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SaMoCon
Senior Scribe
USA
403 Posts |
 Posted - 15 Dec 2014 : 02:30:52
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Dungeons and Dragons is a game of homebrew rules - every table has played with variations of the rules ever since the first box sets were circulating school and college campuses. For the core rules, there are plenty of websites already discussing their favorite rules. What rules have you come up with specific for playing in the Forgotten Realms.
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I run a 3rd Ed FRCS game where I completely changed the rules for languages by removing racial languages: no Common, no Elven, no Dwarven, no Orkish, no Giant, no Goblin. The peoples of Faerun were fractured, divided, fratricidal, and reclusive for millenia with plenty of forgotten and lost lore. Only one race kept a common language because it was a touchstone of their identity throughout long centuries of slavery and oppression. Every character was granted 2 or 3 free ranks in Speak Language which means they may start with 1 to 3 languages in which they are fluent unless the character is seriously lacking in the Int department (7 or less). The languages may be chosen from the FRCS languages of their character's home region.
What did you come up with for your games?
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Make the best use of the system that's there, then modify the mechanics that don't allow you to have the fun you are looking for. |
Edited by - SaMoCon on 15 Dec 2014 09:12:12
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Gary Dallison
Great Reader
United Kingdom
6353 Posts |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 15 Dec 2014 : 13:25:17
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I have a lot of religious/planer/magical background stuff that I use (which I have discussed numerous times elsewhere), but its really just 'background flavor', so that I know whats happening 'behind the scenes', and whats really being affected.
For instance, I use 'the Trinity' - Body, Mind (spirit), and Soul. I then tie them to the Prime, Ethereal, and Astral planes (thus every living person is simultaneously existing in three separate planes). When you take any one (or two) of those away from a person, you wind-up with a type of undead. The soul is tied to your reflection and the Ethereal Plane, thus vampires don't have reflections (they have no souls). Your 'spirit' (Mind, which also = 'Will') is tied to your shadow. A person who has their shadow taken away becomes a type of ju-ju zombie. Its actually much more complicated then that, but thats the gist of it.
So I don't change specific rules so much, but I do add extra layers in for 'flavor'. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 15 Dec 2014 13:26:03 |
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hashimashadoo
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1150 Posts |
Posted - 15 Dec 2014 : 16:00:14
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As someone who is almost always the games DM, my notes for the game I'm running are expansive enough without homebrew rules.
The only thing I end up doing with frequency is upping the caster level of spell effects created by found magic items in line with the minimum caster level required to create them. No more CL 1st wands of magic missile because you are required to be CL 5th before you're capable of creating wands. Or potions of Cure Moderate Wounds that only heal 2d8+1 hit points because characters capable of casting that spell have to be at least level 3. The only exception is when I allow players to use the Artificer class from the Eberron setting. They can craft items at 2 levels beneath the minimum CL, though they still have to have the prerequisite item creation feat level.
I like the way 5th edition handles this - to create a magic item, you must first find its specific formula. The item doesn't change in regard to your power level, it works exactly the way the formula says it does. |
When life turns it's back on you...sneak attack for extra damage.
Head admin of the FR wiki:
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/ |
Edited by - hashimashadoo on 15 Dec 2014 16:03:19 |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4429 Posts |
Posted - 19 Dec 2014 : 21:23:45
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When we're not playing 4th Edition in the Realms, we've often turned to v3.5 because it's the system our group knows the best (second running is Pathfinder) but the system has all sorts of bugs that I've really started to notice after 4E and now D&D:Next. So when we use v3.5 I push for using the E6 variant because I just find the sort of simplicity better overall as a player and DM. There's still TONS of ways to customize your character, even after 6 levels have been reached, and it still has that Realms feel.
But E6 doesn't fix all the problems I still have with the system. It does't scale cantrips/orisons. It doesn't do certain feats justice. Stuff like that. SO what I did was put together an amalgamation of variant v3.5 rules to the E6 model with some D&D:Next trappings and a tiny sprinkle of 4E-isms (which, come to think of it, is just more D&D:Next trappings).
Here it is:
• BAB—IF your BAB is high enough to allow multiple attacks or if you've obtained a feat, item, or under a spell that allows multiple attacks using the full-attack action, you can do so with a standard action. This completely replaces the Full-Attack action.
• HD healing—You can utilize your HD to replenish hit points. To do this, you must not be in combat, have a healing kit, and have at least 5 minutes of rest or light activity. When you spend HD in this manner, make a Heal check (or someone in the party who administers the healing kit makes a Heal check). DC 10 allows you to spend 1 HD (roll your hit die) to regain hit points. If the check meets or exceeds DC 15, add your Constitution modifier to the check. If the check meets or exceeds DC 20, maximize the hit points gained + your Constitution modifier. When you spend HD, this reduces your overall HD and can make you susceptible to magical effects limited by Hit Die. You regain all your HD with a 8-hrs of uninterrupted rest.
• Weapon Groups—Instead of using specific weapons for effects like feats and special features, you can instead use Weapon Groups as designed in Unearthed Arcana.
• Armor—Uses the Armor as Damage Reduction variant.
• One-handed Weapons—When using a one-handed weapon in two-hands, increase the damage die by 1 (1d6 < 1d8; 1d8 < 1d10; 1d10 < 1d12; 1d12 < 2d8; etc). This removes a good portion of Exotic Weapons from the list. You still add 1.5 of your Strength modifier to damage rolls.
• Concentration on zone-based effects—whenever a spellcaster has two non-personal, non-summoned spell effects active, they must concentrate on that spell for its duration (a free action). This requires a DC 15 Concentration check per active spell. Each like-spell cast increases the DC of the Concentration check by +2. So, for example, a Druid of 6th level casts entangle on the 1st turn of combat. On the next turn, the druid casts Call Lightning. After casting the spell the druid immediately makes a DC 15 Concentration check. IF the check succeeds, the spells function normally for a round. If the check fails, the caster decides which spell will end at the end of the turn. If a 3rd like spell is cast, the Concentration check increase to DC 17.
• Classes: A number of class features have been changed with that of Pathfinder to make a more balanced game overall.
- Fighter: Use Pathfinder's Version for this class
- Paladin: Use Pathfinder’s Version for this class.
- Sorcerer: Use Pathfinder’s Version for this class.
• Hit Points: To make Critical attacks more effective and scary for E6, use the Wounds and Vitality variant system found in Unearthed Arcana.
• Death and Dying: Use the 3-death saving throw system from D&D:Next. If you roll a 1 on the d20, suffer two death saving throws. If you roll a 20 on the d20, you regain 1 Wound point (and are no longer dying). Taking damage while your wounds are 0 you suffer a death saving throw failure. If the damage was a critical hit, you suffer two. If the damage done is more than your total wound points, you suffer an instant death.
• Use Pathfinder’s Combat Maneuver system, which has both Combat Maneuver Bonus and Combat Maneuver Defense.
• Every PC obtains a free Regional feat, found in the Player's Guide to Faerûn or Races of Faerûn.
• Feat changes that occur with new ruleset:
- Diehard: You do not suffer a -2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity checks when being wounded. In addition, you need to fail four death saving throws before dying.
- Greater Spell Penetration: You add a +10 bonus to any spell resistance check.
- Spell Penetration: When you roll a d20 to overcome spell resistance, roll 2d20s and take the better result.
- Toughness: You gain 3 Vitality points and 1 point towards your Wounds when you select this feat.
Right now it's still a work in progress, but I'm getting closer to completion. |
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Your Homebrew Rules for Forgotten Realms
