Whats your favorate house rule/ favorate rules clarification

[J. Lionheart]

I run my games as close to the books as I can, but I have the following "check" I run on anything I allow/disallow, whether covered by a written rule or not:

1) Is it logical?
2) Is it in balance?
3) Is it especially cool?

If something meets the first condition, I check it against the second. If it meets the second, it's ready to go. If something falls just slightly short on 1 or 2, but gets a strong yes on number 3, it's also probably allowable.

I feel one of the biggest hamstrings many GMs face is an unwillingness to allow things unless there is a rule covering it. One of Palladium's greatest strengths is that they don't have a chart for every possible thing, they don't have a rule for every possible situation, and they don't try to run your table for you. It is up to you and your imagination to determine, within the generous bounds of the game, what is ok. Too many people have the instinct to say "no" to anything if they don't have a written rule allowing it, but I feel the instinct should be "yes" to anything that doesn't have a written rule disallowing it. If something isn't covered, or something that is covered just doesn't feel right, do the mental check - Is it logical, does it fit in with the reality of the world we are playing? Is it in balance, does it unfairly or unecessarily give an advantage or disadvantage to somebody? Is it especially cool, will this give you one of those moments your players remember and talk about years down the road? It'll allow you to move quickly and efficiently through your game, will give you a good answer to why something is or isn't ok, and will improve the playing experience for both you and your group.

[Spinachcat]

J. Lionheart speaks much wisdom. He's a great GM. I got to play with him at the Open House and look forward to doing so again in 2010.

Here's 4 off the top of my head.

1) Allowing players to modify the F/X of Psi and Magic by spending extra points to "pump" the power beyond its book description OR somewhat alter its effect.

2) Determining Initiative primarily from the situation and tactics. I often use a flat Init of 10 + bonus instead of a die roll and then modify from there based on the imagined situation.

3) Separate Mook Villains and Main Villains (behind the screen). Mooks have 1/2 MDC or even 1/4 MDC. The book says the CS armor is 80 SDC riding 300 MDC hoverbikes? Sounds like 40 MDC armor and 100 MDC bikes if I just want a bunch of guards to get blown away action movie style.

4) Any squishy SDC/HP being encased in MDC armor will suffer SDC equal to any MDC that his armor soaks. AKA, if the armor suffers 15 MDC, the dude inside takes 15 SDC. I chop this in half for Power Armor. If mecha/vehicle passengers have no MDC protection), then usually 1/4 for Mecha and up to 1/10 for vehicle passengers.

[filo_clarke]

Parrying Unarmed vs Armed Opponents: An unarmed character can attempt to parry an armed opponent in melee combat, but does so without the benefit of Automatic Parry. So even without a weapon you CAN parry an opponent weilding a broadsword, but it will take an attack to do so.

[Shorty Lickens]

I'd need to do a search for the last time this question was asked, but off the top of my head:
By default, all EBA costs at most 1/4 of book price and in some cases even less. All PA and bots are most 1/2. All weapons cost at most 1/2 book price. All ammo is at most 1/4 price, most is less than that. Armor repair is normally 1/10th book price.

This is a house rule that automatically applies before we even open up a book to check numbers.

[CyCo]

One we used a lot was changing the ratio of SDC to MDC. As it stands it's 100 SDC = 1 MDC. We changed that to 10 SDC = 1 MDC. That one simple change made the game a lot more deadlier and it felt more dangerous and even made us think about rushing into combat as often as we did.

[Dog_O_War]

My favorite house-rule is to not use the rules that are written in the Palladium Books.

I instead use these (and this is only the beginning).

[grandmaster z0b]

Most of my house rules are a combination of the old rules and RUE rules. For example I like the new rules for quicker spell casting but keep the old rules for increasing damage and range at ley lines and nexus points. I like the old rules for ranged combat but I have my own table to determine how many rounds are used (see thread viewtopic.php?f=8&t=107906 )

One of my favourite house rules is that rail guns get the same rules as armour piercing missiles (double damage on 18 &19, triple damage on a 20).

[Grell]

Penalty modifiers for dragon teleportation (especially for Hatchlings) as the situation calls for.

Mages can delay discharge of a spell requiring 2 or more actions to cast for 1 melee round per point of PE (could be an actual rule, but never seen it in print). Deathword inspired this rule for me, though it's still in the test phases.

Body Flip: can be done in place of a parry/dodge (like entangle) against melee attacks; no damage if successful.

G.I. Joe Rule: armor can only absorb up to TWICE its original MDC/SDC before damage transfers to the wearer.

[Cinos]

I start with "Is it Logical" then, "How Badass is it?", and finally, "How balanced is it?" If it meets one and two, it happens, (the second condition can compensate to a level). Then after the fact, I ask the third and make a more accurate rule to return it to balance, typically leaving the first in a state of uncopyable legendary.

[Devjannz]

I have a house rule for how MD weapons affect living SDC targets. Instead of multyplying it by 100, i use the following:

Laser Pistols/Rifles: Target takes damage to both SDC and Hit Points.
Ion/Particle Beams/Plasma: Target take double damage to both SDC and Hit Points.
Magic Weapons (swords, axes, etc): Target takes damage to both SDC and Hit Points.
TW Weapon: Same as weapon they are mimicing (i.e. a TW laser does the same as a regular laser).

This only includes personal style weapons. Weapons designed to fight armored vehicles, power armor, etc (like any type of Rail-Gun) will do the normal MD damage (use the x100).

This makes MD weapons easier to handle and actually gives SDC characters a chance to survive but still keeps the danger of being hit with a powerful weapon. At least it does to me.

[Nomadic]

Last Ditch Effort.

This house rule comes into an effect much like a car will.

Lets do you have body armor on and you have 1 point left. The last blast the your armor hits is trasfered to other parts of the amror. Thus Slagging the armor and leaving you with nothing working. This rule only comes into effect when the blast is not over the maxium of the armor.
Also the last blast does SDC damage.
Example

You have 70 MDC Body Armor, You take a Blast for 30 MDC You only have 1 point left in your chest. The Armor takes all of the damage and you take 30SDC.

Likewise you have 70MDC Body Armor and take a GB Round doing 180MDC He Crit! ZOMG! Your misted.

This allows players to give up and NPCs to give up and be captured for X Reason.

[Reagren Wright]

Here are four I use regardless of the Palladium game system.

Rolls of 2,3,4, are automatic misses on an d20 in any given combat situation (strike, parry, or
dodge). So it doesn't matter even if you have +10 to any of these skills. Just as 98% is the
higest skills can go so there's always a chance of missing, so can you in combat. And if you roll
a 2,3,4, while parrying or dodging, your opponents gets to add 1 dice of damage to his attack.
The roll of 1 on a d20 accept when rolling duirng character creation for attributes with 2D6 or
any number of dice small than it (2D4, 1D6, etc) always equals the highest number on the dice.
So on a d20, 1 and 20 are the same number. On a d8, 1 and 8 are the same number.

Poison unless stated otherwise always effects hit points if you fail the saving throw. If you
make the save it goes to S.D.C. In my mind, I inject you with a deadly poison, it just doesn't
sit in your blood and do nothing to you, there has to be some effect. Of course, if it says the
poison does damage just to S.D.C. and if you make the save cause no further no damage, then
I default to what the effect says in the book.

Supernatural P.S. ignores artifical armor. So you can wear your class 4 body armor or platemail
and all it takes is for someone to hit you on a 5 on a d20 and he or she or it will smash right
into your S.D.C. and/hit points. A roll below natural armor rating only inflicts 1/2 damage.

If a player gets stuck and can't figure something out that the character based on his skills
should no, I'll be "kind" and throw them a bone, meaning take your I.Q. and double it. Roll below
that # on percentile dice, and I'll give you a hint.

[Hannibal]

I created a chart of a melee round broken into 15 seconds, so that characters attacks are broken up over the span of the span of the whole 15 seconds. Contrary to what many posters write, this actually has increased the speed of combat while making it a bit more realistic.

My other favorite adjustment is that I abolished the simultaneous attack. I always hated it.

[Cinos]

I believe I stole that Idea form you then Hannibal. Though I'm now looking at making rounds 10 or 20 Seconds long, simply for easier maths. Though I disagree with the latter part, those are a lot of fun, mainly for NPC trash soldiers to use to strike the fear of god into players, any time they see someone with a Two Handed Axe, they break out their shields so they have a chance to block the incoming swing they know will come as a counter.

[TiekoSora]

My favorite house rule comes into play during character creation.

Attribute Generation- first, check the O.C.C... and R.C.C... descriptions. Any attributes that have the same range (3D6) can arrange them however they wish. Attributes that have a specific range (4D6 or 3D6+1) are required to place them only on that attribute. Attributes are rolled by using one additional die than is listed in the R.C.C.. description. Reroll all ones, and drop the lowest die. Bonus die will be handled in the following manner: 2D6 gets a bonus die if the original roll was 11 or 12; 3D6 get a bonus die if the original roll was 16 or higher. Ranges that incorporate a bonus in the R.C.C.. description (i.e., 3D6+1) get NO bonus die. If a bonus die is allowed, then the additional die rolled is added, keeping 1’s. Example: Kenny is rolling up an Elven headhunter. His attribute range is I.Q.: 3D6+1 (no bonus die), ME.: 3D6, M.A.: 2D6, P.S.: 3D6, P.P.: 4D6 (no bonus die), P.E.: 3D6, PB.: 5D6 (no bonus die), SPD.: 3D6. Kenny rolls average for all but his ME., which is a 17. He rolled four dice with the following results, 6 6 5 1. Instead of rerolling the 1, Kenny adds that into his initial roll, with a new total of 18.

Does it add to the "Munchkin Factor"? Not as often as you might think. Instead it does more to eliminate absurdly low stats, bringing numbers up to about above average. Our characters are supposed to be the heroes, and heroes are at the very least, above average.

[Mouser13]

I have a house rule that I allow people in melee to parry gunstrikes. Ie they trying to parry the gun so they can't hit the people.

[Lord Z]

Minors may not join the game without written and signed permission from a parent or guardian.

[The Dark Elf]

My only house rule is that people must take their shoes off when entering?

Have I understood the question?

[Shorty Lickens]

Minors may not join the game without written and signed permission from a parent or guardian.

I think we're going to need some stories.

[Lord Z]

I have no related stories; it is just a good rule.

Congratulations on your 500th post.

[Spinachcat]

I really like the idea of using the natural die roll for AR! Gotta try that.

My fav is static numbers to speed up combat. Whenever I want a combat to move faster, I give all the NPCs a flat roll of 10 for Initiative, Attacks, Parries, etc and then save the die rolling for the Big Bad Guy in the fight.

[Thinyser]

Have to say I have many house rules and none are favorites since IMO they shouldn't have to exist but in Palladium they do.

That said I have to disagree whole heartedly with pretty much everything that goes by natural die rolls (other than 1's and 20's that is and only because these and some spice)

Why? Because that sniper that uses his skills (both learned and innate) and takes the time to call and aim his shot so that he can hit the target should not automatically fail on a roll of 4 when he could have bonuses of +8 and hit a called shot requirement of 12 to strike.

When you are talking an unskilled & untalented character with no bonuses and a 5 (or 8 for ranged) target number you should have a 20% (or 35%) chance to miss your strike. When you are talking a talented and skilled fighter (that takes the time to utilize his skills and talent) there is no damn reason he should miss 20% of the time in melee or even in ranged combat.

IMO the 5% chance of critical fumble on a 1 is more harsh than reality... Does your gun in real life blow up in your face or you shoot your buddy or yourself or the gun jams and cannot be easily cleared 5% of the time? Hell no it doesn't. Its way less than 5%. Rolling a 1 in my game requires a re roll of the d20 and the lower the number on this second roll the more sever the failure. Only on a 2-5 on this second roll would there be a possibility of a strike to either oneself or ones companion and even then I give a chance to parry or dodge for the companions (IE they see the gun barrel slip their way and have a split second to hit the dirt or jam a hand under the barrel and push it up. Roll a 1 then another 1 and the gun to blow up in your hand causing 1/2 max damage.

[Severus Snape]

My favorite house rule deals with character creation, mainly with Heroes Unlimited. If you go by the book, you determine your super powers before determining your education and skills. This leads to characters being munchkins, and it's hard to say "My character was a doctor before he got his powers" or whatever other career he had before developing super abilities. So we house-ruled it that you had to select your education before you selected your super powers.

I also have to agree with what else has been said out here and ask yourself the following 3 questions:

1. Is it logical?
2. Is it in the style and spirit of the game?
3. Is it fair and balanced?

[Mercdog]

I'm always kind of tinkering with the rules, but one I have is that the damage bonus from P.S. applies only to S.D.C. hand to hand combat and melee weapon combat (either S.D.C. or M.D.C.).

There are some exceptions; The damage bonus does not apply to psi-swords or melee weapons with a blade/striking surface completely composed of energy, and creatures/characters with Supernatural P.S. add the weapon damage to their normal Punch damage instead of their P.S. damage bonus.

[BillionSix]

I don't have any specific house rules to offer, but I heard something once.

Basically, if a GM tells you about a house rule that will make the game "cooler" then give it a try, it might be great.
If a GM tells you about a house rule that will make the game "more realistic" then said rule will almost always suck.

Brian

[t0m]

in my pfrpg games i let players make called shots in melee. it requires a 16+ to hit, but i give then half their bonus to strike (to represent skill being a factor instead of just lucky rolls). then i decide if the damage roll is high enough to get the result the player wanted (like cutting off a hand or whatever). this is an arbitrary decision and inst really based on math or anything, though i will look at total hit points and try to quickly decide how many a body part might have (this usually only takes a few seconds). it allows some cinematic moments in combat, makes combat more dangerous, and keeps the players scared because the npcs do it all the time too.

another one i like to use in mass combat is to make the 'mooks' or fodder enemies have 'hits' instead of 'hit points'. if you land an attack on an enemy with 2 'hits', they are half dead. that way i dont have to track individual hit points on a ton of goblins or other fodder, or roll damage from the players on those enemies. this speeds up large combat quite a bit. i only do this when the group is fighting a very large group though. if the odds are one on one or two on one then i do it by the book.