House Rules

[Balgin Stondraeg]

There aren't many, but there are a few.

1 The GM may demand a player make a dice roll (skill check, saving throw etc) at any time without having to give you a reason for doing it (as that would spoil half the fun).

2 The GM may introduce new house rules at a later date. New house rules are not retrospective (meaning that they don't change anything that's already happened) but they remain effective for future stuff (unless later removed by further house rules changes).

3 If the GM asks you for information about your character answer honestly. If a player or npc asks you in character then answer in character. If player asks you stuff out of character then respond out of character (and be as honest/dishonest as you like).

4 The morningstar: it's not a mace!

Forget all that modern nonsense. A morningstar is a morningstar therefore it comprises of a ball (spiked or plain) attached by a length of chain to a handle. A flail is a non military tool used for farming and has a much shorter chain (typicaly 2 or 3 links) than a morningstar.

The whole missunderstanding can be traced back to Deities & Demigods where an illustration of a bugbear god with a lon spiky mace was described as wielding a morningstar. Ever since then americans seem to have had incredible problems understanding what a morningstar is.

Therefore there are some weapons changes. The morningstar as portrayed on the equipment table does not exist because a spiky mace is just a mace. The flails as portrayed are actualy a light and a heavy morningstar respectively (because if they were flails they'd be nowhere near as effective with their long sections joined by short chains). Now that's not saying that a morningstar is effective but I just need to make this point clear once and for all.

Don't worry, I know that some players argue that the term morningstar describes the spiked head of the weapon and that, as such, the presence or lack of a chain is irrelevant. However, in gameplay terms the presence (or lack) of a chained section is a lot more important to the way a weapon is used than the presence (or absence) of spikes.

And since nobody ever called a morningstar a flail (and because it's such a nicer name) it makes a lot more sense to call it what it is (because a flail is a threshing implement for separating wheat from chaff and works differently).


5 There shall be no "Common" in this campaign, same goes for certain other "continent" languages. Different countries will have different languages but the tongues of adjoining countries shall be fairly interchangeable if the culture is similar. In the case of countries with similar languages, knowledge of one will include a rudimentary (or in some cases, better) understanding of the other as if it were a strange dialect.

"Common" is replaced by "Tradespeak" which is basicaly pidgin english. So it'll do for rudimentary communication but nobody would ever call a language "common" or "the normal language" or anything so crass and unimaginative. Languages have names damnit :p.

6 Fate Points.

Each character shall start with 3 fate points. Fate points are fortune's way of letting you survive to become great heroes. A fate point can turn a mortal blow into a debilitating wound. For example: if you slip and fall off a cliff then a fate point would allow you to crash onto a ledge halfway down, possibly losing consciousness (and automaticaly stabilising 'cause fate points are nice like that) but basicaly stuck and awaiting help from your friends.

Completing entire chunks of the adventure will earn a character fate points (whereas dropping in halfway through won't) so staying in all the way through has it's own little rewards. If there's a sub quest to go off and search for a lost tomb to settle an inheritance dispute between two warring nobles, then completing that entire adventure would earn the characters a fate point each. Characters who joined in halfway through wouldn't get a fate point (but they'd still get xp and stuff).

You can only use your fate points on dice rolls that affect your character. You can't use your own fate points to save someone else's life. Monsters & npc's do not get fate points on the whole (althogh a few major npc's might get a fate point or two each).

[Balgin Stondraeg]

7 Linear mode:

The game shall begin in linear mode. This is mostly to draw you guys in, make you feel at home with the adventure and it'll also set stuff up that'll all come into play later on. After a certain set event (let's say some 4 or 5 days into the adventure itself) the game shall leave linear mode and never enter into it again.

It's easier to run things in linear mode and you might feel a little bit constricted but comfort yourselves with the thought that it won't last. Think of it as the openning credits (or a game's intro movie). When the game leaves linear mode I'll announce it in bold type (quite possibly with some celebratory icons) and delete the linear rule from this thread to truly celebrate :).

[Fabian]

Please explain  :Doh!:  :icon_scratch:

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Please explain  :Doh!:  :icon_scratch:

It'll make more sense when it happens. Think of it as something along the lines of "you've all met, you've all agreed to go to this place and do this thing, when you get there you start doing it and then you are no longer in linear mode".

So basicaly a typical introduction/beginning. Only this time the degree of linearity you could expect in an introduction will bleed through into the adventure for a little while with npc's blatantly telling you which way to go and which things to do. Then after a while they ease up, get off your back and let you do your own thing (and therefore you are no longer in linear mode).

Linear mode is not strictly linear, neither is it truly compulsory. It's just that it'll be a lot more linear and directed than normal play. That's all.

Plus the group should exit linear mode in slightly less than a week (gametime) into an adventure that could span months (or even years if it starts going really slowly). And of that week at least 4 or 5 days would be taken up with fairly uneventful travelling :).

In linear mode the players still have a lot of freedom. They can chat up barmaids, gamble with shady gents in dark corners, get mugged in the alley outside - all sorts of stuff. It's not house arrest. It's more sort of like police telling murder suspects to "not leave town for the next two or three days". I'm not certain if that's a good example but basicaly the adventure (as written) is fairly plot driven and structured right at the beginning but once that's out the way it becomes totaly freeform. However the slinear bit helps to set up all the stuff the players can do after that.

[Custom_Hobby]

Nothing wrong with a solid foundation

[Fabian]

OK.. I understand now. I suppose this is pretty much how I play anyway - "let's get onto the adventure hook and tackle the main plot, and then we can start going off on tangents later"

[Agentmolar]

I thought it was called railroading?  :icon_wink:

[Custom_Hobby]

Only if you are getting screwed :bludrgn2:

[Agentmolar]

I thought that was called something else??  :icon_wink:

[Balgin Stondraeg]

I thought it was called railroading?  :icon_wink:

Linear mode won't be that linear. Just a bit moreso than normal play :p.

[PaulH]

Hi

Believe me - this is one LAAAAARGE campaign set, (about same size as WLD)?  So we'll need some structure to keep things moving.
Ditto Fate Points - there are sooo many ways of dying. "It's a WHAT...."!!!!!!!@*** :icon_twisted:

Cheers
The guy from Gloucester

[Balgin Stondraeg]

And because I completely forgot it, 8: the 3 day rule.

If a player doesn't post for 3 days then I'll assume an action for them based on what they were doing last and the situation they're in. In battle I might occassionaly reduce the 3 day rule to 2 days or even 1.

I've got Paul's phone number so I can 3 day rule him anytime he can't get on the net :p.

[PaulH]

Hi

Can you please confirm 32 point buy for stats? (Stats start at 8, plus racial bonuses/penalties).

Cheers
Paul H

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Hi

Can you please confirm 32 point buy for stats? (Stats start at 8, plus racial bonuses/penalties).

Cheers
Paul H

Consider it confirmed.

[Balgin Stondraeg]

Not so much a house rule but more for my reference really:

The Greyhawk Calendar (according to the World of Greyhawk 1st ed boxed set).

Days of the week:

Starday - work
Sunday -work
Moonday - work
Godsday - worship
Waterday - work
Earthday - work
Freeday - rest

Months of the year (common/olven/nomads/season)

Festival of Needfest
Fireseek/Diamondice/Tiger/Winter
Readying/Yellowing/Bear/Spring
Coldeven/Snowflowers/Lion/Spring

Festival of Growfest
Planting/Blossoms/Frog/Low Summer
Flocktime/Violets/Turtle/Low Summer
Wealsun/Berrytime/Fox/Low Summer

Festival of Richfest/Midsummer
Reaping/Goldfields/Snake/High Summer
Goodmonth/Sunflowers/Boar/High Summer
Harvester/Fruitfall/Squirel/High Summer

Festival of Brewfest
Patchwall/Brightleaf/Hare/Autumn
Ready'reat/Tinklingice/Hawk/Autumn
Sunsebb/Lacysnows/Wolf/Winter

Bloody hell that's a lot of summer and hardly any winter. You could almost call it equatorial. Each month is 4 weeks long and each festival is 1 week.

The current campaign date is Moonday 17th Patchwall.