House Rules

[Distorted Humor]

This isn't complete, but Thieves get 1d6 per hit die.

[Distorted Humor]

Skills

I am not playing with skills, however I will allow players to pick "hobby skills", if you want you can pick two skills that you will get bonuses from, and you will get additional hobby skills as you progress. I perfer to use this as flavor and not a hard and fast rule, but if your hobby skill is blacksmithing, then you would be much more able to understand detailed about smith work and perhaps able to craft something. I will let you decide later that something is a hobby skill, (you do not need to decide at character creation) but once picked, you are stuck with them.

However I rather folks just role play it.

Languages

I do not play with Alignment languages, instead folks know the common "trading' language so that they are able to get basic purchases even if they cannot speak the language.

[Distorted Humor]

natural twenty always hit and do full damage.

[max_vale]

This naturally begs the question....are natural 1's always misses and fumbles? (I'm perfectly cool with that; just curious!)

[Vargr1105]

It also begs the question, do monsters and NPCs get natural 20's with full damage too?

I am not comfortable with this idea because as a GM rolls many, many more Attack Rolls than players a party is going to statistically suffer more criticals than it delivers, and NPCs don't have to deal with the consequences after they fade from the scene and are replaced by fac-similes. A dead goblin is just that (critted or not) while a dead party member critted by goblin is a major drag.

I would prefer having no criticals at all than criticals for both PCs and NPCs.

[Distorted Humor]

monsters do NOT roll full damage on 20s. Just PCs. Its one of the few benefits i give to PCs as BECMI D&D can be harsh at low level.

Natural 1s - always a miss, and a 50% chance that it is a "fumble". Monsters do fumble.

[max_vale]

When I'm the DM, I typically allow "Major" NPCs and monsters to get the advantage of Criticals and the disadvantage of Fumbles...."mook" monsters/NPCs I don't give either one.

Vargr's comments brings up a question I have though....is PC death likely? I have no problem if it is (i.e. the "grim" and/or "dice fall as they will" kind of style) and I also have no problem with DM "behind the scenes" tailoring here and there to ensure that a long-running PC doesn't buy it as a result of a lucky; wandering monster attack that has nothing to do with the major plot-line.....I'm cool either way; I just like to know up-front which style is going to be employed.

This allows me to have some "backup PCs" ideas in my head if we go down the "PCs are fair game" choice!

[Distorted Humor]

When I'm the DM, I typically allow "Major" NPCs and monsters to get the advantage of Criticals and the disadvantage of Fumbles...."mook" monsters/NPCs I don't give either one.

Vargr's comments brings up a question I have though....is PC death likely? I have no problem if it is (i.e. the "grim" and/or "dice fall as they will" kind of style and I also have no problem with DM "behind the scenes" tailoring here and there to ensure that a long-running PC doesn't buy as a result of a lucky; wandering monster attack that has nothing to do with the major plot-line.....I'm cool either way; I just like to know up-front which style is going to be employed.

This allows me to have some "backup PCs" ideas in my head if we go down the "PCs are fair game" choice!

PC death can happen, though I never had a TPK. Also most towns have a temple, that for a cost (coin, item, or quest), can raise the dead. Post PC losses occur if the party has to flee and not bring bodies with them, or level drain/stoning or other such nastiness.

[Bouv]

For hobby skills, would you consider 1st aid part of that?

[Distorted Humor]

For hobby skills, would you consider 1st aid part of that?

sure