House Rules

[dmw71]

House Rules

General Play

1. Private Forums
2. Expected Posting Rate
3. Formatting Posts
4. Campaign ID
5. Player Rolls
6. Rounding
7. Character Sheets
8. Actions: Declared and Default
9. Details Tracking
10. Experience Points and Gaining Levels
11. Maps and Character Positioning
12. Reserved
13. Reserved

Class Specific

• Cleric (and First-Aid)
• Dwarf
• Elf
• Fighter
• Halfling
• Magic-User
• Thief

Character Specific

1. Ability Scores
2. Ability Checks
3. Hit Points
4. Injuries and Death
5. Encumbrance
6. Spells
7. Spell Points
8. Languages
9. Reserved
10. Reserved

Encounters

1. Initiative
2. Target 20
3. Variable Weapon Damage
4. Ranged Attacks in Melee
5. Expended Missiles
6. Natural 20's (and 1's)
7. Torch as a Weapon
8. Reserved

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Private Forums
Each player will have their own private forum. Only three people will have even view access to these private forums:

1. The Player
2. The DM
3. The website admin, Greg (ToniXX)

(Note: Because Greg is also a player in this game, he has agreed to avoid the private forums of the other players.)

What Goes In These Private Forums?
While there may also be other uses, the four items below will appear in each private forum:

1. The player will post and maintain their complete character sheet.
2. The DM will track the hit points and experience points for the character.
3. An 'ooc' thread.
4. An 'action' thread matching the the current 'action' thread in the public forum.

Why?
There are three primary reasons:

1. Keep certain character-specific data completely hidden (e.g. hit points, experience points, contents carried but not in plain sight, etc...)
2. Replace private messages, which can't be searched or linked to; you'll use the appropriate topic in your private sub-forum instead.
3. Provide the player with an easy means of posting any secret activities they want their character to perform.

How Will the Game Work?
Essentially like any other play-by-post game here on the boards. The DM will post an update in the main public forum, and the players will post their responses publicly as well. Any general question a player may have for the DM can be posted in the designated 'ooc' thread. However, if a player wants their character to do something privately, that action can be posted in the private forum.

For example, at the end of an encounter, a player can publicly state that they want their character to search a particular victim. Here is how that will play out:

• The DM will inform the player what they find in their private forum.
• The player can decide to share only what they want in the public forum.
• Does a chaotic or neutral character (alignment matters here) reveal that they discovered a thumbnail-sized diamond, or just share the dozen gold pieces also found on the body?

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Expected Posting Rate
The expectation is that all players involved will post once per day during the week (weekends and major U.S. holidays are excluded).


NPC'ing
In order to keep up a consistent pace of play, any player not providing an update for their character before the DM submits their daily update will have their actions NPC'd, or, depending upon the situation, the character will simply not take an action that round. Players should provide default actions (see: Default Actions) for their characters, but the DM will always attempt to play the character intelligently and in a logical manner. If you know that you're going to miss any extended amount of time, please post the days you'll be missing in the 'Known Absences' thread.


Excessive Absences
Any player consistently or frequently failing to meet the expected posting deadline risks being removed from the game. The DM will attempt to contact the "missing" player before issuing any official warnings or taking other, more drastic measures including, but not limited to, the reduction of experience points awarded.

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Formatting Posts
I'm an not a stickler on this point, but my preference is that all players utilize the appropriate shortcode buttons when formatting their posts.

Shortcode Buttons.png (14.52 KiB) Viewed 2275 times

Since much of my work involves aggregating the various posts into a single, unified update, it is much easier on me if a consistent style is used by all players.


If you have any questions about how any of the buttons work, definitely do not hesitate to ask -- publicly or privately.

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Campaign ID
A unique campaign in the die roller will be created for each individual player, and that campaign ID will be shared with the player in their private forum. The DM will make an initialization roll in each campaign, and only rolls made by the player after this initialization roll will be accepted.

Why?
If everyone linked their characters in the die roller to the same campaign ID, all rolls would be available for every player to see. Creating individual campaigns in the die roller for each player just extends the functionality of the private forums and allows the players to make private rolls as well (e.g. hit points).

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Player Rolls
Only rolls made in the Unseen Servant die roller, and in the appropriate campaign created for the particular character, will be accepted.

Where to Post?
When a roll is made, it can be posted in the public forum (feel free to wrap it in the

tag), or you can post your roll in your private forum. Player's choice.

When is a Roll Needed?
If you think a roll might be needed, make it.

Missing Rolls
Any required rolls not provided by the player will be produced by the DM.

Unused Rolls
I do not carry over or "bank" rolls. Any roll posted but not used will be considered burnt and will not carry over to a future round.

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Rounding
Occasionally the rules ask you to round a result or value. Unless otherwise stated, always round down.

For example, if you are asked to take half of 7, the result would be 3.

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Character Sheets
Each player will have two character sheets -- one public, and one private.

Public Character Sheet (Text)
The public character sheets will be a brief template that will only contain information that is apparent to anyone viewing your character, or discovered through observation. For example, a human character wearing plate mail armor could be a fighter or a cleric. Because the class is not known, it will not be listed on the public character sheet. However, if this plate mail wearing character uses a sword, or casts a spell, their class will have been revealed and the class will be added.

These character sheets will be listed here: Public Character Sheets.

Characteristics that will be found on a public character sheet:

• Height and weight
• Hair and eye color
• Age (or age range)
• The actual race of your character, but not necessarily your class (except in the case of dwarf, elf, or halfling).
• Class (once known)
• Armor worn or weapons carried
• Equipment that is not stowed (e.g. A backpack would be listed, but not the actual contents of the backpack itself).
• Etc...

Regarding height, weight, and age, a player is free to select anything reasonable to list for those measurements. It's only important to me that something is listed.

Default actions for the character should also be listed here.


Private Character Sheet (Text or Die Roller)
This will be the "normal" character sheet, and will saved in the player's private forum. This character sheet will contain everything found in the public character sheet, but also things such as class, level, hit points, alignment, full equipment list, spells known, etc.... which aren't public knowledge.

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Declared Actions
As the DM, I can only resolve actual, declared actions. Vague statements such as "should someone check the door," or even "let's open the door" are not the same as explicitly stating your character is going to check and/or open the door.

When posting an update, please make an effort to advance the situation by indicating a specific action (or actions) your character will attempt that round, and avoid vague comments whenever possible.


Default Actions
During the initial player creation phase, I will ask that all players provide me with an accurate background for their characters. It does not have to be anything elaborate, but in the event a player goes absent and their character needs to be NPC'd, I want to have a good idea how to best respond for them. Your character's chosen alignment will obviously be a big factor, but what are the tendencies of your character? What are their beliefs?

What are the default actions for your characters in various situations:

• If engaged (or threatened to become engaged) in melee combat, how would your character react? Ranged combat?
• What weapon(s) would they use?
• What would cause them to withdraw from combat?
• If a spell caster, what are their go-to spells?

If you, as a player, know you will be unavailable for a length of time, please use the 'Known Absences' thread to make this announcements. If a character is forced into NPC status for three consecutive days without prior arrangement, that character will receive a 50% reduction for any experience points earned during that time.

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Details Tracking
While the DM has dedicated threads created in each of your private forums to track hit points and experience points, players are expected to track these details as normal.


Discrepancies
In the event there is ever a variance between the DM total and the total listed on a players character sheet, the DM total will considered the actual value unless the cause of the discrepancy is discovered. It is the player's responsibility to disprove the DM values if these values are ever questioned.

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Experience Points
Experience points will be awarded by the DM immediately upon the conclusion the the encounter or challenge, and always in your private forum, never publicly.


Role-Playing Awards
I will gladly reward a player that commit to role-playing their characters and immersing themselves in the situation. While not a complete list, here are a few things I have rewarded for in the past:

• Clever ideas (even if unsuccessful)
• Creative uses of abilities or spells
• Humor, if done in character successfully

These awards are not automatic, and the decision of what constitutes an award-worthy post is subjective, so there may be occasions when an opportunity is missed. I apologize for those missed occasions in advance.

Do know, though, that consistent play at a high-level will be consistently awarded.


Gaining Levels
All benefits (including hit points) from attaining a new level will go into affect immediately.

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Maps
The only time a map is guaranteed is during combat, for positioning purposes. Feel free to remind me if I ever fail to provide one. If a complete "overview" map is desired, a player is more than welcome to assume the "mapper" role (B4).

The intention is to draw maps on a 5' scale, with North always pointing up.


Character Positioning
When a map is provided, each 5-foot square will be numbered (or, its number will be easily assumed based on neighboring squares).

I like the idea of allowing my players to decide the exact positioning for their character, in stead of my arbitrarily making that decision for them. This positioning may not be meaningful in every room, but there will be times when knowing where a character is, or what route they take, will be necessary.

Unless your character isn't going to end up anywhere on the area shown on the map, please indicate on which square your character will be at the end of their turn, and what route they took to reach that point. If a route is not specifically stated, it will be assumed that a character takes a direct line to arrive at their destination.

In the event no map is provided, this exact positioning requirement does not apply.

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Reserved I

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Reserved II

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Class Specific

• Cleric (and First-Aid)
• Dwarf
• Elf
• Fighter
• Halfling
• Magic-User
• Thief

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Clerics
The cleric class will not be used in this game.

I'm curious to see how the party will function now that the healing requirement is spread equally, and not just the responsibility of the player "stuck" playing the healer.

To compensate for this (even though clerics did not begin the game with any spells), each character will begin the game with one potion of healing (B48).

Additionally, first-aid kits and potions of healing will be widely added as items to the normal equipment list. Both new items are useable by any class.


First-Aid Kits

• Cost: 5 gold pieces
• Effect: 1d2 hp (+1 for 15 or greater Intelligence)
• Uses: 10 hit points
• Notes: The contents of a healing kit will be able to restore a total of 10 hit points of damage before the supplies will become exhausted (the +1 Intelligence bonus does count against this total). The kit can also be used multiple times on the same individual.

Potions of Healing

• Cost: 25 gold pieces
• Effect: 2-7 (1d6+1)
• Uses: 1

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Dwarf
No changes at this time.

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Elf
No changes to the class itself, but please see the following house rules:

• Spells
• Spell Points

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Fighter
No changes at this time.

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Halfling
No changes at this time.

Note: Since the 'pair combat' (individual initiative) rules are not being used, the following was added to the general initiative rules (see: Initiative):

"If a halfling is in the party, they will act at the same time as the group they're a part of, but their actions will occur first."