Suggestions for house rules?

[phantomdoodler]

Simplicity is great. The rules for the new rpg are refreshing and nice and light, but i may add a little complexity, just for realism and play balance. My first thoughts are about weapons:

Two handed weapons -

When using a two handed weapon, such as a broadsword used in two hands, or two handed sword, you may add 1 to your CS

 

[phantomdoodler]

Character Generation:
To avoid vast differences in CS or EP, i would let players start with CS 10 and EP 20, and have either 9 pts to spend between them, or have them pick two numbers from the random number table, add them together, and spend those, putting no more than 9 in either CS or EP.

It may seem like CS is more favourable to put up, but i would use Endurance to test for tasks involving strength and stamina (average difficulty 25), such as running, climbing (instead of CS) or swimming, in addition to poisons or disease.

 

[Zipp Dementia]

These are house rules I'll be using.

CS scores:

CS rolls are made at the beginning of an adventure and this is your starting CS (+ the usual 10). However, after each FULL combat (so all enemies defeated), as fatigue sets in, each player loses one point to this score permanently for each enemy they engaged. Any time a player rests (full sleep), the score is reset with a new roll.

I like this, because it adds in a fatigue element to the game, in which players have to decide whether the party's overall CS is high enough to keep moving or whether they need a break. It also simulates the fact that combat is tiring and you can't have a thousand fights in a day, or even more than a few.

It also makes some changes to character generation, as seen below.

Character Generation:

Players are given nine points to assign to END. They can also assign points to their "minimum" CS. What this means is that, whatever their minimum CS is set at, when they make CS rolls for the day, it will never be counted as lower than this (though fatigue can still cause the score to go under this). Whereas setting END is on a point-for-point basis, setting CS minimum costs 2 points.

If GMs wish, they can give extra points after difficult adventures, allowing players to increase their END max or their CS min.

Shifting CS in battle:

If a player states an action that is clever, well roleplayed, or particularly effective against their opponent, they can be given a temporary increase to their Combat Ratio for this round. Plus, if the action is extremely well executed, they may have a chance to take no damage this round.

Alternatively, particularly bad actions or doing the same action over and over may result in a temporary lowering of Combat Ratio as they lose their edge in the combat.

 

[phantomdoodler]

Fate Points
As a session by session reward, i am considering handing out 0 to 3 Fate points. Fate points represent how the gods favour you and may be used to temporarily gain a Bonus equal to the number of fate points used.

Fate points are given out by the Gm at the end of each session - typically 1 each, but award another if the players roleplayed very well, and another if they achieved some significant success. If the players failed to acheive anything, then award them nothing.

The reason I am thinking of using these is that so i can award players each session. Ranks should be gained at the end of a series of sessions, much like the gamebooks, rather than one adventure, so players may feel they have to wait a while before getting any benefit. This way, they get a helping hand until they go up a rank.

 

[phantomdoodler]

Specialist Arrow heads:

These are mentioned in the companion:

Armour Piercing
These arrow heads are designed for punching through armour. They inflict 1 additional EP from a successful attack.

Incendiary
These are designed to explode upon impact, although the arrow its self causes little damage. Any damage inflicted will affect all targets who are within 2 metres of the original target.

Double-Barbed
These cruel arrowheads are notorious for inflicting serious damage. Any attack inflicts an 2 additional EPs.

Rope Cutting
These moon-shaped arrowheads are designed for, well cutting through rope. This requires a COMBAT SKILL test with a difficulty of 25, although using these arrows provides an additional +5 Bonus. They are not really effective in attacking live targets, and such attacks are made at -2 CS, treated as improvised weapons.

 

[phantomdoodler]

Tactical Combat

This is based on the combat rules for the Ragadorn Ale-House Brawl, for those who like to use miniatures and maps.

Movement
Every character also has a Movement characteristic, which represents how far they can move each combat round. Most characters have a starting value of 4 (Dwarves and Kloons have 3, Noodnics have 2, Ogrons have 5) and some classes will have bonuses from movement. For example, Kai lords may increase Movement by 1 point if they have the Hunting Discipline. Wearing a chainmail waistcoat will subtract -1 Movement, while wearing plate armour will reduce it by 2 (down to a minimum of 1)

Each round, you may move a number of squares equal to your Movement - each square representing 2 meters. Obstructions will also cost squares of movement:

Climb/onto/off table -1 square
Climb over body -1 square
Pick up Item -1 square
Climb through window -2 squares
Get up from floor -2 squares

Other creatures will also have Movement values:
Helghasts: 5
Horses: 8
Giaks: 4
Szalls: 3

Those wanting to use this idea, but in a more abstract way, may apply a characters Movement value as a Bonus to any race or chase test.

 

[Zipp Dementia]

I like the fate points. I'm going to let them use them to reroll a die.

 

[phantomdoodler]

I was toying with that idea instead of the bonus - actually a reroll is more fun.

 

[Greg Smith]

Specialist Arrow heads:

These are mentioned in the companion:

Armour Piercing
These arrow heads are designed for punching through armour. They inflict 1 additional EP from a successful attack.

Double-Barbed
These cruel arrowheads are notorious for inflicting serious damage. Any attack inflicts an 2 additional EPs.

I know LW is slightly different to normal RPGs, but I think any canny player will quickly replace all his arrows with double-barbed ones. There needs to be a downside to these two.

 

[phantomdoodler]

Yes, of course. I havnt put the costs in, but they will be expensive - possibly 4 GCs for 12 Armour Piercing, and 7 GCs for Double barbed. They are also pretty rare, so getting hold of them would be difficult

 

[Zipp Dementia]

Just a technicality, but I'm not sure items count as house rules... I assume many of us will come up with special items not found in the rule book's minimalistic item list that players can use.

 

[phantomdoodler]

Fair point - i was using this post as a dumping ground for my ideas, but yes, they probably do require a separate Equipment section - i will probably wait until Heroes comes out, because I imagine some of the classic items will be featured there (Alether potions, Rendalims Elixir, Oede, Adganan Leaves etc)

 

[Sir Brad]

House Ruling Armor, instead of an EP Bonus, I instead treat it as Damage Reduction. Helmets & Leather or Padded Waistcoats -1 Dam, Full Leather or Padded & Chainmail Waistcoats -2 Dam, Full Chainmail, Padded or Leather & Breastplate -3 Dam, Plate-mail -4 Dam, Full Plate Armor -5 Dam. of cause heaver Armors hit you with a CS Penalty without a Class Skill I gave to Knights.

 

[Zipp Dementia]

House Ruling Armor, instead of an EP Bonus, I instead treat it as Damage Reduction. Helmets & Leather or Padded Waistcoats -1 Dam, Full Leather or Padded & Chainmail Waistcoats -2 Dam, Full Chainmail, Padded or Leather & Breastplate -3 Dam, Plate-mail -4 Dam, Full Plate Armor -5 Dam. of cause heaver Armors hit you with a CS Penalty without a Class Skill I gave to Knights.

I'm not sure that's a functional house rule, Sir Brad. Not to sound pompous or anything, it's just that the way the Combat Ratio table is set up, giving a damage reduction will severely limit enemy ability to even do damage to the characters. You'll find that a character who goes into combat with even a -5 Combat Ratio will not take damage half of the time.

Just a warning: if you use this rule, your combats are going to become unbalanced really fast and you'll have ridiculous things happen, like a Kai Lord take on three Gourgaz by herself because she's wearing chainmail.

 

[phantomdoodler]

I know it sounds a little wacky, but i do like the idea of increasing your EPs with armour (its certainly easier). In an abstract way, it sort of feels like you are damaging the armour - when you heal between sessions, thats like having time to repair the odd missing link or patching up the leather rips. I am not sure how this works if you remove an chain waistcoat and you are at 4 EP or less, though

 

[beowuuf]

I think I mentioned this elsewhere, I always thing of EP as stamina aswell as your life force (just like D&D hit points have become)

Therefore, inherently armour is preventing enough damage that your body isn't as stressed by wounds, and you can last a little longer in the fight.

Essentially, the extra EP is the 'extra' stamina that would usually be drained from wounds, not some sacrificial protection the armour prevents to the first blow you take..

 

[Zipp Dementia]

I'm in agreement with Beowuuf. Often when my players take an EP hit in combat, I tell them that the move they did was tiring, or that the impact of their blow sent a painful shiver up their arm. Only rarely, like if they take a 6+ hit do I actually describe them getting smacked with a weapon.

 

[beowuuf]

In D&D usually I say how they dodged out of the way of blows and took minor cuts and scraps until they get low - only thelast blow or two are actually nasty and potentially fatal!

Even then, quick healing ensures you can't be too brutal It's amazinghow many enemies managed to go for that spot right between every major organ!

 

[Zipp Dementia]

In D&D usually I say how they dodged out of the way of blows and took minor cuts and scraps until they get low - only thelast blow or two are actually nasty and potentially fatal!

Even then, quick healing ensures you can't be too brutal It's amazinghow many enemies managed to go for that spot right between every major organ!

Yeah, if you read my MSN adventures you'll see that Lone Wolf takes a lot of side and shoulder hits!

Although, I'm pretty pleased with how I've managed to vary things, there. I even throw in the occasional permanent wound! She's got weakened endurance from past Kalkath poison and now a limp from Roark's sister.

 

[johntfs]

Specialist Arrow heads:

These are mentioned in the companion:

Armour Piercing
These arrow heads are designed for punching through armour. They inflict 1 additional EP from a successful attack.

Double-Barbed
These cruel arrowheads are notorious for inflicting serious damage. Any attack inflicts an 2 additional EPs.

I know LW is slightly different to normal RPGs, but I think any canny player will quickly replace all his arrows with double-barbed ones. There needs to be a downside to these two.

Armor piercing arrows do 1 extra point of EP against foes wearing armor. Against foes not wearing armor, they do 1 less EP.

Double-barbed arrows do +2 EP of damage if they hit. Against foes with armor, subtract half the total EP Armor bonus from the Archer's CS. So, someone wearing Chainmail and a Helmet would cause the Archer to subtract -3 from his CS because barbed arrows have a harder time punching through armor.