RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to DnD 5e: The West Marches

18:37, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Rules.

Posted by The GMFor group 0
The GM
GM, 2 posts
THE
GM
Mon 22 Feb 2016
at 00:59
  • msg #1

Rules

1: Don't be an ass. This really should go without saying, but I have played with some unique people on this site. Simply put; don't be rude. Also, if something offends you, politely message the person who did so. Don't cause a big stink in the OOC about it. If I feel something might need GM intervention, I will chime in. Just please don't make me do so...

2: If your character does not know something, you cannot act like they do. Meta-gaming breaks the immersion for many players. Planning your actions in an OOC thread is perfectly fine, but mentioning the maximum damage the enemy can do and planning around it, is not. If your character does not know something, and you want them to, make a roll as per House Rule #1.

3: Always speak in a color. It's pretty annoying to read your post, when there is no distinction between when your character is speaking and when they are not. Your dialogue should be in a color, but actions should not. If your character is thinking something, but not doing it, use italics. If you don't put your dialogue in a color, I will do so for you in pink. Just saying.

4: Keep OOC to it's own thread. Don't ask someone in the middle of a fight with Orcs if they enjoy WH40K. If you need to ask a rules question, and want to do it in the IC thread, type it in orange. All rolls should also be in orange. If you don't put rolls and OOC text in orange, I will do so for you (but I will make a comment if you keep screwing it up).

5: I don't expect you to have flawless grammar and spelling, but please try. RPoL has a spell-checker built in, and it takes hardly any time. It just saves us all the annoyance of seeing 'comon words speld rong'.

6: Please don't make one-liner posts constantly. Conversely, don't type a novel for each post. Try to find a happy medium. The occasional one-liner or novel when it makes sense is fine. Just don't do it constantly.

7: If you're going to leave the game, please let me know. It's much more polite to me and the other players. Your group could wind up waiting for you otherwise. I'm not gonna be mad if you have to leave the game for personal reasons, or just simply don't have the time. Even if you don't like this game, hate my GMing style, and want to leave, please just let me know.

     7.1: Should you be unable to post for any foreseeable reason (with 'foreseeable' being the key-word), please post as such in the appropriate thread (Planned/Unplanned Absence Thread). You can also post a standard action there for your characters to take during your absence. If there is no standard action provided, your characters will not take part in any combat their group winds up in.

8: I hate putting my foot down, but the GM's word is law. If I have made a decision regarding the rules, then you may suggest changes or question it. However, it is not to be argued against. "So-and-so says this" is not a valid argument (unless it's Jeremy Crawford, then it's okay). This isn't to discourage discussion and debate about rules, of course.

9: You can have more than one character. I will only allow this if you have more than 100 posts as your current character. Send me a completed RTJ if you wish to have a second character (and meet the requirements for posts).

     9.1: You cannot have multiple characters of yours in the same group. A group of 6 where you play 2 characters is not allowed, for example. Remember: play with your friends, not with yourself.

     9.2: You cannot have more than 3 characters total. Quality, not quantity.

     9.3: Creation of additional characters is, at this moment, open. I'll edit this rule (and bump this thread) should it ever close again.

10: We have a Discord (run by our very own Sage Oeriver)! The Discord is only to be used as a secondary OOC, all questions should be sent to me here. If you would like the link, please send me or Sage a PM.

This thread will be bumped (and the change-log updated) should any of the rules change. If you have any questions about the rules above, feel free to message me and ask. I am more than happy to help.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:56, Wed 22 Mar 2023.
The GM
GM, 1767 posts
THE
GM
Fri 16 Dec 2016
at 05:09
  • msg #2

House Rules

These are the House Rules we are using for this game. These are more mechanical than the rules above. This section is separated by category, to try and make things a little easier to read.

General House Rules

A-1: You may roll Perception at any time. Your natural Perception will always be used whenever you enter an area (or something changes), to see if you notice anything interesting. You can roll at any time to see if your natural ability missed anything. You may also roll any knowledge skill at any time (Nature, History, Religion, Arcana) to see what you know about something.

     A-1.1: If you roll a knowledge skill, please only roll one at a time. IE: don't make one flat roll and tell me your modifiers for every knowledge skill; make more than one roll if you want to do that. This way, I can better give the information that skill pertains to.

A-2: Any animal/animal-like monster you come across has the possibility of being tamed. This will require an Animal Handling check against a DC determined by me depending on the target. Some animals will simply refuse. All animals tamed do not fall unconscious when they reach zero HP, they simply die. Only a Ranger's Companion animal will scale with them. All other animals do not, regardless of the class of the tamer. More intelligent animals will take longer to get fully under your control.

A-3: Parties have a limit of six members, and a minimum of three. Any less than three becomes quite dangerous, and more than six leaves loot spread very thin. Animal companions do not count towards your party limit. They do still require food, though.

A-4: You may opt out of the Verdee threads (stores, RP threads, or both) at any time. Just send me a message. You can ask for entry to these threads once they are needed again.

A-5: Traveling forwards in the West Marches consists of a Survival roll to not get lost. When moving forward, please name the next 3 hexes you intend to visit. You will move along that path should nothing happen. Should you wish to search around the hex you are currently in, or head to a known location within a hex, a Survival roll is needed. Searching a hex takes longer than moving from one hex to another.

A-6: I provide a tally of all loot obtained at the end of an adventure. You don't have to worry about splitting it until then, unless you really want to. Just make sure you note it somewhere so you don't accidentally duplicate your loot.

Character Creation/Leveling House Rules

B-1: You can only level up outside of combat. All features gained from leveling (spell slots, class abilities, etc) are gained immediately (no rest needed). The HP you gain from leveling up is added to your current HP and your max.

B-2: Aqua, Aura, Ignan, and Terran are considered sub-languages of Primordial. If you speak one, you speak Primordial. The obverse is true: if you speak Primordial, you speak all of the sub-languages

B-3: Downtime activities from the PHB and XGtE do not have a downtime cost to them. Monetary costs still apply, though.

     B-3.1: Some downtime activities (again, from the PHB and XGtE) allow you to earn money through crafting. There is a cap of 100 GP per visit to Verdee on this.

B-4: Gold can be exchanged for XP at a rate of 1 GP for 3 XP

Combat House Rules

C-1: Your Initiative in combat does not affect posting order. It just affects the order actions are resolved. This is to keep the game moving in combat, as many games like to slow down and die at that point.

C-2: Please post your actions, and make your rolls, when you roll your initiative. This helps resolve combat way faster. If you are going to use your Reaction for the round (or expect you might need to), please state so in advance. If you would like your attack to target a specific enemy (bandit #1 instead of #2, for example), please state as such. Otherwise, I will direct your attack to the nearest available target with the lowest life.

C-3: If you are a Wild Magic sorcerer, you roll to see if you experience a Surge after every sorcerer spell cast. If your roll is equal to or less than half the level of the sorcerer spell (rounded up), you Surge (IE: a level two spell requires a roll of 1 to Surge. A level four spell requires a roll of 2 or lower to Surge).

C-4: If you are hidden/hiding during combat, and have made an attack at any time in the combat, Perception checks made to find you will have advantage. This applies for monsters, as well.

C-5: Ceilings are always 10' tall unless explicitly stated otherwise.

C-6: If you require a map for your current fight, all you need to do is ask and I will create one. All combat maps I create are ASCII.

C-7: The Cleave rule from the DMG is being used. Any excess damage will be passed on to other enemies (IE: Dealing 10 damage to an enemy with only 7 HP left means 3 damage will be passed on to an adjacent enemy). This only affects melee and ranged weapons. Spells are unaffected by this rule.

Item/Loot House Rules

D-1: To retrieve spent arrows, you roll Perception. The DC is 15. If you pass, you get half of your spent arrows back. Failure means you get nothing. You can only retrieve arrows that missed their target. Arrows that hit are deemed unusable due to damage. Round the roll up, if needed (1.5 arrows is impossible, so it would be 2 arrows retrieved).

     D-1.2: For retrieving thrown weapons (handaxes, javelins, daggers, darts, etc.) roll Perception. If you beat DC 15 you find 3/4 of your thrown weapons regardless of hit or miss (the remainder are either nowhere to be found or are damaged beyond repair). If you beat DC 10, you find half your thrown weapons. As with the arrow-related rule above, round up where necessary.

D-2: To skin an animal, roll Survival. Feathers, beaks, claws, and hides can all be sold. Only one person needs to roll Survival to loot slain animals (I will only use the first roll, regardless of result), and can be helped by those near them. Animals can only by looted with Survival; do not roll anything else for that.

     D-2.1: If you would like to loot something that is not an animal/beast (human, devil, undead, what-have-you), you do not need to roll anything. Just mention that you are looting, and I will give the results.

     D-2.2: Parts obtained from a creature may be kept, rather than sold for money. If you do so, you might be able to turn the parts into a unique magic item at the Outdoor Magic Market in Verdee.

D-3: Darts are considered to also have the 'Light' weapon trait.

D-4: Spell scrolls can be used with a bonus action. In addition, all classes can use a spell scroll of any level without making an ability check. Identifying a spell scroll requires an INT (or your spellcasting ability, if applicable) check vs the DC (13+spell level). If a spell scroll requires a DC or a damage roll, it uses the abilities of the person who read the scroll (INT or your spellcasting ability where applicable).

D-5: Transcribing a new spell into your spellbook (whether from a scroll or another spellbook) costs 15 GP/spell level. Cantrips can be transcribed for 10 GP.

D-6: The Outlander background feature does not automatically grant you food and drink except in hexes where food and water are abundant. It otherwise just makes the roll to do find food/water easier.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:57, Sun 04 Feb.
The Buckman Brothers
NPC, 58 posts
HP Anton 18/18
Marlow 25/33 Tamar 23/26
Wed 23 May 2018
at 07:28
  • msg #3

Buckman Brothers Rules/Instructions

1: Buckman Brothers NPCs serve as a faster and safer alternative to traversing the marches on foot, and are intended to assist groups who wish to return to a point that they have previously explored.

2: Locations posted on the Buckman Brother's notice board, will be broken down into "Zones", with the Zone number representing the average level required for a party to reach said destination.

3: There are now three Buckman Brother's Coaches, this is to reduce pressure should multiple groups wish to travel at the same time.

4: All trips are one way, and the brothers will not wait.

5: Buckman Brothers will NOT travel through any areas that are yet to be filled out on the map. This may mean a more expensive journey if a direct line is not available for travel.

6: Buckman Brothers will operate their wagons in a taxi rank manner, with the carriage at the front being the one available. When a brother leaves and returns, he will go to the back of the line.

7: There are 6 seats on a Buckman Brother's carriage as follows:
     > There are 4 seats inside, these seats grant 3/4 cover but imposed disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
     > The "Crossbow Seat" (think shotgun seat) has room for 1 passenger, whoever sits in the crossbow seat, is the ONLY passenger that can assist with checks to avoid getting lost.
     > The 6th and final seat is the "Turret", which sits atop the carriage, housing a mini Ballista with full 360 degree rotation. Whoever sits in this seat will benefit from 1/2 cover, and will be required to operate the ballista should they carriage come under attack.

8: The ballistae attached to the Buckman Brother's Carriages have the following stats...
     > Roll 1d20 + DEX to hit
     > The ballistae do 4D8 bludgeoning damage
     > The ballistae have the "loading" property, meaning that even if you have multi attack, you can only shoot one projectile at a time.
     > Despite their similarities to crossbows, having the Crossbow Expert feat will not have any effect on the operation of the crossbow.

9: The fee for using Buckman Brothers services is 6GP per Group, per Hex.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:07, Mon 10 Oct 2022.
The GM
GM, 6401 posts
THE
GM
Wed 23 May 2018
at 07:28
  • msg #4

House Rules Change Log

This change log was created because Dorvin suggested it.

03/19/17: Created Change Log
03/19/17: Edited House Rules: fixed a grammatical issue in Rule #2, and made a slight addition regarding Reactions to Rule #4.
04/10/17: Created House Rule #15, to fix longstanding issues with Stealth in combat being overpowered.
04/12/17: Unearthed Arcana: Eberron is now allowed (mostly). Rule #9 has been re-phrased. House Rule #15 will be fixed in the future, due to being too restrictive.
04/15/17: Rule #2.1 has been created in reaction to a recent incident. House Rule #15 will be changed later on this date.
04/20/17: House Rule #15 has been changed. Only 5 days after I intended to change it.
04/29/17: Minor change to House Rule #1. A change will come in the future to House Rule #7. The previous Rule #2 (referring to arguments) has been merged with Rule #1. The new Rule #2 (to do with meta-gaming) is to replace the meta-gaming rule that wasn't carried over from the previous rule thread.
07/02/17: Rule #8.1.1 has been created; dealing with Aarakocra. Minor addition to House Rule #15 to clarify things further.
07/30/17: House Rule #16 has been added to help clarify potential issues that may arise with my method of handling battles.
08/24/17: Rule #8.6 has been added; finally allowing Volo's Guide To Monsters in this game.
08/27/17: Rule #10.2 has been added; placing a limit on secondary characters for my future sanity.
09/01/17: House Rules #13 and #9 have been edited. Perception is no longer required for looting or moving forward in the Marches. I also edited House Rule #12 for the sake of clarity.
09/04/17: House Rule #9.1 has been added, as a clarification of House Rule #9.
09/07/17: A slight addition has been made to House Rule #7, which should answer the question of whether to roll HP or take the average (as that seems to come up a lot).
09/09/17: House Rule #9.2 has been added, because more clarification was evidently necessary.
09/30/17:  Clarifications were made to House Rule #13 and House Rule #4. House Rule #17 was created, dealing with AoE spells and trying to not hit your allies.
10/23/17: House Rule #7 has been changed as per the vote in the OOC.
11/22/17: Added House Rule #18 to try and fix Fog Cloud and other spells of that type that weren't working as per the spirit of the rules. House Rule #16 may be rescinded depending on the results of the current tests.
12/09/17: Rule #8 (allowed material) has been removed, and that information has been placed in the character creation thread. Kinda made more sense to put it there. The Rules after #8 have now been re-numbered to fill the gap. House Rule #18 has been rescinded due to the inconclusive nature of the discussions in the OOC.
02/20/18: A new House Rule #18 has been created. This one is more of a note about the end of adventure loot tally, rather than being an actual rule. Still, I felt it fit here best.
05/23/18: Instructions/rules for using the Buckman Brother's services have been added as their own post. This necessitated moving the change log down a post to where it currently is.
06/25/18: Added House Rule #9.3 (looting items for turning into magic items).
08/06/18: Mordenkainen's Tome Of Foes is now accepted.
08/19/18: Unearthed Arcana: Eberron Races has replaced the old Unearthed Arcana: Eberron as per the consensus reached by those who use that UA.
09/05/18: House Rule #19 has been added (Wild Magic Surges).
09/16/18: House Rule #20 (ceiling height) has been added. I'll clean up this thread and make it more readable at a later date.
10/14/18: Added Rule #9.3 (closing character creation) due to us filling the game. All of it. Every letter is in use. I'll edit the thread should it ever open again.



12/29/18: The entire thread has been updated! Everything should be easier to read, and extraneous bits were chopped off. I recommend everyone re-read the thread to get familiar with the changes. It also means all the changes above this one should make no sense, but I'll keep them for the sake of record-keeping.
07/07/19: Added more text to Rule #3 (color in dialogue) and Rule #4 (orange for OOC/rolls).
09/17/19: Added rule C-7 (clarifying the usage of the Cleave rule) even though we started using it around a year ago.
09/25/19: Added rule B-4 (clarifying how downtime days are awarded) even though we started using it around a year ago. I hope that doesn't become a running theme...
10/10/19: Added rule B-4.1 (removing monetary costs for new languages/tools) and rule B-4.2 (placing a limit on the amount earnable through downtime activities).
02/09/20: Added rule 7.1 (mentioning the absence thread, and allowing standard actions to be provided) and rule B-4.3 (allowing downtime days to be traded for XP).
06/16/20: Split rule B-4.2 in two. The section regarding using downtime days to contribute to Verdee projects is now clearer, and is rule B-4.4.
01/07/21: Edited rule 10; the Discord link was publicly available and should have only been available to those already in this game. Now entering the Discord is by PM only.
03/09/22: Rule C-7 (cleave) has been made universal, rather than only applying in curb-stomp battles. Most downtime rules (B-4 through B-4.4) have been removed or modified, as have the removal of downtime days. Rule B5 (gold for XP) has been added.
03/22/22: Adjusted rules 9, 9.2, and 9.3 to reflect the new minimum number of posts before creating a new character, a new maximum on the total number of allowed characters, and to allow new characters created.
04/06/22: Added house rule D-4 (regarding spell scrolls) to make them more usable and desirable.
04/20/22: Clarified that C-7 (the cleave rule) does not affect spells.
05/01/22: Fixed a typo in rule 9.3.
06/09/22: Fixed a typo in house rule D-4.
11/16/22: Added house rule A-1.1 (regarding knowledge skills) to save myself a little bit of a headache.
10/02/23: Removed house rule B-1 (delaying the free feat for variant humans) as it is no longer necessary. The other house rules in that category were renumbered accordingly.
01/17/24: Added house rule D-5 (regarding transcribing spells to a spellbook) to make it easier for wizards to do.
01/19/24: Added house rule D-6 (regarding Outlander not granting free food/water forever). It's been a long-standing rule here, but I apparently never added it to this thread for some reason...
02/04/24: Added house rule D-1.2 (regarding retrieving thrown weapons).
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:18, Mon 05 Feb.
Sign In