House Rules

The new school year will be upon us before we know it. This means that I will be starting my new OSR campaign for my students at school. I am planning on using Old School Essentials with some of the expanded content from the two new books. I am also planning on running B2 Keep on the Borderlands as the setting to begin with. I am assuming this will take them most of the year to complete, if they do finish it I will move onto X1 Isle of Dread. The real focus of this article will be to discuss the house rules that I am planning on using in my game. It talking with the community, I don’t think a single person I talk with runs the game straight, so these are mine.

General Rules

• Stats are 4d6 drop the lowest in order.
• At first level Hit Point rolls of 1 or 2 can be rerolled.
• Hit Points are rerolled at each level, minimum 1 hit point increase.
• Alignment Languages will not be used.
• Death & Dismemberment is being used. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxVHEMMjLlZ4cFVJTEFEcW9WV0U/view
• Attempting player facing defense. With 1s being a crit fail for something bad happening, 20 is an extra attack.
• Healing is with Advantage outside of combat, including potions.

 

Crossbows

• If loaded and ready, can fire before combat begins.
• Must reload
• All missile weapons can Aim one round, crossbows can aim up to 3.

 

Wizards

• Wizards can Read Magic naturally and does not need to be cast. Does not apply to elves.
• Wizards get bonus spells based on WIS bonus.
• Wizards have a 10% chance per level to Identify magic items. (Max 90%)
• Wizards can use staves.
• Spell research costs 1,000 GP and two week’s time, per level of spell.
• Mentors cut the time in half, but twice the cost.
• Scrolls/Spellbooks cut the time and cost in half.
• Cannot memorize the same spell twice in one day.
• B/X Blackrazor’s article Magical Skills (Cantrips).

 

Fighter

• Fighters can specialize in one weapon at level 1 granting a +1/+1 bonus in that weapon.
• Fighters may use Shields shall be splintered

 

Clerics

• Clerics get bonus spells for WIS.

 

Thieves

• Backstab does not literally have to be a stab in the back, but an attack at an unaware target with any weapon.
• Thieves Cant is added
• All Thief Abilities are a Hear Noise Check.

Elves

• Does not need a spell book, gets spells back at dawn every day.

• Learns new spells naturally.

This is a living document that I will update as time goes on. Updated 9/11/2020