Ability Checks. Roll under a specified Ability Score on 1d20, applying modifiers to the Score (not the die roll). Negative modifiers may be applied, reflecting the character's unfamiliarity, task difficulty, or environmental influences.
Some sample modifiers:
Unfamiliar / Unskilled -4 Sufficient Tools / Good Conditions +2
Temperament Inhibits / Aids -/+ (Imbalance Amount)
Initiative. Every combatant rolls 1d6 for Initiative individually, applying DEX modifiers. Ties will mean opponents act simultaneously.
Morale. Not every combat will be to the death. Enemies and allies alike will make Morale checks when things look dicey. The effects could be anything from retreat to surrender to catatonia or worse. Rousing speeches and high Charisma scores are effective!
Movement. I'm using the basic rules for movement from D&D3e. Nothing too complicated, mind you... Each character has a speed measured in feet; you can move up to that distance in combat as well as attacking or casting a single-action spell, and you can move before or after attacking, your choice. You can move hastily, moving at twice your speed, or you can run, moving at four times your speed. In either case, you forfeit your attack.
Rolling to Hit. This isn't a house rule so much as it is a clarification of the normal rules. "Rolling to hit" is a misnomer; actually, you're rolling to see if your attack is successful (i.e. does damage). You may fail an attack roll against a well-armored foe: your roll doesn't necessarily mean you missed, it may simply be that your weapon glanced off your foe's armor, failing to penetrate it.
Critical Success / Complications. Critical Successes occur in combat on a natural roll (unmodified) of 20, and on Ability Checks and Saving Throws on a natural 1. Complications occur in combat on a natural roll of 1, and on Ability Checks and Saving Throws on a natural roll of 20. Generally, a Critical Success means that not only did your character succeed, but he did so spectacularly, meaning extra damage, preternatural awareness, or some other benign effect. Complications mean something unexpected happened which raised the stakes, some quirk of fate that makes your life more interesting. Bear in mind that Complications are not necessarily "Critical Failures" - the fault may not be your character's, it could be weak masonry, a collapsing cave, a flaw in the weapon, or something similar. The purpose of Complications is to make the game more interesting, not to make your character look lame; bear in mind that this sort of thing happens to Indiana Jones all the time...
Combat. Due to the slower pace of online (non-chatroom) games, I'm taking a few steps to keep things from getting bogged down in endless combat turns.
Improvisational Declaractions. When telling me what you want your character to do in a combat situation, give me a Primary goal and a Secondary goal, as your character may defeat a foe pretty quickly and still have time to do something before the next turn post. Don't be afraid to get detailed. Also, don't be timid about using the scenery to your advantage. I give you permission to exercise your Inner DM: if it seems likely that some item, makeshift weapon, or getaway would be present in the setting, just assume it's there and use it.
Example -
Me (in a sucky set-up post): "Beldimar descends the spiral staircase of the Ketite castle tower. He's surprised by a Ketite guard who kicks him from behind. Because of the curving walls, Beldimar realizes it will be difficult to draw his sword to fight the already-armed Ketite." [Geek Note: This is why castles have spiral staircases in the first place.]
Dan (realizing he's in a tight spot and thinking about the qualities of castles): "Beldimar presses himself against the wall, reaching up to grab a burning torch from its sconce and thrusting it toward the Ketite."
Now, I never specified that there were lit torches there, but it made sense in the context of the scene, and it made the scene more cinematic. Obviously, this sort of freedom can be abused, but I trust you guys enough not to pull anything that would make the rest of us roll our eyes and groan ("Beldimar desperately thrusts his hand into the compost heap, and to his surprise, pulls out a magic sword...").
Situational Rolls. Whenever entering combat, I'll have you roll Attack rolls three times and send the results to me. This will allow me to have your character accomplish multiple tasks per post, and gauging how well your character is performing overall.
Damage Rolls. To speed things along, I'll roll damage for you. Along with standard Ability Score modifiers, your Temperaments may affect how much damage your character does.
Stun Damage. Non-lethal damage, such as being punched, is considered Stun damage. Your character can take as many points of Stun damage as he has Hit Points, but lethal damage (HP loss) always inflicts an equal number of Stun damage points. For example, Afaric has a total of 10 HP. He suffers a 6-point sword wound; if his opponent then chose to follow that blow up with a kick to his ribs, Afaric could only take 4 points of Stun damage before passing out. Stun damage won't kill you, only knock you unconscious at 0 HP.
"Dying Stroke". If the blow that knocks your character to 0 HP (lethal damage, not Stun damage alone) or beyond into the negative HPs, but inflicted less than 25% damage over what was needed to kill him, he gets to make one last attack before he dies. For example, if Tervenil is at 4 HP, and an Orc hits him for 4 or 5 HP, he gets to make one last attack against the Orc before he falls. This is meant to reflect a dramatic convention of fantasy fiction, such as when Arthur and Mordred deal each other mortal blows, or when Boromir is still killing Orcs even as he's dying.
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