Thoughts on House Rules

I play OSE (Rules Tome) because I don't own the original B/X and it is a great stand in. When I want to expand or extrapolate I was fortunate enough to pick up the Rules Cyclopedia. This post will be one of those "living documents" which might not make a ton of sense for the outside reader, but a big part of this blog is a way for me catalogue my own stream of consciousness.

When I first jumped into old school gaming I had previously only really known 3e.  I loaded up my games with all the cool "house rules" that in my mind filled a void in the game because of the simplicity of the systems compared to 3e. It was an interesting experience because as my old school play experience evolved I realized I was removing rules until I was back at a relatively RAW experience. Here are some thoughts on different house rules.

Ascending AC/THAC0/To-Hit Matrix: This on gets a lot of airtime and early on THAC0 was a no-go for me. It seemed like too much work to convert stuff and I was content to say "this was something Wizards did right." Then I read Delta's Target 20 and it all became clear and world of actual old modules became available to me. Now I use whatever the module uses and my players don't know the difference because I always tell them what they need to roll to hit.

Attack Progression: This one came up today on Reddit and inspired this post. I hadn't even thought about it as a house rule but it is and it is one of the most material ways in which I've changed my game (and it is not that material). I took the "Attack Matrix by Monster HD or THAC0" Table and applied it to Fighters to smooth out their attack bonus curve. If you want this in THAC0, just subtract the number in the column from 19.

Shields Shall Be Splintered: Basically, negate a hit by sacrificing your shield. My players started buying a lot, like a lot, of shields. A shield breaking is a terrible thing, but my players were doing it on purpose. I got rid of this and implemented a quality rule to make shields breaking bad again.

Helmets Shall Be Sundered: Sacrifice your helmet to turn a critical hit into a regular hit. Same problem as shields and a LOT more situational. I just scrapped this one.

Weapon/Armor Quality: I tend to lean into the resource management aspect of things and I lifted the idea from Knave. On a natural 20 the opponent's AC is lowered by 1. Armor has a quality rating equal to its "AC bonus." Leather 2, Chain 4, Plate 6, Shield 1. If armor is reduced to 0, it is destroyed. Weapons have a quality rating equal to 2 + magic bonus. When you roll a 1, the quality of the weapon is reduced by 1. At 0 the weapon breaks. This adds some interesting tension.

Encumbrance: I've tried it all. Slots, coins, pounds, stones, hands, bags, Tetris minigames... None of it is great. In the end I'm back to pounds. In the age of excel its not nearly as cumbersome (see what I did there) and there are a lot less arguments.

    UPDATE: Now I'm using this system of my design: Swords, Daggers, & Coins

Usage Dice: They are elegant, but ultimately they do not provide the verisimilitude that I desire. It takes careful preparation and clever resource management and turns it into a roll of the dice. I do have a crafty way to track arrows though: Tracking Arrows

    UPDATE: See also: Arrow, Rations, Water, Rest, & Exhaustion

Magical Research: I have not play tested this as extensively as I would like but I'm holding onto it. If you try it out, let me know how it goes and what your players' reactions to the process are: Magical Research

Initiative: Homebrew Homunculus' Guerilla Initiative is great. The smallest side goes first, or if equal the side that is most at home. Or just roll d6s (players win ties). That said - I have recently tweaked how the round order works: Morale, Movement (winning, losing), Missile (winning, losing), Magic (winning, losing), Melee (winning, losing). Basically each phase of combat resolves in side based initiative and then goes to the next phase. I like this because it makes combat very dynamic and keeps everyone engaged throughout the round.

Hit Points: Max at first level. Re-roll total every level. If re-roll is higher, take it. If lower, +1. Con modifiers apply normally to re-rolls. I like my low level ne'er-do-wells to have a fighting chance at level 2.

Death: Standing at 0 HP (cannot be reduced below 0). If struck again save vs. death. If successful you are unconscious but have lost a hand, arm, foot, etc. If failed, you die. I tried death and dismemberment tables but they were a bit "too much." This way a player gets 1 round to break ranks and try to escape with their life.

Scrolls: All magic users can make scrolls. Rule lifted from Holmes Basic.

Fighter Sweep Attacks: Delta wrote it up better than I ever could Sweep Attacks. Fighters can sweep attack.

Variable Weapon Damage: I use "Damage Dice = Class HD" Another fighter buff in my mind.

 Weapon Mastery: From Rules Cyclopedia (something that makes sense to do with your gold)

     UPDATE: This got to be a little too much for not enough payoff and I stopped using it.

Skill/Ability Checks: I use a base chance of 1-in-12 modified by (+) ability bonus. This means that characters have the following chances of success based on ability scores (more reading: Viridian Scroll: Skill Math)

• 3-12: 8.33%
• 13-15: 16.67%
• 16-17: 25%
• 18: 33.33%

I am sure there is more and I will continue to update.

Water Rules Expanded B/X

Swimming, Diving, and Drowning

• Everyone can swim at ½ their movement rate
• Treading quietly or in combat use dungeon speed
• Swimming quickly use wilderness speed
• Creatures can dive at 2x their swim movement speed
• Maximum load to ascend/tread in water is 20 lbs (200 coins) plus an additional 10 lbs (100 coins) per +1 Strength bonus
• Exceeding a maximum load causes a character to descend at a rate of 5 feet if they are trying to stay afloat or 10 feet if they are allowing themselves to sink
• Creatures can hold their breath for 1 minute (6 rounds) plus an additional 2 minutes (12 rounds) per +1 Constitution bonus
• A character has a 1-in-6 chance of drowning the first round it remains submerged after its air runs out. Each subsequent round increases its chances of drowning by +1 (2-in-6, 3-in-6, etc)
  

Vision, Hearing and combat 

• Humans can see a maximum of 200 feet in perfectly clear water. For most “normal” bodies of water (i.e. lakes, seas, etc) reduce this to 100 feet. Especially murky water could reduce vision even further or even effectively blind
• Sunlight only penetrates to a depth of 100 feet, beyond which a lightsource is required. Infravision is reduced by half
• Without magic humans cannot communicate underwater and listening is impossible
• Swords, axes, clubs, maces and similar weapons that require the force of a swing deal reduced damage (d4) and only apply half of the wielder’s strength bonus rounded down
• Spears, tridents, and other piercing weapons that rely on thrusting deal regular damage. Throwing these weapons reduces their range by half.
• Crossbows and bows deal reduced damage (d4) and have their ranges reduced by half. Slings are not usable underwater.
• Combat occurs both on a horizontal plane and a vertical plane. As such players are encouraged to keep track of their depth each round.
• Aquatic creatures surprise characters when they are at least half submerged in the water on a 4-in-6
• Swimming, even treading water, always counts as movement. During an attack a character will sink 5 feet
  

Example of Play  

Ref: You stand on the edge of the cavern, dark black lake below that reflects back your torchlight as if it were a mirror. A little further out you see a soft white glow in the inky depths that is not a reflection of your torch, it is something else.   

Player 1: Do I see anything moving?  

Ref: No.  

Player 2: Someone should tie a rope to themselves and swim down there to see what it is. How deep is it?   

Ref: Hard to say, probably no more than sixty feet. 

Player 3: Not me. 

Player 2: I’ll do it. I take off my armor, tie a rope around my waist, and put my dagger between my teeth before jumping in. 

Player 1: I’ll hold the rope. 

Player 3: I’ll be the lookout. And watch you die. 

Ref: You plunge into the icy subterranean lake and you quickly realize you can’t see anything. 

Player 3: I cast Light on his dagger. 

Ref: Now you can see that the water is as clear as it is cold. You don’t see anything below you except the faint light much deeper in the lake. It is probably 60 feet down and about 30 feet out. You can swim 20 feet per round, dive 40 feet per round, and hold your breath for 10 rounds. 

Player 1: He’s in rounds? 

Ref: Yes. 

Player 2: I swim out until I am over the light- 

Ref: 2 rounds go by - 

Player 2: Then I dive down toward the light- 

Ref: 1 round goes by, then you are within 20 feet of the light and realize it is a giant unblinking phosphorescent eye in the middle of a huge fleshy pale starfish. 9 rounds of breath. 

Player 2: I start swimming back up. 

Ref: (rolls d6… 3) Just as you turn to begin swimming back to the surface you feel a sharp pain in your leg and a 5 foot black scaly fish with yellow eyes tries to drag you away. 8 rounds of breath. 

Player 1: Do I feel that on the rope? 

Ref: Sure. The rope tugs hard. Roll for initiative, (rolls d6… 1) you go first. 

Player 3: I’ll help pull him up. 

Player 1: Yeah we are both pulling him up as fast as we can. 

Ref: One of you make a strength check, 2-in-6 but I’ll make it 3-in-6 since both of you are pulling on the rope. 

Player 1: 5. 

Ref: You feel the rope burn your hands as something tugs back. 

Player 2: Crap. What do I see? 

Ref: There are three man-sized black fish with sharp scales, yellow eyes, and teeth like needles. One of them still has your leg. You would have to make a strength check, 2-in-6, to break free to move. 

Player 2: Since it is holding onto me can I stab it? 

Ref: Yes, THAC0 -2 since its holding onto your leg which makes it easier to stab. 

Player 2: I rolled a 17. 

Ref: You stab it in its big stupid yellow eye. 

Player 2: 3 damage. 

Ref: The other two fish swim past in quick lunges but both miss. The one still holding your leg in its jaws drags you deeper, past the unmoving starfish. You are now 40 feet out and 60 feet deep. You are literally “at the end of your rope.” 7 rounds of breath. Roll initiative again, I got a 4. 

Player 1: 5! We will try to pull him up again. 

Ref: 3-in-6 again, but there is no more rope so if you fail you need to choose to either let go or on the fish turn you will end up making a save vs. death to not be pulled in. 

Player 3: We pull! I’ll roll… 6! Oh no… 

Player 2: I’m going to try to escape this time! I rolled a 3! You said I needed a 1 or 2? 

Ref: Yes. The fish tries to take you deeper almost as if it is trying to keep you away from the other two fish that are prepared to give chase. I need a save vs. death from both of you holding the rope. 

Player 3: 15! I made it! 

Player 1: 10… I did not. 

Ref: [Player 1] topples into the lake as the rope yanks hard. [Player 3] Lets go just in time and watches the heavily armored fighter topple into the underground lake along with the rope.  

Player 3: I only have Charm Person, Invisibility, Web and Fireball memorized. I’ll watch hopelessly. 

Ref: One fish chases [Player 2] and the other fish wheels around and heads directly for [Player 1] that just crashed in the water. [Player 1] you have 18 rounds of breath. [Player 2] you are now 90 feet deep and 60 feet out. You have 6 rounds of breath. Roll initiative, I got a 3. 

Player 1: I also got a 3- 

Ref: You win ties, go! 

Player 1: I am wearing plate, can I even swim? 

Ref: You can swim but you will sink 5 feet deeper every round. If you let yourself sink you will sink 10 feet. 

Player 1: Can I see a shoreline that I can climb up? 

Ref: No, the cliff [Player 3] is standing on is only about 5 feet high but it's wet and sheer. To your left and right the water extends into oppressive darkness. 

Player 3: Can I lower my staff for him to grab onto? 

Ref: Sure. 2-in-6 to get him up, on a 6 he’d pull you in though. 

Player 3: 6… I don’t even get a save? 

Ref: Sure, if you make it your staff slips out of your hands. If you fail, you fall in the water. 

Player 3: 13! Made it! 

Ref: [Player 1] you are now in the water, sinking, and holding [Player 3]’s staff. 

Player 1: I let go of it, draw my sword, and get ready for this overgrown fish to come get me. 

Ref: Great, you are now 10 feet deep and have 17 rounds of breath. You can make an attack on the fish that is closing in. 

Player 1: 20! BOOM! 

Ref: Super! Roll 2d4 and add half your strength modifier. 

Player 1: WHAT? 

Ref: Not easy to use a sword underwater. 

Player 1: 9 damage! Eat that! 

Ref: Nice! [Player 2] what’s your plan? 

Player 2: I’m going to try to escape again and start swimming toward the surface. I rolled a 2! 

Ref: Whew! You kick free and start swimming straight up. You are now only 70 feet deep and you have 7 rounds of breath. The fish that you kicked free from (rolls morale… 8) shakes a little and swims off into the depths apparently uninterested in prey that is willing to fight so hard. The one that was chasing whooshes past you in the black. [Player 1] The fish you sliced open also turns tail and follows the others into the dark depths. We are out of combat for the time being, but will not yet be leaving rounds. You have 16 rounds of breath. [Player 2] it takes you 4 rounds to get back to the surface, you have 5 rounds of breath so no drowning check needed. 

Player 2: That was close! 

Ref: It was, but [Player 1] is still sinking. 

Player 3: I drop my stuff- 

Ref: It takes a round to get as much off as you can that would be ruined by water. [Player 1] you sink another 5 feet and are 15 feet deep. You have 15 rounds of breath. 

Player 3: I dive in and help [Player 1] get to the surface. 

Ref: Done. Everyone is back at the surface, [Player 2] and [Player 3] help [Player 1] stay afloat. The cavern seems immense and there is no beach insight. The magic light from [Player 2]’s dagger is a lonely pinprick like a solitary star in a dark sky. The low cliff face seems unscalable due to its sheer surface, wet, and mud. 

Player 2: I can climb it. 34! 

Ref: Well done! It takes a turn to scrabble up the wall and get both [Player 1] and [Player 3] up. You are back where you started. In the water you still see that pale glow.