House Rules and Other Calls
House Rules
As you all already know, this game is using the D&D Rules Cyclopedia for reference. You can use the BECMI rules, as long as they give you all the options ready and available for your use. I don't have those books, so I can't really comment on them. However, all of the optional rules will be available on the Cyclopedia.
Stat Rolls
Roll 4D6, drop the lowest. Arrange your stats to your liking. If your combined stat bonuses add up to Zero or less, you may feel free to re-roll the character.
You came prepared for the journey, so you roll 3D6+3 x10 gp in starting gold.
You start first level at max hit points plus CON bonus. CON bonus continues to apply on all levels past Hit Dice rolls.
Death and Dying
0 hp: Unconscious, but not dying. Will wake up in (1D20 - CON value) turns, minimum of 1 turn. Can be woken earlier with outside help and a CON roll. Will wake up immediately when brought back to positive hit points.
-1 or lower hp: Critical or Lethal injury and Unconscious. Will lose 1 hp per round unless they make a CON roll at -1 per round past the first. This can be rolled every round. On success, the character stabilizes and survives the injury, but will still need help. The character will wake up after 1D20 turns.
House Rules
Ability Bonus or Penalty Adjustments to Thief Abilities
Each Thief ability is governed by an Ability Score (as listed below). Add or subtract to each Thief ability the relevant ability score modifier multiplied by five (i.e. +1 gives +5%, +2 gives +10%, and so on). Remember, low ability scores will adversely affect Thief abilities as well.
Open Locks: INT
Find Traps: INT
Remove Traps: INT
Climb Walls: DEX
Move Silently: DEX
Hide In Shadows: DEX
Pick Pockets: DEX
Hear Noise: WIS
Sniping
At 10th level thieves normally gain the special ability to cast magic-user spells from scrolls. Thieves may now choose between gaining the ability to read magic-user scrolls or sniping. Sniping is a ranged attack at a surprised target within short range that gains the backstab to hit and double damage. As with backstab, the thief must remain unseen before delivering the attack to gain the benefit.
Strength and Encumbrance
A character’s Strength score can affect how much encumbrance they can carry. See the table below.
STR Carrying Capacity
3 -300 cn
4-5 -200 cn
6-8 -100 cn
9-12 No adjustment
13-15 +100 cn
16-17 +200 cn
18 +300 cn
Just add the bonus or penalty to the Encumbrance level for each movement category found on the Character Movement Rates and Encumbrance Table on page 88 of the D&D Rules Cyclopedia. For example, a character with 16 STR can carry 200 cn more for each Encumbrance level, so he can carry up to 600 cn and still move 120’ per Turn as opposed to a maximum of 400 cn for a character with a STR of 9 to 12.
Equipment
Shields are...
- small: +1 AC, 60 cn encumbrance, 10 gp
- large: +2 AC, 100 cn encumbrance, 15 gp
- tower: +2 AC vs Melee, +4 AC vs Missile, 200 cn, 30 gp
Optional Rules In Use
- Weapon Skills and Weapon Mastery
- Character Skills
- Druids and Mystics
- Wizards do not need to pre-select a specific spell for each slot. They may cast a level appropriate spell without restriction. They do, however, still need to review their spells every day to recover the incantations spent.
- Clerics may cast any level-appropriate spell in their list for each slot they have. They still have to pray in the morning for spells.
- All character classes may use clubs, staves, and light crossbows.
- Fighter Combat Options (Smash, Parry, Disarm, Two Weapon Combat): choose one of the four at 3rd level, another at 6th, and one more at 9th. The last one remains unlearned for the character's career.
- Smash does 1/2 STR damage, rounded up, instead of full STR damage.
- Smash can be used with ranged weapons. The target must be in short range, and the extra damage done is based on DEX, not STR. However, using Smash with a ranged weapon incurs an AC penalty of -5 for that round in addition to the -5 To Hit. Taking careful aim like that means standing very still for the best possible shot.
- Two-Weapon Fighting and Multiple Attacks can be combined with Weapons Mastery as given in the optional rules.
- Two-Weapon Fighting can be used with ranged weapons to attack twice in the same round as long as the character is Skilled or above with that weapon. The character applies the normal penalties to their ranged weapon as if it was a second melee weapon: -4 to hit and a -1 Mastery penalty on the second shot.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:26, Mon 21 Sept 2020.