Troy's D&D In-House rules

updated Feb 09 2007

Combat Rules

Guarded Withdraw: If leaving a "threaten zone" you may move up your base movement, WITHOUT provoking an attack of oppertunity. This is the only action you may take this round. You earn no bonuses to AC, but suffer no penalization to AC or Dodge. Doing a full movement (or 2 move actions), provokes an attack of oppertunity. Making a "Standard Withdraw" still has the chance of provoking an Attack of Oppertunity (see PHB ver3.5, page 143).

Rules for entering a "Threaten Zone" still applies. Running is still the same (x4 speed, but no Dex bonus to AC, unless you have the Run feat).

Combat Facing Rules: With multiple attackers, if the defender faces one opponent, then that attacker does not get a flanking bonus.

Run: The special conditions on run can only be used when moving in a straight line.

Death: Upon reaching -11HP or more, character must make FORT saving throw, with the DC being the negative HP score. Failure means character is dead. A saving throw must be made every time new damage is sustained. Characters that sustain more damage beyond -10 than they have levels is automatically dead. Resurection is still possible.

Dying rules are still the same: characters must still make dying checks even if they suceed in making the saving throw for -10HP.

Unconcious rules are the same: Injury beyond 0HP knocks the character unconcious, unless they have the Diehard feat.

Spells

The following notes apply to certains spell we found needed additional ruling in ver3.5:

• Polymorph remains unchanged, but is discouraged from use. The spell is unbalancing (even in ver3.5) and far to easy to abuse.
• Stat enhancing spells under ver3.5 (such as Bull's Strenght) are unchanged: they have duration 1 min/level but give a fixed bonus to stats.
• Resurection, Raise Dead and True Resurection spells, while still accessable, are not automatically successfull and subject to DM ruling (ie: fails when dramatically appropriate).
• Spells with a Evil discription may be detected as evil; see below.
• As per the rules, spells that belong to your opposition school can not be activated in magic items. Effects of seplls from opposition schools in magical devices can still affect you (ie: Potions).

Detect Evil

From Troy Aug 29, 2006 (reprinted)

• Evil Outsiders
• Priest of an Evil God
• Evil undead
• An Evil artifact
• An active Evil spell For Arcane spellcasters, things like Enervation are NOT evil, despite their usage of negative energy.
• Somebody with an Evil spell memorized
• Somebody currently committing or contemplating "an evil act". In other words, an evil person only detects as evil when "being evil" (ie:murder, rape, mass destruction, torture, deprived indifference)

From Troy Aug 21, 2006

Item Creation

Craft Alchemy can be used to create items of fantastic alchemy, such as sunrods or tanglefoot bags. Character need not be a spellcaster to manufacturer these items. The only exceptions are items in which magic is clearly component (ie: items that replicates spells or spell effects, such as Potions of Cure Light Wounds).

Magic item creation costs are being increased to off set the fact that we are playing an non-XP game. The new cost to create a magical device is 1/2 sale price + 1/5 sale price (in place of XP cost), or to word it differently, a total of 60% sale price. This does not include the cost for any special materials needed to create the item.

Note: it is still cheaper to create items with magical charges (like wands) at the minimum caster level than at a higher level.

Skills

Take 10 for skills is only possible when a character has at least one rank in a skill

• Move Sliently has been replaced with Sneak
• Hide in Shadows has been replaced with Sneak
• Spot has been replaced with Notice
• Listen has been replaced with Notice
• Bluff covers activities of deception, like following someone inconspicuously through a crowd.
• Knowledge is the degree of fimiliarity you have on a subject
• Profession is the application of knowledge to earn a means of living
• Craft is the skill limited to producing or creating an object

Note: If characters had racial (or other) bonuses to these old skills they may carry the greater bonus over to the new skill. DM may rule that certain situations may negate the bonus.

Race prefered class

Since this is a non-XP game, players are not penalized for advancing in class that is not favored by their race.  However, DM has final say on what class the players may choose.  For example, if the character’s background history or personality does not lend well to a elf druid/rouge, then the DM will not permit the player form selecting either druid or rouge.  Prestige classes also have this restriction.