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Seven House Rules to Improve Your D&D Game
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- Опубліковано 14 сер 2024
- Do you or your dungeon master have house rules designed to make your D&D game better? In this video, I discuss seven simple house rules I've made to improve my Dungeons & Dragons 5e games for my players.
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What's your favorite house rule in your games?
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Wow, glad I could help. What are the main challenges you face?
Lol I gotta save these rules for reference also @thedmlair I'm a little vague about 5e is it possible to make custome player races? I'd assume so but idk I haven't played since pathfinder but I'll be getting back into dnd here soon hopefully
Anything is possible really but it's up to your dungeon master. You could make custom races but it would be at the discretion and under the guidance of your dungeon master. That is there no rules in the game that give you options for creating custom races. You would just need to dream something up and try to keep it in balance with the other existing races.
Hey Luke wen is the next Live Stream? PS Yes more Gary is even more fun he’s basically your second logo new 👍😀
@@theDMLair very helpful thanks
"I have no idea why someone would want to decrease their D20 roll" Three words: Wild Magic Surge
But that's the fun part of that subclass! 😂
That's what I'm saying, you could decrease your roll to a 1 to trigger a surge
Pretty sure it has to be a nat 1 could be wrong tho
I believe that they should be more prevalent, so I play it as a curse or just too much power to the point of them not controlling it well, and it can happen for certain characters from 5% of the time to up to 50% of the time, also I eventually give them a home few cantrip, Surge, you know what it does, makes them roll on the table, also I love to make my own tables for surge dependent on level and how dire the time is, if time is more dire, your power is higher so you can say... gain a use of a random dragons breath, or just shock yourself in your rage and power
wowostyle Default love this so much do you happen to have some of those tables for public viewing or what
For quick access (please also watch the video for clarifications):
1. Luck points instead of inspiration.
2. 1 minute tactics discussion between combat rounds, little discussion between turns.
3. Declare actions quickly or default to Dodge.
4. DM rolls death saves in secret
5. D12 random encounter system.
6. Drink healing potions as a bonus action.
7. Rules disagreements in session are solved with a die roll and researched afterwards to clarify.
Thanks bro
Best comment
Drink a healing potion as a bonus action is what I use... but if someone feeds another character a potion, it's an action.
Have to say, a random encounter doesn't have to be a combat encounter. It could be a traveling merchant or pilgrims...
Signed to that, I agree
Dave the sharkman accountant, Struggling to breath without water.
I do this way: I set 6 random encounters about battles and roll the dice to decide what the players will encounter. After that, in another dice roll, if i get a number that already has been used before, this means that a special event happen (Side quest, traveler, merchant, dungeon, etc)
I made a random encounter table with 100 possibilities for overland travel. If I roll a 100 on a d%, the party rolls listen checks. They hear the noise of wagon wheels creaking down the road behind them...but they hear something else too...a strange noise they can't identify. After everyone draws weapons ready for a fight, the wagon rolls up on them. As it draws closer they can see the source of the strange noise......the wagon is packed with Gnomes and Halflings far beyond what would normally be considered a safe capacity...and they're all arguing with each other over personal space, who ate the last apple, why did they even let so-and-so come along, etc. The wagon rolls past the party and continues down the road usually leaving the party very confused.
My personal favorite is a strange place. It gets my players either paranoid or excited when I toss a "decrepit old house" or "abandoned keep" at them in the middle of nowhere
Concerning number 6:
What I have done previously is the following. Every player may prepare 3 or 4 potions to be carried at their belt. They will take considerably less time than picking a potion from a bag or even their backpack. Usually that's mainly healing potions but certain tactical choices like potions of invisibility or stat boosts can really turn the tides.
On the other hand, if they fall from a cliff and smack on the ground, barely alive, I usually have some of those prepared potions break. It's a give and take, really
I’m gonna steal this idea
That is a great idea. You could basically have three slots on your belt and whatever potion you put in there would be a bonus action to drink. The ones that you don't have in those three slots take longer. A full action.
I allow the players two slots, and the potion is consumed as an interaction with an object. My reasoning is if the PHB says you can use an IWO to drink a flagon of ale within reach then why not a potion? Maybe I could offer the player a better belt that holds more potions but most potions seem to be consumed outside of combat rather than during. The main thing is it takes the pressure off of support classes to forfeit their turn to react to damage (as much).
@@BTG514 the flagon of ale vs potion example fails to notice an important point: a flagon or cup, or anything, the deciding factor of how much you can drink is you. A potion, it's the opening.
Take a cup, fill it with water. Empty a soda can, fill it with water. You can down the cup in an instant, if you, physically, can. But you're going to be drinking from the can for a while, because it's restricted by the size of the hole.
That, and game balance, is why potions take an action. But I personally will be using the bonus action on in my future games
@@stevenn1940 It's not unfathomable for someone to bite the stopper off a vial and chug the contents. There's no rules for how many fluid ounces are in a potion and the whole notion of potions having more than one serving seemed to die with AD&D (other than Keoghtom's Ointment). For balance, the action cost of in-combat healing is prohibitively high. Enemies can easily deal more damage the subsequent round following a PC consuming a potion than a potion is liable to restore. My motivation for reducing the action cost of healing to an IWO is to take the pressure off the support PC who maybe would prefer to do something proactive rather than respond to incoming damage in-combat with 'largely' inefficient & costly tools.
“We all know a wizard, sorcerer, or druid who can never decide on what spell to cast”
Me: *avoiding eye contact and sweating* I don’t know what you’re talking about. What’s a sorcerer? Never heard of her.
...no one said it was a girl. Lol
Same with nearly every class I play.
if I am casting a spells usually I know what I will be casting sometime I might have to change what spell due to a character needing healing or the creature I was going to cast on is dead.
10:30 "The paladin is in no danger of dying"
*laughs in Earth Elementals stepping on heads*
Good ol' Matt colville Reference
Yeah, that's my solution to that problem. Most of my enemies are trying to make sure that the enemy is dead, so if you don't get to that PC as soon as you can then you better hope the cleric packed Revivify
A house rule my friends and I use is “The Golden Dice” rule. Once per session there is a golden dice that is shared by the whole party (not one per person, one dice for everyone).
At any point, a person, without asking anyone else, can use the golden dice and get a nat 20 on any roll.
Thats it. And its created some of the funniest moments ever.
Christopher Pretti I like this
Before or after they roll?
@@alexdominguez3993 Whenever they want to do something and before they role the dice, they declare "I want to use the golden dice" then the DM pretends that the guy just instantly rolled a nat 20, and roleplays accordingly.
Is it balanced? No. Does it make for amazing stories? Yes.
@@TheChris046 I do this but the next roll has to be a 1
So basically everyone is a better divination wizard?
While I agree with 'speeding up combat' I've found players are almost always invested in other players turns, and want to see them do well. If the wizard has his nose burried in his spell list or the sorcerer in his metamagic collection and the entire table screams in glee because the barbarian just crit, they feel left out, and often it can re-arange thier entire turn because the target of whatever spell they were looking at is now gone. It also means that you have a situation where asked for an action the wizard goes "Hold on....Yup ok...fireball!" and then looks at the table only to realise everyone has moved and suddenly they either have to cast a spell that'll hit everyone, forefit their turn or at very high speed, pick a new spell. I think this ruling only works when you have that 1 minute pre-chat so everyone can organize what they are doing, so the wizard can listen to where everyone will be, and then plan accordingly. Additionally at much higher levels, wizard have such a huge spell list that 'familiarizing' yourself with the entire list, is much like revising for a test. You might remember 50% of your spells, because those are the big ones that do all the things, but you might not remember all of them.
The solution I've come up with for my players is to rather than going "You are dodging." is to say. "You drop inititive." and just move them below whatever else is next. It gives them the time they need, they still feel a penalty of it. and it doesn't really remove them from combat. Because if you have someone who chose a class they've not played before, they are going to be going "eahm...hold on..." and checking the specifics of what they can do, and after they've been punished once or twice for doing that. they'll most likely lose intrest or just default to "I hit it!"
I have done this myself, and yes I have done my best to memorize the class I'm playing, but you forget key details sometimes in the heat of a game. and knowing if a power or ability is a swift action or standard is VERY important.
A problem i encountered very often is that my actions/skills/spells as i use them are very often on the edge of what could be possible done with them or i try to use them in a way they should work but are not ment to be used. Which leads very often to the point where i have to look into the specifics.
I agree that you want to keep combat moving along quickly, and its usually casters that have to slow it down since they have so many options. Its a fair point though, especially if your player isn't someone who lives and breathes D&D and has every spell memorized so here's something I've done as a caster player. Usually on your character sheet you list all your spells by level. I have a separate combat spell sheet with categories of spells, Damage (split into single target and AoE) Battlefield Control, Healing, etc and perhaps a single keyword. This seems to speed up my decision making. Also if all else fails, have a cantrip at the top of your combat sheet that you can default to if your AP locks up.
That's a great idea! I can see that helping some of my players. 😁
That's a great idea. I might have to tweak it a bit for a Cleric, but I'm probably going to try that.
Your warlock has 30 seconds to cast a spell or they just cast Eldritch blast
Love it!!!
I will make my characters do a QTE to do stuff
You've heard of the seven deadly sins before! Now prepare for the *seven house rules!*
You are definitely not being harsh about speeding up combat.
Yeah, unfortunately some people will take as much time as you give them. So the only solution is to give them less time.
I could see using luck points to decrease an attack roll on a friendly character is you were charmed or dominated.
Very true! That'd be quite useful.
@@theDMLair If it applies to any roll, then a divination wizard might use it to get a portent roll to be a 1 for that big bad to fail a save!
Thanks Luke, I've been a DM for almost 40 yrs and I found this super useful. I'm going to be adding a couple of new house rules this weekend thanks to you.
Cool! Happy to help a vet! 😁
A house rule I use for inspiration is that the first inspiration is a d4 that they can add to any roll, if they get inspiration again, they switch out that d4 for a d6, I think you see where this is going. They max out at a d20 and they can add what they roll (with each die) to their total. But, yes they do have to declare that they want to use the inspiration BEFORE they roll. Also they can always give away their inspiration to a different player at any time.
I use this exact method, except my dice cap at D12. ANd I allow them to hold onto the die until their roll but before DM makes the Call.
Also if they are DM given inspiration they can be used on any roll except Death Saves.
I will be taking these house rules and using them for my own games. You let me, right? kthx!
I have my own way of dealing with initiative. You see, everyone at my tables LOVES strategy RPGs in the vein of Fire Emblem and Super Robot Taisen, so I make the combat turns go in a similar way. First, we roll for initiative as normal. Then, all the players go, from highest to lowest initiative, followed by all of the enemies, again from lowest to highest, then, finally, the NPC allies and neutrals, from highest to lowest initiative. It's very simple, and I feel that it lets the players coordinate their team strategies better.
I like the luck points house rule and the bonus action healing potion rule.
In our Tomb of Annihilation game I’ve talked to the other players and tried to explain how most of the time choosing to hit the baddie was more beneficial than drinking the healing potion in most situations. Especially when the bad guy hits harder than the amount of healing those potions give.
Exactly. Would drinking a healing potion being a full action it's almost never a good idea to drink a healing potion as opposed to just attacking the bad guy and killing him faster. When drinking healing potion is a bonus action then it's not a big deal and the dungeon master can throw a lot more beefy monsters at the players and not worry about them going down. For instance let's say you were running a module it is very challenging being able to drink healing potions with a bonus action would make the module as challenging for the players. This is a sort of course assuming that the player is ample access to healing potions
@@theDMLair This comment comes a long time late, but here goes. At our games we have a house rule very similar but with one minor adjustment. Drinking a healing potion as a bonus action heals 2d4+2, but taking a standard action will automatically heal 10, as you took the time to get every last drop. Gonna take your time? Get it all. Grabbing a quick swig? Well, we let the dice decide.
Bring back Gary!!!
Also, a new intro. " Hey my name is Gary I been a full-time employee since high school"😂😜
I need to hear about this new initiative like.... Yesterday. 🥰
Yeah! Gary with a new intro.
Sold! 😁
@@theDMLair Yes, bring back Gary The Intern! :-D
My dm also doesnt like long tactic discussions, but he does it differently. After we do all our roles, we get 6 seconds to issue commands or ask for help, and doing roleplay. It actually makes combat feel much more urgent and frenetic, as if we were actually there, slaying monsters
1.Luck points: 2:37
2. Tactics discussions between combat rounds 5:34
3. Declare actions quickly or dodge 7:54
4. Secret death saving throw checks 10:00
5. D12 random encounter system 11:59
6. Drinking healing potions as a bonus action 14:24
7. Setting rules/discussions with a dice off 15:44
"these rules are simple and not complex"
So no Greyhawk Initiative then? :P
Dude I tried the greyhawk initiative system. It bogged the game down like you would not believe. I tried it with two groups even just to make sure. It sucks. No one liked it. I highly recommend that no one ever ever use the greyhawk initiative system. LOL it makes combat slower which is something that Dungeons & Dragons does not need by any stretch of the imagination. Just one man's opinion of course.
the DM Lair that seems to be the common consensus on it, I don’t think I’ve heard anyone use it and like it lol
@@theDMLair I think It made more sense when characters were simpler and didn't have all the various class options and feats available to them - y'know back when combat rounds were 1 minute long and armour class was descending - so deciding on a course of action didn't take too long (and we used to cap the discussions much like you describe in your video with a similar "full defense" sort of default action). The pre-declaration of action before initiative being rolled is sort of wargaming hangover and makes the "fog of war" a more tangible thing. 3e broke away from that abstraction and modern D&D become more like a tactical combat simulation - much as RuneQuest and Chivalry & Sorcery were way back in the late '70s/'80s period. (Yes, I'm a grognard.)
The closest I did was rolling their initiatives for them before combat. This was in a time warping area. So I just rolled everything beforehand for 25 rounds. I use some initiative markers that hang on my GM screen so at the end of each round I just rearranged to the proper order. Kept combat quick, but random. I give the players a minute to discuss tactics for the round while I do this. And then we start
@@theDMLair any feel as to what aspect caused the biggest slow down - was it the choose (and declare) action before rolling initiative, or was it figuring out which dice to be rolled each time?
I love the fact that the wizard turned the rogue into Gary. I couldn’t stop laughing. XD The luck points system sounds really cool and I’m going to use it in my sessions. Thank you, Luke.
You are very welcome. You're my buddy John next to me here at work was laughing his butt off to when that happened. I stood up for my Cube and was like dude what are you laughing at. And then he showed me the wizard and Gary.
I came up with an idea for the healing potion as bonus action. I let my player choose between 0 to X (depending on the session) potions they can attach to their belt. Those potions take a bonus action and any other potions take a normal action
It's a tiny one, and I'm sure many people already play it this way, but one of my favourite house rules is rolling critical hits as double damage dice, not just adding a crit die to the total. Any modifiers stay the same, but the actual dice roll for the damage is doubled. It makes critical hits seem so much more meaty and rewarding and makes rolling a natural 20 actually feel special.
Also, a slight variation on your "communication during combat" ruling... I do allow my players to communicate during combat, but here's the kicker. It's only in ways that the characters would be able to communicate in, and ways that would take less than 6 seconds. After all, a combat round takes place over 6 seconds, so I allow my players to shout things to one another at that moment, in character. Out-of-character discussion during a tense moment is seen as metagaming at my table, and rightly so. The characters aren't sitting down and having a chat during a fight, so the information would never have been passed. If it can't be conveyed in the heat of the moment during the battle(i.e. shouting "kill that one!" at the barbarian or "throw a fireball!" at the wizard), it won't be discussed.
That's how the crit system already works. It's only very specific weapons or classes that add a die when they crit, such as the barbarian, half-orc or viscous weapons.
9:05 I had a BARBARIAN do that. The floor in front of him was a magic "moat" that would deal a bit of psychic damage while walking over it. He spent forever trying to come up with some method to cross it by taking the least amount of damage (which, unless intentionally walking around on the thing, was equidistant to cross anywhere), while the bard, hexblade and paladin were like "whatever".
The damage (which the players already had an idea about, from previous such "moats") was 1d6/5 ft. To cross, he would have taken 4d6 psychic damage.
They party was around level 8 and he had around 75 hp (not full) AND he was a Bear Barbarian, so he effectively had 150 hp (yes, psychic is the one weakness of that BS path, but that would still leave 51 (102) hp at the VERY least).
And right after that came - the worst decision of my life as a DM - his pet's turn...
This is how I solve rule dispute at my table: Players have 60 seconds to look up for official rule in books, internet. If they dont find it DM decides. And game continues.
After the session we can have a discussion, and if we agree on a different interpretation of the rule. Then next time if it pops up, that rule will be used.
I like, for rules discrepancy, to decide on a house ruling there and then, and later do pretty much the same thing and look it up and figure out what the rule should be. perhaps its a bit more heavy handed, but it keeps the game flowing better (and i usually go with what seems like the most fair)
And for time in combat, just need to remind the players that a round is 6 seconds! you don't have all day to plan your turn!
I love your videos!!! You have the best skits and ideas! I especially love the speed of combat rules (I do the same!) But I especially loved the random encounter way of rolling so there isn’t a super high chance for one all the time AND you have control behind the scenes on top of that... I could also see 3 players rolling a d12 if they long rest in a “dangerous area” just to build tension
I just started my own D&D channel (The Dungeon Coach) and you have been one of my inspirations over the years and I feel we are very similar! I’ll be giving you shout outs on some of the things you’ve done that have helped MY game table! I’d love to see what you thunk. Thanks man! Keep rockin it!
Thanks! 😁
I'll check it out.
I was already going to use some sort of d12 system for random encounters to up the tension. I really like the idea of 3 players rolling a d12. (The system I was trying to think of would have certain rolls cause an encounter or not depending on where the party was, like a 10 might be safe if they're barricaded, or dangerous if they're in the middle of the woods). But having 3 people roll in a dangerous place sounds like a much better way to tense things up a bit.
Thanks for the suggestion! :)
Eclipse T. Exactly! This is why I love his idea so much! Tension building AND controllable behind the scenes so you still have control if needed.
Just posted the video where I reference you and your inspiration to me! Thanks Luke!!
I think the tactics discussion during combat rule you have is more than fair. At the table I play we only talk tactics with the "free interaction" thing in character, so a short phrase your character shouts during their turn. Not only it makes combat faster but much more engaging because you have to pay attention to what the other players (or their characters) are doing. The only exception is to remind the DM or a player of a rule or an ability like "hey you have an extra action since you're hasted" or "that guy used it's reaction so you can move away safely".
I like that too. It's much more realistic. And obviously limits the amount of discussion that they're able to do.
If you rolled a two, you could decrease by one and then roll again as a halfling
That's similar to a natural 20. I'd not allow this as it makes an already powerful ability exceedingly powerful.
4:24 decreasing could be good if you're a divination wizard and want a 1 in your Portent bank to screw over an enemy.
I have a few.
At the moment, I can think of two in context to this video:
1- I turned Short Rests down from 1 hour to 5 minutes. Mainly because my Warlock and Cleric need some love, for maintaining a faster pace (i.e.: short resting while in the middle of a village being invaded by Githyanki); also, I was used to 4E short rests being 5 minutes and didn't want it to change. This disadvantages some bard abilities. Fortunately, my PC group has no bard.
2- I repurposed Inspiration die to be a reroll-everything-with-advantage roll that I give 1 per level. The initial motivation was to encourage my players to roll hit-dice rather than just pick an average; sort of make it more exciting for them by having them dare to do so. It expanded to a reroll of something truly pivotal. So, in some ways, that's similar to your luck points; but I'm past the point of rating "good roleplaying" for my circle of friends - it caused complications for the less able and the confident alike and I wanted to even the playing field.
So with warlock getting unlimited spells for all intents and purposes, do you do something to help wizards? Or do they only get slots back on long 8 hour rests?
Favorite quote from this video: "That's why you should be trying to figure out what you are doing on your turn while the OTHER players are taking their turns during combat."
Combat is meant to be sloppy and anxiety inducing. "The best laid plans only survive until the first shot is fired"
Keeping situational awareness is key, listen to what the other players are doing while you plan out your next move, and adapt and adjust as the situation dictates.
On tactical deployment, I only allow tactics discussion right up until the first combat die roll is made. From that point on, each player is responsible to maintain situational awareness of the battlefield. At the top of each combat round, I describe the situation, where everyone is, what they are facing, how far away each pc and enemy are from one another. I have not yet implemented any sort of time limit on my players for deciding their actions, but I have not really had anyone from my current group take an exorbitant amount of time to decide.
heya so i have house rule of my own on initiative and it goes like this :
1) everyone rolls a d20
2) every player clockwise tells me what they want to do and thats real quick like i attack creature 1/i cast a firebolt at creature 2 etc... (movement/bonus action & reactions are still taken during their turn)
3) I tell my players what my creatures will do (so they cant meta play)
4) the round begins and once its over we repeat from step 2
an important note for this rule what happens when you are no longer having a target as declared its simple you choose a new target and get a -5 to your initiative roll
another important note is that if you cast lets say a fire bolt at the enemies which are stacked and you are last to go you get to place the fireball at the place they have moved from as a round is 6 seconds not 6x the NPC/PC count.
Also this way players dont get to be like oh you died now i gotta heal you instead they take their action as intended and on the next round they might see their fallen ally and aid him
The result : my combat runs 3-4 times faster and everyone feels like the game is live and not a pokemon turn based game
This kind of sounds like the speed rules in the dmg just without the extra calculation
@@eddr98 its inspired by it but i took the good added something better and got rid of the bad
Heya, thanks for posting these houserules!
1. *_Luck points_* : is OP for the players. Totally breaks natural flow balance. Good for high-power campaigns but still, removes the element of dice failure. Won't use this.
2. *_Tactic discussions between combat rounds_* : is an awesome rule. I'll definitelly use it!
3. *_Declare actions quickly or Dodge_* : sounds like a good rule. I'll definitelly give it a try.
4. *_Secret Death saving throws_* : is 50-50. I'd rather have the player do death save but behind the dm screen so only me and him know the result. This way he gets to feel if HE succeeded or failed instead of ME doing it for him.
5. *_D-12 encounter system, player vs dm roll_* : pretty clever! I'll use it!
6. *_Bonus action to use a drinking potion_* : I already do that and I'm happy to see you mention it too
7. *-Rules discussion with dice off-* :
I have a house rule for clerics. Since good/evil aligned clerics can cast positive or negative energy, neutral clerics get to cast neutral energy on themselves in regards to dealing with undead. This allows the cleric to appear invisible to the undead until they take an action other than movement. Attacks, pulling others out of harms way, casting spells breaks the effect. Intelligent undead like vampires get a spell save at the regular DC for spell/pc/base lvl etc. They can affect multiple pc’s at higher lvls.
I just let my players roll their inspiration like it is luck. After the roll and all that.
7:44 - 7:59
I can't focus on the rest of the video until I talk about this.
It's giving me a second-hand anxiety attack just hearing about it.
As someone with autism and a stress disorder, that sounds horrific-- toxic behaviour, even. I would *_never_* want to play with a DM like that.
It's hard enough to formulate sentences when pressure _isn't_ crippling my thoughts, let alone when it is.
Just remember, DMs and players, if someone at the table is having trouble with snappy decisions, there might be a very good out-of-game reason for it.
Just... I know I'm an uncommon problem. Tailor your style to who is at your table.
Just remember to have patience with people who need it.
Yes, thank you! Some of my best friends have autism or GAD and I as a DM would completely fail them if I pressured them this way!
Similar with dealing with a table of ADHD brains.
Learning/knowing your meta is almost as, if not more, important than actually RPing the game. I'm assuming for him this works. However, it's a broad stroke rule and not meant for all groups. Happy playing!
This is easily fixed by a DM knowing his group and adjusting. This video doesn't advocate putting pressure on people with actual conditions.
@@Elheru42
People can always not understand or not know about certain conditions, and sometimes people can have undiagnosed conditions and end up being held to unreasonable standards.
You can't cater to someone's needs if you don't know what those needs are.
...Now that I think about it...
It could very well be that the person who was holding up the group in the video *_does_* have a condition that the DM in the video didn't/doesn't know about.
Having great trouble choosing which spell to use to the point of holding up the proper flow of combat for the group does raise a red flag in my mind of "that smacks of a disorder."
Of course, maybe the person who takes 'too long' actually does better and has more fun under pressure-- sometimes things can be counter-intuitive like that on an individualistic basis --but, y'know, either way, one size doesn't fit all.
It's all just something to keep in mind.
I don't think the guy in the video meant any harm or anything, but, y'know, intent and effect are different things and verily to be minded.
I do thank you for the comment, though.
Y'know, r/technicallythetruth.
My group has two fairly significant house rules:
1. Inspiration pool. I and my partner DM are pretty generous with inspiration points, giving them out for good roleplay and any other behavior we enjoy encouraging (like our sorceress' amazing pun-making skills). Problem: 99% of the time players forget they have inspiration (or fall into the 'must hoard limited resource' mentality) , so it quickly becomes pointless to award inspiration points as frequently as we want. Solution: Players can accumulate a pool of inspiration points, and may use only one point on any given turn.
2. Roll for Awesome. Something picked up from my last group. When you roll a nat 20 on any check or attack or whatever, you have the option of 'Rolling for Awesome', which is just a straight DC 15 Charisma check. If you pass, you look Hella Cool while doing whatever you're attempting- I'm talking 'a video game would use a slow mo rotating camera to truly portray how Awesome and Epic this action was so you can drink it aaaaaallll in'. If you fail, you just look normally cool, and if you get a result of 10 or less, you look like an idiot while still managing to succeed at what you're doing (think Jar Jar fumbling his way through all his shenanigans- still successful, but looks incredibly foolish). On successes we tend to award either inspiration points or 10XP.
My main house rule is about "Checkfortrapscheckfortrapscheckfortraps" I hate..check for traps DMs, "Sorry! 100 checks of no traps, and you forgot to check the one thing. Pitfall trap with falling rocks!"
I hate it. Redundant and slows games down. So what I do? I have everybody's perception for traps, both active and passive. When I place a trap, I also put two of the d20 rolls for it. One for active, one for passive So whoever is leading group, if not rushing, we default is checking for traps. Somebody touches something? I got their check.
If rushing, or if person leading misses their active, perhaps somebody else passive spots it.
Now a trap is like an encounter, I can story tell what they see. Exploration is faster, more narrative and less tedious/repetitive. Traps can now be interesting puzzles and I dare say.... fun?
But this is just the most major secret check house rule. As a DM, any check which can only affect a players actions that follow, I foll. Disguise, stealth, all of that. While it takes dice roll from player, it does dramatically up roleplay and interaction.
"Make a stealth check"
"Oh... rolled a 3"
That player will act differently. Which expanded from say rolling a 3 when checking that idol for traps.
yes I totally agree that constantly checking for traps slows the game down and sucks. But I tend to do is describe the environment at all times and usually they're Clues for a trap being somewhere and if the players are paying attention to the narration they'll be clued in to the fact that there's a trap somewhere
@@theDMLair Oh yeah! For sure! I also do that a bit in description for if it is missed. Honestly, unless you have one made and I cannot find, I would love a video on how you approach secret checks and traps. Heck. A good trap encounter with your experience is probably a video on its own! Trap encounters when I am a player I find can be one of the more frustrating things that can really slow down the non combat phase of play.
It is like a free roll for them of sorts. Mostly it started from adventure modules and such with just random traps, or simple ones to prevent the expectation at hints of traps.
How I might roleplay it is they can see something like a trap. "You see a broken line in the dust across the floor" So that would be the successful check, then they roleplay figuring out what trap is, "It appears to be a slight gap, dust is falling through the floor" How to disable, "You see another crack 10ft away, the floor itself seems loose, but nothing else is in the area"
So in this case, a simple non resetting pitfall trap has a bit of play to it.
But if they missed, but go and say "That big door seems suspicious, I want to check it out" I include action with the roll and let them roll. So in that case, they are checking for traps to open. So what they do if they dont find one is what I have done. The action to open the door if no trap is set before the roll. Effectively, roleplaying it is like giving a reroll if that makes sense?
I ageee with most of this but the biggest one i cannot support is the deathsaves. Death saves is something the player should always do. Their character mortality is in their hands. It makes death a much more personal thing. Its their rolls that kill the pc or save them. I agree that it is meta gaming to an extent, but when it comes to the point where pcs are dropping, if they are rolling their saves and fail 2 of them in a row, that gives the player more of an option to if they just sacrifice themselves for the good of the party. This has happened a few times with groups ive been a part of. I firmly believe that the player should be the hands of fate for their pcs lives.
I agree. Death Saves must be for that character. Otherwise it will feel like the DM just killed the player, or he was saved when he shouldn't. Deaths are not supposed to be planned. When they happen shit have hit the fan and it will be a mess.
I agree with a lot of these House rules. Every campaign I have run has had different house rules for different in game reasons.
All in all I decided to write my own RPG which I have been working on for some time and am super excited that it is almost complete!
I know a lot of people like the BA healing potion. I think that healing potions are designed to not be able to keep up with damage during combat on purpose. Unless they are the higher end potions (taking pc level into account) potions should be used as a last ditch effort not to die or to boost hp after a short rest. I rule them as an action and tell my players that if they have to use a health potion during combat, it should heal more damage than the monsters can output (meaning buy greater potions) because so many people play with BA potions that they are not used to the death spiral.
My friend created this Mythic Point system to replace Inspiration. He created several different uses for Mythic points, such as increasing damage for a combat, more attacks for a single round, gaining advantage, giving disadvantage, being able to cast a spell at a higher spell slot level, etc.
Here is the kicker, players hand out 1 mythic point at the end of a session to other players for role playing moments they liked. He has handed out mythic points to everybody a few times but that’s for incredibly rare circumstances. You also can only use an amount of mythic point equal to your proficiency bonus per session.
CLNCJD94 I tried to use a similar system, but the players preferred I controlled it. I could not believe they passed up the chance to do it themselves, but they felt like my awarding it would be more fair. I still disagree, and it would be one less thing for me to have to remember if they did it.
Alan Schaub we actually just had an incredibly emotional session last night which resulted in my Paladin’s 4th death (2 in maybe the last week depending on time travel Feywild, and 3 in the last month) but this time was by the hand of our Warlock who became corrupted by his Patron. Somehow everyone awarded their points to me for role playing and was yet another instance where the DM gave out extra points, one to me and one to our warlock. I’m still kinda shaking from it
regarding the tactics discussions, I'm generally a little more lenient as the characters are bound to have both discussed general strategy beforehand and tactical skill surpassing that of four dudes at a game table. It's a turn-based combat system in a role-playing game, playing video games with tactics aspects is similarly slow.
I'm not even drawing a definite line between tactics and general strategy. Finishing off certain opponents, closing a frontline, all is good. Brief commands to mete out maximum DPS, very well. Our combats are rarely getting slowed down by tactics discussions or players not deciding on their actions due to uncertainty in optimisation. For usual, there's a similar pattern in most standard combat encounters, so unless there are some noteworthy environmental effects or similar external influences to the fighting that are impossible to plan for I allow my players to discuss general strategy for common encounters before the first round has properly begun. If it's a battle-hardened party of experienced combatants, they'd know how to react to each situation. It's not a skill I want to expect from my players.
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About wanting to decrease your roll: Cleric's divine intervention depends on getting a lower roll than your level
Here are a few house rules my old dm had. This was for Pathfinder so mileage may vary:
-Campaigns start at a minimum of level 5. This allows for more plausible and cooler backstories, and characters actually feel heroic right from the start. Builds tend to be more fleshed out as well, especially multiclassing.
-Each PC gets a free level 1 feat or a reasonable magic item upon DM approval. This helps customize/better define builds. It also encourages players to pick any race other than human and not feel like they're missing something.
-If you roll for stats, you do it in front of the group, but you can place the results in any order you want. If you use point buy or standard array, you can do it at home if you want since there isn't cheating there.
I found a house rule on a DM discussion forum that I love. I have noticed that soetimes when a player rolls a nat 20 in combat, everyone cheers, but then the player rolls 2 damage. The look of being let down and disappointed and defeated is so strong on their faces that it's heartbreking to see as a DM. A critical hit should do more damage than a regular hit. Therefore, on a crit, in stead of doubling the damage rolled or rolling twice the dice, you roll the damage as normal, but add in max damage of a regular hit, so even if a 1 is rolled, it's still one more than max damage of a regular hit. For example: if the damage roll is a 1d12 + mod, then a crit damage would be 12 + 1d12 + mod. If the player has sneak attack (1st/2nd level) with a knife: (4 + 1d4) + (6 + 1d6) + mod (This does mean that Rouges can cause some serious damage if they have a crit with advantage, but players cheer and are happy). There is still some disappointment if a 1 is rolled, but not as much since this does more than usual damage.
A house rule I used is called the "BADASS" system. (Bill Allen Determined Alternet Scoring System) pretty much, if you role a "6" on a D6, you get to role another. I only use this on damage.
thats called an exploding die, existed well before Bill Allen
Think there would need to have a cap on that, in case a character rolls 10 6s
Whenever my players take a long rest in a "comfortable" place like a nice inn or anything other than a barn or a cave, I award them a proficiency inspiration. I also homebrewed a feat that gives them 2 inspiration die whenever they would normally get 1 (making their max 2), and being able to burn their inspiration for special RP related things.
Have you heard of the FATE system?
@@playmasterful no
Sounds like a good system for you just check it out 😉 they basically have fate points that allow them to help in writing the story similar to your inspiration dice thing.
I do a similar house rule for Healing potions. You can drink a healing potion as a action or bonus action, the difference is: if you use a full action you do not roll. You immediately get the FULL benefit of the potion. 2d4+2=10 4d4+4=20, etc. If you use a bonus action you roll like normal. My reasoning is thematically minded. Are you taking your time to make sure you get the most benefits from the potion? Or are you chugging it, possible spilling some around your mouth?
Feeding a potion to an unconscious pc or npc is always an action
I was thinking of doing something like this. Wasn't sure how to run it though. (Was thinking they get 4 HP instead of 2d4+2 as a bonus action). I like the idea of having the option to use an Action or a Bonus Action. I might use this, thanks!
Never thought about letting them use it both ways, but seems kinda obvious now.
Eclipse T. 🤷♂️ I just went with what made sense thematically my players seem to like it though. 😅
I have the same combat tactics rule NO TALKING, except I let the player/pc talk or yell for a sentence or two at the end of their turn. Players adapted really quick and we like it.
Gm-ing for the first time tonight! Wish me luck!
Good luck.
Good luck! Drop me a line on my Discord server to let me know how it goes.
Better yet, drop a short comment here as a reply to let us know how it went.
It went well! We’re still working out the kinks, with more than half the party having never played before, but we’re getting the hang of it! Had to cancel this week due to the holidays, it would have been our third session, not counting session zero.
Nice! I tried dm-ing a session with my brothers and they got bored quickly… Its not for everyone
If allowed as a divination wizard I would reduce one of my d20 rolls to potentially use on an enemies roll
My biggest house rules (warning, long post)
*I have a random encounter system* much like yours, but it's a d10 and I roll openly. It gives the roll tension and increases engagement. I've been doing it that way for two years.
*I also have my own experience system* . I find XP to be tedious and rewards murder hobo-ism, and milestones fall short when you want to reward individual effort. So I created a "token" system that uses Inspiration as the basis. I tend to run a challenging table, so tokens are more likely spent than saved.
In general - Player characters will level when a set series of goals are achieved. However, to recognize individual efforts: Excellence in Heroism, Role play, Great ideas, Etc. Players may be awarded up to one token for each session for efforts in these regards. These tokens are awarded by the DM. Players will also be eligible for another single token. Players will then vote at the end of a session for whom they feel is the “MVP”. A player may not vote for themselves. Awarded tokens may be spent in the following manners:
-Spend 1 to give yourself Advantage on an Attack, Ability check or Saving Throw.
-Spend 1 to give another player Advantage on an Attack, Ability check or Saving
Throw.
-Spend 1 when a die roll fails to allow yourself to “Succeed at cost”. (see below)
-Spend 1 in an appropriate role playing or story moment to “know a guy” who might
have helpful information.
-Spend 2 to succeed all Death Saving Throws and awaking from Unconsciousness
with 1 hit point.
-Spend 10 to gain a level.
(Don't panic. In three years I have had only one player try this, and they had to save for a long time)
-Give the DM 1 token at no cost to a player’s tokens to succeed an ability check,
attack or saving throw, but at the cost of something bad happening in the future. This
token must be at the consent of the majority of the table.
(Succeed at cost - examples: An attack succeeds, but you trip and fall prone. You succeed jumping the chasm
but only barely and you hang by one hand. You pass the Dexterity saving throw against the Fireball, but your
treasured cloak is burned away. You succeed in the end, but it must cost you something appropriate.)
Lastly, *back stories are not welcome*. I conduct a ten minute interview with each player and ask them a series of questions (the same set for every player to level the field, as it were). These questions often lead to other questions which then lead to the player thinking. The player then starts to see the character as a WHO more than a WHAT.
Example - they're the unwilling heir to a noble line, and with truer ties to the servants than their own blood. One serving boy in particular was more of a brother to them than their own father. That servant left under mysterious circumstances never to be seen again, and the character wishes they knew where that person was. They disdain the falsities of court, and prefer the plain language of common folk. They bear the family emblem as a tattoo on the back of their neck, like the rest of their line, but seek to hide this to prevent treatment for any other reason than the worth of their deeds.
...oh, and they're an Elf Barbarian. This is my youngest daughter's newest character, BTW.
About No 5: I have a similar system for encounters. I roll a D6 behind the screen for myself. I roll whenever a longer travel of a rest in an dangerous area happens and I have charts prepared for what might happen as an encounter. Like in travel it could be something like 1/2 nothing happens, 3 other travellers cross their ways and some roleplaying could happen, 4 a travelling merchant crosses their way who could have something usefull to buy for them to buy (this also encourages them to interact with other travellers), 5 Some wild animals or monsters cross their path and depending on their decisions and maybe some dicerolls they either have to battle them or could avoid a confrontation. 6. They are (surprise) attacked by a group of bandits. In this case battle is inavoidable. Depending on whether or not somebody kept watch (and rolled high enough) they are surprised by the attack or not. But if a 6 is rolled they will always be forced to defend themselves against some kind of attackers.
I've heard the suggestion of secret death saves a few times... and honestly, in my experience, that kind of hidden info only produces a very shallow tension.
Death saves are still really lenient, and if the death save rules were more severe, rolling them in the open would produce tension, like a bomb on a ticking clock.
My preferred method:
• Do not count successful death saves. A natural 20 still restores 1hp, but a 10-19 simply isn't a failure. You get _no benefit_ for rolling 3 successful death saves.
• If/when a downed character is revived, do not erase any death save failures. Instead, failed death saves are only erased after a short or long rest.
Those two changes, with death saves rolled openly, amps up the peril and urgency and makes a character being downed a much bigger deal, even if they're revived quickly with a Healing Word or similar.
One could also erase death save failures with restoration spells, which aren't cheap, so it could be a gamble for the players?
I've played with a DM where you have as many death saves as your Con score. Throughout your entire adventuring career. So at first it's not a big deal but once you level up a bit and combat gets more intense and you only have a few left you start looking for ways to restore some.
@@Kazanimation I don't know if I'd do it through the whole carrer but I like the idea of con getting a little more love
Housrules, the blood and bread of my D&D games. I once tried an entire campaign using a homebrew system.Turns out 1 kid with some pencil and paper can't make games like RPG master minds. It was fun, and bad. Really bad.
I'm in a game that has an experimental mechanic for limit breaks; we are allowed to bank up to 4 inspiration dice, and we can use an action to spend those 4 inspiration to trigger the limit break, giving the player some hearty buffs or terrain effects or other such playing field altering effects for 1d4+proficiency rounds. The DMs help us figure out what each of our characters' limit breaks are, and tweak them as needed if they're too weak or too OP. We also have an added mechanic where we gain 1 inspiration die after every session, if a single attack does more than half of the character's total HP in damage, or if the character is knocked unconscious. It's silly and a little messy at times, but I like that it encourages us to use the inspiration dice, and even give a little strategy to it; use it now for a special occasion, or save it for a limit break - or lose out on more because you only get 4. The rule about getting one if you're knocked out is my favorite because I like the option of a freebie advantage for a death save.
Some house rules;
1. Warlocks know the spells on their Patron's list - the spells are not merely added to the list. This gives the Warlock more spells to play with but they don't get any more slots.
2. Initiative is d12+WIS or DEX modifier. The choice is made at character creation and can't be changed. The d12+mod is rolled at the start of each round. This tends to keep the players focussed. Dying/incapacitated PCs are automatically last. Ties are treated as simultaneous actions. Lair Actions occur on the count of 12.
3. I've adapted the Combat Challenge from 4e for the Champion Fighter. (Yep, I know there's the Marking ability in the DMG.)
4. The Dwarf's Stonecunning is redone and more in line with 3e/2e versions of the ability.
I allow players to drink potions, any potion as a Bonus Action for this very reason.
Also, enemies can do it too!
Rule: you can expend one HD to use your racial ability (such as a dragonborns breath weapon) an extra time. You can do this a number of times equal to 1/4 of your level per long rest.
So buy using a HD, do you mean all their damage die are therefore reduced by 1 HD until their next rest?
Also, do they regain 1 HD w a short rest, and all their reduced HD w a long rest?
@@TriMarkC it's not relevant to their damage die. Just their hit die. But wizards fixed this anyway by setting it to prof bonus instead of once.
so far i think i have 2 favourite houserules:
1: every player starts the game with one feat. gives freedom and makes each character start more unique. two dwarf fighters can be very distinct based of the feat they chose.
2: max hit point reduction is lowered on a long rest by one roll of a hitdie+con. suddenly having half your blood sucked out by a vampire means something. popping up a tiny hut won't get rid of it.
Good stuff. Like the idea of luck points. My solution to long tactical discussions mid combat is two fold; players get a minute to talk tactics at the start of a combat then we use 'popcorn' initiative with the player roleplaying 'audibles' during the fight. When they pass initiative to the next player they might say something like "me thinks it is time for fireball wizard!" Or "cover me"
Luck points? Maybe take a look at call of chtuhlu for more advanced uses of luck
Wait these a list of spells? I thought there was just fireball.
Fire bolt when you run out of slots for fire ball, ohh and shield!
@@antoniorezik4072 don't forget counter spell or as it's also known "the spell caster's bane"
one thing aside for excellent dm advice this guy has taught me how to speak and captivate the audience. unreal speaking skills you have mr. dungeon master sir
Freaking brilliant! I'm adopting these into my sessions. These ideas I did not know how to exactly administer. Thank you!
One reason to decrease your rolls: You roll an 18, 19, or 20 when rolling for random encounters on a long rest.
I would not allow that - it's not a d20 roll that the players are aware of. If using that 'Luck' system it would only effect the d20s that Inspiration could have effected - surely.
@@intruder313 yea players shouldn't have access to meta rolls like that.
My problem wasn't the casters.... it was the Barbarian that took a long time.... who then eventually choose "I attack the nearest foe"
30+ years experience GM here. To prevent players from bogging down combat by arguing over rules or by taking too long to chose an action, I have a stack of post-its on the table. my players know to write the ruling they disagree with on a post-it and we can talk about it after the session ended or on FB or whatever. At the same time, they serve as a reminder to me to re-familiarise myself with said rule. Also, I give 30-40 seconds for the players to decide on their action, after which I raise my hand and begin a quiet five-second countdown. If they still haven't decided what to do, they automatically fall in "dodge/ full defence/ defensive stance, etc..." mode. After a while, they will just look up at me and say "I defend this round." before I even raise my hand for the five-second countdown.
I really like the secret death saves. I think I will place it to a vote with my group.
Matt Colvile recently came out with an video about multiple ways to use inspiration, which I very much enjoyed.
Rule #1 - Luck points are fine if they are given out. Some GMs and PCs forget but love the idea.
Rule #2 - Between rounds, maybe. Normally, I don't allow discussion at all during combat except for a 6 second command of sorts. Battle tactics should be a discussion during downtime perhaps to force the players to get to know each other, etc. Yes, depending on the terrain and the enemy, things can change up drastically; however, the party should know each other's strengths and weaknesses as well as some basic spells for the spellcasters. I also 100% agree that a player 'ought' to know their character, even beginners should they attempt to take on a complicated spellcaster.
Rule #3 - I love this rule. Fits with Rule 2 well. Combat is a real thing and there should be some tension. And again, the PC should know their character well.
Rule #4 - It is one of my favorite house rules.
Rule #5 - Kobold Fight Club is most excellent.
Rule #6 - I'm indifferent on this HR.
Rule #7 - Dice off? Nope, GM prerogative on the spot. Discussion after the session.
Re no. 4, I feel like the player in charge of the dying character deserves to roll, or at the very least to know what the roll is. Maybe ask them to roll in secret, and to only tell you?
The intention of rolling this roll in secret is to a) reduce meta, & b) increase tension for the table, which includes in the player whose character is on the brink. If, however, you are a type of play who suffers from more severe bouts of anxiety when playing games (as with individuals who have degrees of PTSD relating to certain topics which can come up in play), then by all means bring your condition to your G.M.'s attention and confer as to what could be done by way of compromise.
think it deppends on the table and situation, if i were to play live i would probably do so, but since i play with friends online id probably decide to rule myself
Just have both the GM and player roll. The player then says if they got odd or even. If it matches the GM's hidden roll, the GM marks down a failure. If the player rolled a 20, they can just say so as they wake up anyway. If the GM rolled a 20, they secretly take the crit failure. Player 20 trumps GM 20.
What I would definitely have the player roll is any kind of bonus they get to their death save. One of the martial classes (I forgot which one) gets a bonus to any and all saving throws including death saves or the bardic inspiration. I don't think that reduces tension by a whole lot but it gives the player a feeling of control like the close button in elevators
Simply have the player draw a card from a normal poker-deck but do NOT show him the card. Red card is success, black card is failure; problem solved.
i like the "tell me what you're doing or else you're dodging"
I can't imagine playing a caster with a DM like this without the previous house rule of allowing discussion of tactics.
Barbarian runs into battle to confront as many enemies as possible? Ok fireball's out (etc)
All it does is guarantee that a lot of people will be dodging. Knowing that there is an extremely limited time is likely just going to slow combat down even more, or even make the combat not fun for several players.
my fav house rule is using your Reaction to reload Crossbow bolts. that way you still have an action to use, but also a drawback of no Opportunity Attacks... the choice if yours. my players like it
I agree, but I only allow 1 shot per round allowed to be reloaded this way. I believe doing it this way still makes the crossbow expert feat useful especially after 6th level if you took a rogue that get xtra attack. It just easier to understand in my own head.
Either that or crossbows should be much more powerful , I find them annoying to use RAW. I don't know any DM that actually plays crossbows RAW, but I tend to avoid those types of DM's its really not my happy place.
Oh man, i watched this a bit back but my table just implemented the tactics talk minute tip and holy crap dude. 100% would recommend. Exceptionally amazing for speeding up combat rounds. It also really really helped with a couple players that are always kind of unsure what they are doing. Thank you very much for the tip. Also the downtime to level up tip from another videos was great.
"I have no idea why you'd want to decrease your own D20 rolls..."
In the games I run, if a character encounters children - especially children that lost their parent(s) - as part of a random city encounter, I have them roll intimidation. They want to roll low or they'll scare the child, maybe causing them to run into a more dangerous situation. For example, a lost child in an unfamiliar place (such as a dungeon) would have a intimidation DC of 5, a child lost in their home town or city would be DC 8, and a child just playing in the street would have DC of 10 - 15 depending on their personality, age, and if they've seen the PC's race before (especially for teifling PCs). If they had wish points and they roll high, they could use those points to lower that intimidation roll and help the child.
Him:There’s always that wizard, sorcerer or druid that can’t decide what spell to use.
Me:So not warlocks ?
Me 10 seconds later: He just forgot didn’t he.
Don't warlocks always just cast hex? 😀
Cries in no spell slots
@@theDMLair Warlocks primarily blast fools with eldritch blasts, usually in combination with Hex. Sometimes they'll use other spells, invocations and pact boons, but those are the mainstays.
I love that "secret death saving throws" idea! Chances are I'll stea- uhh, borrow it for my future game(s).
Along the lines of the secret death saving throws, I like the way Pathfinder does going unconscious. It breaks immersion when your fighter can get knocked to 0 and be brought back up with 1hp from a Lay on Hands or Healing Word a dozen times during a big fight. Instead, each time they get knocked down they get a wound condition that counts as one automatic death save failure the next time they get knocked unconscious. A second time unconscious means a second wound counter meaning they'll have two automatic death save failures. Pathfinder also gives them 4 before death so that a couple knockdowns don't just kill you outright, but you'll still die a lot faster than with normal 5e rules.
I allow my players to use inspiration on HP when leveling up. If they don't like the result of the HP roll, they can spend the inspiration point and reroll or use the base number.
That’s some mighty inspired inspiration
I do like the Luck Point idea, though I'd probably call them Karma Points or something.
I can't say I agree with the third one. Some of us has cruddy memory and trying to remember the specifics of every single spell doesn't exactly work. I also have to wonder how rp actually works with that. If you have to say, "I cast fireball" in a minute what kind of room does that leave for actual rp? Also, it sounds like it would open the door to bullying because if someone lost their turn that just potentially hurt everybody's chances and it wouldn't be long before the other players began to pressure the slower one to go faster and faster till they're likely stressed out in a unfun way. There's being stressed out in a fun exciting manner such as being in an intense battle, and in a sloggy i'm stressed because I'm being forced to go faster then is natural for me, manner.
The fourth one also seems kinda meh to me. It depends how your depicting these death saving throws. Is the person just holding on, maybe doing a bit of rp to keep holding on? That should be something the person personally does. You rolling it and keeping it secret keeps the downed player from having an opportunity to rp. And if there's no rp involved, well, your not playing a rpg, your playing a war game. Sure you can claim it forces someone to go heal them, but it's still robbing the downed player's opportunity to rp. I mean, unless they've been outright knocked out. Then it doesn't exactly matter. But it depends how you define what 0 hp means.
I do like that D12 rule. That actually seems pretty fair. If neither can agree, leave it to dice; dice that are the kings of the game, anyway. That way it's not just the Dm being a bully or the player being a cheat.
The argument to the death saving throw thing is that the PC is unconscious anyway when making death saving throws, there isn't any RP that an unconscious PC does.
You don't have to remember every single spell as a spell caster, just the basics. If you are breaking out the rulers and range markers for every spell, it really is unfair to the other players who have to wait while you decide the most optimal and advantageous spell after 5 minutes of debating.
Yes, playing spell casters is a little more complex then a martial class, but that is part of what you sign up for when playing a spell caster and why I never recommend new people to play a pure spell caster as their first character.
I give em 30 seconds to decide where to move and what to do.
The death saving throw thing is a good attempt at cutting down on meta gaming. Which is always good. However, if a character dies because of a secret die the dm rolls in secret, that's pretty shitty, honestly.
As a current DM, i have been looking for a way to keep my players engaged in a combat situation. For instance, during a combat scenario i told a player it was her turn and she was tuning her ukelele. Didnt respond for 30 seconds. This is all done online and with a virtual tabletop. I believe if there was a bit of tension they would pay better attention, figure out what their next move is gonna be and actually act like this is a combat situation instead of afking in between their turn of combat. But what works for one group doesnt work for them all.
My favorite house ruling so far is a modification to Wild Mage, based on one from a podcast I enjoy. Instead of the DM telling them to roll for it, which is a hassle to remember, they just always roll for Wild Magic each time they cast a Lv. 1+ spell. If it doesn't go wild the they add a cumulative +1 to the next Wild Magic Roll. However, as that does break the related ability of Tides of Chaos (which recharges for free when the DM has their magic just go wild; which is also a hassle as a DM to remember to do.). So, instead I have it recharge whenever their magic goes wild naturally, thanks to the ever-rising odds of it happening in the first place.
Did this because after a couple games I noticed that not only was my player's Wild Magic just never happening with a mere 5% chance, but I was also forgetting to have them roll for it or simply trigger it myself most of the time. So we talked it over and decided that sounded like a far more interesting and easier way to handle both abilities.
A sand timer is great for puzzles, also to help save time at the table. The room could fill with sand at the same rate as the timer or something similar. Just be sure to have the answer to the puzzle there for the players. Good puzzles have all the pieces, they just need to be put together
If they dont answer you quickly enough, dont dodge them, move their initiative as if they rolled the least. Something like wait system. This way you give them more time for decisions without screwing them over. If they wont answer second time, then dodge them.
I in particular love the one you have for planning time during combat. Its always been a problem with my players, so I'm definitely gonna try out this week!
I basically quit Dnd and Pathfinder back in 3.5 because people would just know too much making it impossible to tell a story . So I started a new thing I realized something. If that player knows everything about the game has a great memory and so do I. We can literally play DND without books , and simply rapid pace play the game. Since we know every monster and player character we just rapid response a reaction. It makes for a very quick fun ride.
The 1 minute strategy timer at the top of the round is brilliant. It made a HUGE difference in my combats. The players loved it too, as it creates a lot of tension while allowing some strategy that would normally exist within a party.
Imagine running random encounters and getting rid of the randomness... just run encounters you want and don't run ones you don't want?
Also, don't disagree with your dungeon master on a ruling? If dungeon master says it works X way and you think it works Y, even if the rules are it works in the way you think, you play it how the dungeon master says it.
I was going to say, why should a player or a roll decide what rules I use? This isn't a democracy, or a randomocracy it's a theocracy.
I don't currently use random encounters - unscripted ones that is. But actually I'm thinking it might be quite cool to have some in the bank. The only problem is, playing online as my group does, we run the combats on tabletop simulator and me loading a suitable map and characters in for the random encounter will take a couple of minutes. Worth it?
With the death saves, would you let them know if he is stabilized or dead?
I think he‘d let them know if he rolled a nat 20 (character gets 1 HP). Otherwise, you don’t tell the players what’s going on until someone else has time to check.
Potions:
New Item: Potion Bandolier. Effect: You can keep up to 6 potions on the bandolier, which lets them be easily accessed by holding them across your chest. This allows players to use any potion on the bandolier as a bonus action.
Adds an item. Increases flavor in the game. Provides a target for clever enemies. (Big henchman has a bandolier of potions? I'm going to try to slice it so it falls off.)
Had a DM that had a house rule about helping a fellow party member that has fallen in combat, a non- cleric with healing kit can stabilize the dropped party member at zero hp, a cleric will get a +1 to a healing spell if he forgoes whatever he was going to do on his action and is helping the injured party member
3:45
So, basically, Fate points.
I have found that the best initiative system is no initiative at all and just use Luke’s rules
Thanks ketchup. :-)
your welcome Lucky Luke :D
I've got a house rule:
Jump distances are calculated using Dexterity instead of Strength. Barbarian and Champion Fighter get a new class feature at level 1 and level 3 respectively, "Mighty Leap", that lets them calculate jump distances using Strength instead of Dexterity if they so choose. Other fighters can put the points in Dex if they wanna jump good, the class is SAD and has a million ASIs anyway; Champion just gets this because the subclass already has a focus on athletic ability over raw strength.
Thief Rogue's "Second-Story Work" class feature adds proficiency bonus to jump distances rather than Dexterity modifier.
And a companion rule: A DC 12 Acrobatics check allows you to treat a deliberate fall as 10 feet shorter for the purpose of calculating fall damage. This check is not an action, and the effect stacks with the monk's Slow Fall.
Oh, also, you can choose to use Acrobatics, rather than Athletics, to clear a low obstacle during a long jump; this reflects real life, where the technique for avoiding colliding with an obstacle over a long jump is an acrobatic maneuver called a dive roll that works by diving forward so that your legs are higher above the obstacle and will not clip it without having to actually raise your centre of gravity any higher. The "roll" part comes in when you have to do something about your head-first landing to avoid smacking your head against the ground.
The reason for this? Heavy armour proficiency and thrown weapons do everything a fighter or barbarian would want from Dex anyway with the sole exception of Initiative, which really doesn't matter that much past the first round. (And Dex saves, but Dex saves are mostly for half damage rather than against crippling effects.) That's not to say Strength is OP or anything, it's not, but my point is they aren't really suffering overly much from needing Strength instead of Dexterity. By contrast, monk, rogue, and ranger are supposed to be agile, high-mobility classes that are good at climbing and leaping around, but because none of them have any other reason to take Strength and Ranger and Monk don't have the spare attribute points for it, they end up shockingly grounded in a way that harms their archetypal roles.
In combat I like to tell the player on deck that they are up next. Then I tell them what their character sees on their turn. ex: "Garthonk, you see the goblin trying to sneak up on Elfy McKnifears."
At that point, they have 5 or so seconds to start telling me what they are going to do (unless they are asking me clarification questions, in which case I suspend the countdown temporarily). My players know about this system well before hand and if they don't act they are overwhelmed and lose their turn. I have never gotten anyone upset with me, instead I had one player even roleplay freaking out over the mummy that was going after them when I told them they were overwhelmed. It made the whole situation that much more intense and we still tell war stories over that one combat.
As for tactics, my rule is you get 6 or so seconds on your turn to say something to the group as dialogue and then you are done. However, I have one house rule that the players get 3 "Time Outs" per session that they can use to pause the game and talk tactics. Sure it stops the game but my reasoning is that as a group they are in sync with each other. However they get a 5 minute sand timer and if they don't start up combat again by the time the timer runs out the combat resumes at the top of the monster's turn. There is always a price to pay.
One thing I've done with death rolls is to defer them until they're actually relevant. It's a sort of quantum physics style approach where the character's state isn't known until its actually observed. Players still roll the checks, but they roll all of them when the character gets healed or examined, not each turn. Essentially everytime you'd normally get a death roll, you get a death token instead. When you do finally get healed or examined, before you do that, you resolve all your death tokens first, making one death roll for each token you have. If this results in a dead PC, then the healing is simply wasted.
I really like this idea. What if a player has more than 3 death tokens? If you've got 6 for example, and roll one at a time, you could reach 3 successes before 6 rolls, but now you just got extra turns to not die?
@@eclipset.9683 : If you stabilize by rolling, you can just discard your remaining death tokens. Of course you'll only actually know that if you get healed or someone checks on you. If a character takes damage while dying the extra failed saves from the damage are counted first to determine his required failures needed to die. So if you were hit once while down, you die on 2 failures as opposed to 3 when you resolve your death tokens.
The only rule you do have to replace is the natural 20 rule where you regain hit points, I just replace that with natural 20 means auto-stabilize, as opposed to regain 1 hit point. Another option could also be to add in the bonus that if you are healed after you stabilize on a 20, you heal double what you normally would. So that grants a bit of a perk to compensate for taking away the ability to spontaneously regain consciousness.
Oh that's a really cool idea to. It accomplishes basically the same purpose only the players are still the ones rolling the dice. I like it.
the issue with this system is the PC regains 1HP as soon as he rolls a 20, as per RAW. Technically this does put the player back into the fight the very moment he sees the result on his die with all actions available to him normally, as cheesy as it sounds. It's a mere 5% per round, but that does add up to a chance of 23% for at least 1 nat20 over five rounds.
I do like this a lot, but I think I would adjust it. A player collects tokens and doesn't roll them until they have 3 or are healed. A healed player who doesn't have three tokens is perfectly fine, though they keep their death tokens until they get the opportunity to take a rest. At 3 tokens, they roll 3d20s. If two are passes, they live. If two are fails, they die. A nat 20 is an auto-live and a nat 1 is an auto-die, with 20s trumping 1s to give players an edge.
Something like this feels like a pretty cool way to simulate heightened stakes about death saves, plus players *love* collecting things
Luke, Loving your skits.
Thanks! 😁
On the note of death saves. I haven't been a DM for as long as most people have been, but I found a PDF of the Darker Dungeons, which adds alternate rules for stuff like: Initiative, Death Saves, Backpack Storage, and the likes. I really like the death save system that was set up in there. Failures do not go away when characters are picked up, instead one death save is recovered per long rest. On top of that, there are no "successes." All a success means is it isnt a failure(except nat20, which recoveres one hp). So it puts a lot of stress on the other players to try and revive/heal their teammates, the longer they wait, the more failures could accrue and the harder it will be the next time they go down.
1. I also use the 6 second rule and I tell each player when they will be next in the round. Ex. Player A it's your turn, player b your on deck.
Then player A has 6s to tell me what they want to do. It really dose make people pay more attention to the combat and when their turn is coming up. It's worth it and if you are playing then you should be paying attention. I will give them a little le way if something major changes the game.
Don't do random encounters. If your going to do a random encounter then don't make it a fight make it npcs or something intresting, world building. Stealing from eragon one of the random encounters I have is the players finding a field of liveing flowers made of precious metals.
The player effect the chance of an encounter by the way they choose to go and where they choose to go. My encounters are very flexible and with a little narative and texture changes can fit into pretty much anywhere. But I only try to throw them in when it adds to the narative stakes of the game.
when you and the player disagree. Listen to their point, don't hold up the game and make a temporary ruling to keep the game going and letting them know that you will look into it more later and make a permanent one. If I'm Gming I make the rules, I will try to be very straight forward, clear, up front and consistent so and keep to the books as much as possible, but in the end it is my decision.
I give a small +1 or +2 bonus to rolls for players roll playing, doing something creative, smart or intresting, and deacription
Insight, deception checks are made in secret but never fudged so the players don't know if they know the truth or not. All they know is what their character believes
Let the players auto succeed on basic stuff don't make them roll unless necessary, not a house rule just something I go by
I add status effects to attack like lighting, stealing from most rpgs( chain lightning, fire burns, cold slows) , and make it a comulative chance like in monster hunter on anything that is normal and a high comulative chance on vulnerable.
Then I add more weakness to monsters. I find them all to cookie cutter and boring. So know an ooze weak to cold that is frozen takes extra blugioning damage. Or a liveing scarow that is burning takes major damage but also rages.
I also take from 40k and fallout and allow for limbs to be targeted giveing bonus status effects on hit for a decrease chance to hit. Again giveing diffrent monsters chances diffrent limb strengths. You can break a creatures jaw reducing it bite damage by a die size or 3. The monster can do it too and wounds take time to heal or need a healer
Steal from 4e, auras, blooded, Double blooded, marked the monsters where a lot more intresting.
I give each of the players one free skills roll during combat, this helps them do something besides attack with great sword for the seventh time.
I add a +1,2,3 for extra advantage so it is useful to flank and use your samurai ability togther.
(in the back of the dmg their is a change where a short rest is a day and a long rest is a week. Pick at the begging of the campaign but it can really increase the tension especially because my world runs on a clock and events happen based on the world regardless of if they aren't their. The only way they can change them is to be their and so they can't risk resting a day or a week and have to go into harder fights.) (completely changes balances so use with caution)
(TIME TRAVEL,, PARREL WORLD'S AND REVIVEING THE DEAD DON'T WORK IN MY WORLDS) unless stated at the beginning of the campaign. O and undead yes, afterlife yes, but coming back from the afterlife no. Keeps naritive steaks high.
Finally, my players can do anything they want in the game. If the Rouge wants to steal a gods power then they can, if the war forge wants to eat the sun then they can if the fighter barbarian wants to throw a fire ball then they can. However the further from the reality of the world and the rules it is the harder and more time consuming it will be. It might even take several quest to achieve. (okay so no dose exist but I try to use it sparingly. Instead, you can certainly try.)