spell list, you can use Arcane spell trigger items (such as wands). If you have Divine spells in your spell list, you can use Divine spell trigger items. Yes, this means that you can get a wand that throws spells not normally on your list.

Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location:

These items are created by an 8th level caster. Therefore, the Nondetection effect has a DC of 23.

Bead of Force:

The text in the DMG leaves a few things up in the air, so here are some clarifications for my game. A bead of force creates a 10' radius sphere of force from it's point of impact. If you make your save, you are moved to the nearest unoccupied square at the edge of the sphere (you dived to safety). If you fail your save, you end up inside the sphere. The bead can only encapsulate a creature that can fit inside the sphere. In other words, a bead of force can't imprison an ancient Red Dragon - it's simply too big, and the bead automatically failes to imprison it. By the same token, if there is no possible way to escape the sphere, you're caught: An orc in a 10'x10'x10' room gets no save - there's nowhere for him to run. A pixie (size: Tiny) in a 10'x10'x10' room still gets a save - he can fit in the unencapsulated corners of the room.

Crystal Ball

See the Scrying spell for some notes.

Spell Changes and Clarifications

The following changes affect 3rd Edition spells:

Researching New Spells

Mechanics-wise, researching spells is as described in the DMG, and Tome and Blood. To help speed things along, we'll do it this way:

1. Submit a copy of the spell in Player's Handbook format to your DM.
2. The DM reviews the spell, makes changes or notes, and returns it to you for you to look over.
3. Repeat 1 and 2 until either the DM approves your spell (go to step 4), or it gets laid to rest as unworkable (and we stop here).
4. When the DM approves your spell:
   1. Calculate the cost and time to research the spell (as given in the DMG and Tome and Blood).
   2. Email the DM a final copy. Make sure you include the research cost and time.
   3. Set aside game-time for your character to actually conduct the research. This way, the DM can mark it on his calendar, and all you have to do is deduct gold and make a few die rolls.
   4. If you succeed on the research, presto, you've got a new spell.

Do's and Don'ts:

The Brian Rule: You can only have 3 spells submitted to the DM at one time. A spell is considered submitted if the DM has a copy and the spell hasn't been successfully researched or laid to rest.

DO NOT give the DM your only copy of the spell. Accidents happen, and if the DM loses the only copy, it's gone.

DO NOT get upset if an NPC or PC has a spell that looks like yours. A lot of new and original spells have been created for the Avamor campaign world over the years. Some, but not all, are listed on this website. The DM also draws on other online sources for new spells to keep you on your toes. Your character may well have researched a spell that someone else already created, or one like it.

DO list the source(s) for your spell. If you got the idea from a book, saw the spell in the Great Net Book of Spells, or read about one like it on another website, credit that source! Your DM will become very, very irate if you don't.

DO remember that it's your responsibility to write up the spell and make changes to it. The DM is way too busy to do this for you.

DO NOT get bent out of shape if the DM has to alter the spell after approving it. Mistakes happen, and even the DM may forget a rule or miss an aspect that causes problems. If the revision(s) make the spell unacceptable, it gets laid to rest, and your character gets back any money, xp, or other costs for researching the spell.

Specific Spell Clarifications/Changes

Haste
These examples assume that your movement is 30'. Haste, in combination with the Spring Attack feat, does not allow you to move AND take a full attack action. In other words, if you get 3 attacks on a full attack action, are Hasted, have Spring Attack, and have a movement of 30', you cannot move 15', make 3 attacks, then move 15' more as a Spring Attack.

Per the Spring Attack feat description, you can move 15', make ONE attack, then move 15' as your full round action, then make ONE MORE attack as your bonus partial action from the Haste. See also Spring Attack.

You can also make a move-equivalent action to move 30', as the bonus partial action from Haste, then make a full-round action as normal.

Scrying

If the subject of your scrying uses Dimension Door, Teleport, Teleport without Error or similar magic, the subject escapes the scrying. You may attempt to scry upon the subject again.

Well, gameplay has shown scrying is far too easy, even when someone has an Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location. I'm doubling the Scry DCs listed in the PHB (247).

Shadow Walk

To determine what shadows are suitable for use in a Shadow Walk spell, use the table on page 144 of the PHB for light sources. Low light vision doubles the range at which these light sources generate usable shadows. See also the Shadow Jump ability of the Shadow Dancer.

This ruling is open to review.

Summoning Spells

You have the option of using the summon specific creature variant rule on page 96 of the DMG. It's your responsibility to keep track of your creature, however.

Symbol

This spell's school is listed as "Universal [see text]". The official errata doesn't clarify it any further. Some of the symbols have fairly obvious subschools. So to make things official:

Death: [Death]

Teleport

Teleporting breaks scrying. If a character is scrying on a particular subject, and that subject uses Dimension Door, Teleport, Teleport without Error, or similar transportation magic, the scrying is broken. You can attempt to re-scry on the same subject.

Teleporting breaks spellcasting. If you teleport (Dimension Door, Teleport without Error, or similar transport magic) during spellcasting, the spellcasting is ruined. This includes spells cast from scrolls. Example: Beun is casting Earthquake from a scroll (1 round casting time). In the middle of casting, Willuhm casts Teleport and includes Beun. The Earthquake is now ruined, and the spell is gone from the scroll.

In high-magic worlds, such as Avamor, teleportation magics are well-known. Wards and defenses against teleportation are also pretty well-known. This means that most major cities and castles have methods for preventing teleportation into and out of their walls. You have been warned.

Teleporting an unconscious being: Preliminary ruling - An unconscious being does not get a save against a teleport-type magic. This ruling is open to comments.

Teleport without Error

See Teleport.

Web

If you are caught on the edge of a Web spell, and move out of the Web area of effect, you are still under the Web movement restrictions for your first movement action, or move-equivalent action as far as distance traveled goes. For example, if you are taking a double-move, your first move is under the Web spell movement restrictions. Your second move is normal (as long as you don't enter another Webbed square.

If you make your save and attempt to attack someone, your target gets the listed cover from the Web spell.

Template Clarifications

The following clarifications apply to templates

Lycanthrope: In the Avamor campaign, the contagious form of lycanthropy is treated as a magical disease. If a creature with the contagious form of lycanthropy dies and is brought back (by resurrection, raise dead, or similar magics), the disease is cured in the process and the creature loses the lycanthrope template.

Copyright information

This document makes repeated references to and contains material derived from various publications of Wizards of the Coast (WotC) These references and derivations include, but are not limited to, The Players' Handbook and The Dungeon Master's Guide. WotC retains full rights to these referenced publications. Additionally, certain sections been excerpted from these works, some with alterations, others without, for purposes of editing, clarity and completeness.

All other material, unless otherwise noted, is copyright 1999-2002 by Guardian, all rights reserved. Permission is given for personal use only. This material may not be distributed without my express permission. If you want a link to this webpage, please contact Guardian (remember to remove the NOSPAM). Link exchanges are actively encouraged!

Copyright 2001-2004 by Guardian (cmuel59749@aolNOSPAM.com).