House rules are arbitrary and used according to whim. However, this set is intended to make Hyracanum feel more cinematic and the logic behind each rule is explained.
1: New Round, New Initiative
Roll initiative every round instead of just once and sticking to that order.
Reason: Combat is a chaotic mess where fortunes can change unexpectedly, not an orderly dance. Better player engagement results from this rule, also.
2: Ten-Second Rule
When your number comes up in initiative, you have 10 seconds to decide on a course of action or lose the round to indecision.
Reason: It takes so long to get around the table in combat that every player has ample time to figure out what they want to do. Forward momentum must be maintained.
3: Critical Hits Deal Maximum Damage
Instead of rolling double the damage dice, take the maximum damage of the weapon, double it, then add modifiers.
Reason: It makes critical hits much more dangerous and deadly.
4: Fumble
On an attack roll of 1, you automatically fail and lose any further actions that round.
Reason: There needs to be a counterbalance to the critical hit rule and this is essentially slipping in the mud or having sweat run in your eyes.
5: Friendly Fire
Firing into melee risks hitting an unintended target. If you roll a natural 2 on your attack, randomly determine who in the line of fire is hit instead of the intended.
NOTE: Crossbow Expert, Sharpshooter and Spell Sniper feats circumvent this rule.
Reason: Unless you are a Robin Hood-level archer, shooting into a group of people, or even just a couple, carries a risk of hitting the wrong target.
6: Undead Qualities
There are a few:
- ALL undead are Evil. As beings powered by the Negative Material Plane, the dead hate the living.
- ALL undead are immune to magical sleep, charm and fear effects plus poison of any kind, but Holy water acts like acid or poison on them.
- Corporeal undead have Resistance to Necrotic damage, non-corporeal undead have Immunity to Necrotic damage.
- Zombies always go last in Initiative. (Slow speed)
- Skeletons have Resistance to Slashing and Piercing damage but are Vulnerable to Bludgeoning damage. (Brittle bones)
7: Selective Literacy
The ability to read complicated text is limited to classes with a literary aspect such as Bards, Clerics, Rogues, Warlocks and Wizards, as well as those of Acolyte, Artisan, Charlatan, Merchant, Noble, Sage or Scribe background.
Barbarians, Druids, Fighters, Rangers and Sorcerers are presumed illiterate.
Reason: In pre-industrial, mostly oral-tradition cultures, reading and writing are rare skills. People may be functionally literate and INT may also factor into things, but reading and writing complicated texts are specialized abilities.
8: Elven Chain-mail
There is no such thing. There is, however, Gnomish chain-mail which has the same properties.
Reason: Elves lack metal-working abilities sufficient to smith weapons and armour, but Gnomes are excellent metal-workers.