House Rules for my C&C campaign

[Ancalagon]

Greetings! My current C&C campaign started about 5 months ago. Here are the House Rules we've instituted:

Stat Generation - roll 3d6 seven times, drop the lowest, assign as desired
Hit Points - max at 1st level
Initiative - DEX mod affects the d10 roll
Wizards' Spell Use - memorization not required though spell slots are used to determine spells per day; player must communicate to CK that the character is studying his spell books daily
Crits - a nat 20 with a backup roll ("confirmation" in 3e speak) results in a crit; roll d6 for severity: 1-3 is max damage +1 point, 4-5 is determine damage as normal then double it, 6 is automatic double max damage; character receives +25 XP
Fumbles - a nat 1 with a backup roll results in a fumble; CK adjudicates on the fly based on circumstances; character receives +25 XP since the results are usually highly entertaining to the rest of the group
Shield Use - a character using a shield may opt to reduce a crit against him/her to a normal hit but the shield is destroyed in so doing

[Captain_Blood]

I like the shield rule, but I've dispensed with the critical hit/fail rules all together. New players typically complain until I point out that they will almost always be outnumbered, and if they get critical hits then so do the monsters. Strangely no one has complained after that.

[Ancalagon]

I always put the option of using crits & fumbles to a group vote. If they want them, great; if not, great. Your point about PCs being outnumbered is definitely valid but that was up to my players to consider before they voted.

[Necron 99]

Haha, on the topic of critical strikes, check out this optional rule I considered at some point back in the day.

HR Option: Critical Damage

This critical hit method is designed to demonstrate the lethality behind a life-threatening attack. It is
designed to be deadly and not just an extra or modified damage roll.

To start, all PCs have a critical hit point score (CHPs) equal to their CON score. There is no reason
to record this number, but it can be tracked within the same spot on the character sheet as normal
HPs.

When a natural 20 is rolled in combat, a second To-hit roll is made without any modifiers, by the
attacker. If the roll fails, then the attack is only a normal attack. If, however, the second
unmodified roll is a success, then the attack becomes critical.

When a crit is scored, the attacker then rolls for critical hit damage using the following chart:

Small Weapons 1d4
Medium Weapons 2d4
Large Weapons 3d4

These points, when totaled, are then subtracted from the CHP score. If the PC suffers more than
one half the critical damage in one attack (and still has at least 1 CHP remaining, the player then
makes a system shock to determine whether or not the character becomes unconscious from the
damage.

If at anytime the character is dropped to zero CHPs, the character dies, regardless of remaining
Hit Points.

Talk about brutal.

[Ancalagon]

The falling unconscious portion reminds me of Hackmaster's Threshold of Pain. I like the idea of an insta-kill from crit damage as combat should be dangerous and feared. Aww yeah.

[Arashi]

I always put the option of using crits & fumbles to a group vote. If they want them, great; if not, great. Your point about PCs being outnumbered is definitely valid but that was up to my players to consider before they voted.

I was one of the ones who voted yes on critical hits. I don't think I'd want to play in a game without them. I like the very real possibility that one lucky hit can save the day... or spell doom for my character. I'm not a fan of the critical/fumble confirmation roll, however. I suscribe to the critical on 20, so long as modified roll is 5 over the target's AC. So a 20 on an AC 19 isn't a crit, for example. It'd have to be modified to 24 or higher to produce a critical. A 20 against an AC 15 would be an instant critical.

And of course a 1 is always a fumble, no confirmation necessary.

[Necron 99]

I dig crits and fumbles in most cases, makes for interesting outcomes.

Ah the days of Hackmaster 4.

Btw, welcome to the board, Arashi.

[Arashi]

I dig crits and fumbles in most cases, makes for interesting outcomes.

Ah the days of Hackmaster 4.

Btw, welcome to the board, Arashi.

I've never played Hackmaster nor looked at its system so I have no idea how crits are handled in that particular game.

In my own homebrew system which is a hybrid of 1e/2e/Pathfinder/WW VtR/Bethesda Computer Game or 2 I've adapted the crit tables, both melee and magic, from two of my most hated 2e expansion books: Combat & Tactics and Spells & whatever. They work well with my Armor as Damage Reduction and piecemeal armor system. Nothing like having a character offer a helping hand only for the big bad to hand it back. Decapitations, piles of innards at feet, and severed limbs, oh my.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

[Ancalagon]

I dig crits and fumbles in most cases, makes for interesting outcomes.

Ah the days of Hackmaster 4.

Btw, welcome to the board, Arashi.

I've never played Hackmaster nor looked at its system so I have no idea how crits are handled in that particular game.

In my own homebrew system which is a hybrid of 1e/2e/Pathfinder/WW VtR/Bethesda Computer Game or 2 I've adapted the crit tables, both melee and magic, from two of my most hated 2e expansion books: Combat & Tactics and Spells & whatever. They work well with my Armor as Damage Reduction and piecemeal armor system. Nothing like having a character offer a helping hand only for the big bad to hand it back. Decapitations, piles of innards at feet, and severed limbs, oh my.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

Emphasis mine.
Sounds like some good times a-waitin' for the fight-first-and-what-are-questions type players!

HackMaster 4e uses the AD&D1e/2e systems with Kenzer & Co.'s home rules added on for extra grit, humor, crunch, and gaming goodness. I'll loan you a copy of a PHB some time. If the C&C game came to an end (TPK, whatever) I could suggest running AD&D or HackMaster 4e.

[Necron 99]

If the C&C game came to an end (TPK, whatever) I could suggest running AD&D or HackMaster 4e.

If you do, I think I have an extra PHB I could send you. At the very least, I could get you the PDF to dish out to folks. It's not like the system is in print or current circulation any more so i have no qualms about passing around a PDF of the game.