Revised Campaign House Rules

Mission creep seems to be on my lips a good deal these days when talking about how much of what I expected I would be doing at various points in the campaign has seemed to become things fairly different from what the elevator pitch was at the get go.

Tone and the nature of the sandbox have evolved into new phases quite obviously (I hesitate to use a high-falutin', Kuhnian word like paradigm) and taking stock this week realized that the actual at-the-table house rules and play quirks really are quite different from what I have in print on the blog and in the Compendium. So for players (old and new) and the curious here is what's in use:

New or Codified Rules

The Eternal Scumbag. The Weird doesn't always produce the terrifying or inimical, it's infection can extend strange life-hopping properties to those that spend inordinate amounts of time in its presence. If a PC dies the player can elect to roll up a new character with half the experience points of the deceased character. All meta-knowledge is assumed to transfer to the new character and there is a certain “look in the eyes” that hops with the soul.

The New Dude. Players starting new PCs can choose two routes for chargen: 1. use the alternate background generator in the Hill Cantons Compendium, or 2. roll 4d6 drop the lowest in order for attributes and start with the normal die roll for starting cash. Starting spells are your INT minimum per permitted spell level. Maximum hit points for your starting hit die.

Playable Classes. This being a Humancentric campaign, humans can elect to be any class from the LL/AEC rulebook (using the lower B/X like hit dice). They can also play any ridiculous and silly class from the Compendium or Live or Wild or Die, which to-date is the Mountebank, Newhonian White Wizard, Chaos Monk, Amazon, or Pantless Barbarian. Demihumans are consigned to the race-class ghetto of the Compendium: Robodwarf Feral Dwarf, Half-Ogre and Black Hobbit.

Clerics and Priests

Only followers of the Sun Lord (or those of Father Jack's Blood Jesus church) are allowed to play Clerics. Most other classes however can elect to be priests of other divine powers (see Live Weird or Die for specifics).

Coming Back from the Dead. The party can elect to have a dead character raised by the Patriarch of Kezmarok (sanity permitting) for 5000 gold suns or reincarnated (rolls on the Big Dumb HC Reincarnation Table) by the Archdruid of Svat the Four Faced, Vilem Nelsin for 3000 suns. Special favors may be substituted for a partial or full remittance of payment if the NPC has need.

The Rule of Mulmak. It takes real grit and a heap of luck to survive as a Hill Cantons hireling, so one that passes through that forge is assumed to take on some of the heroic properties of the PCs. Any henchperson who is of the third level or higher is entitled to a roll on the Death and Dismemberment table if they reach 0 hit points.

Conspicuous Consumption. Living high on the hog is a cherished tradition among Eternal Scumbags. Gold for non-adventure-useful luxury items like fashionable clothing, unfortified real estate, foodstuffs, recreational drugs, empty titles of nobility, etc can be burned for exp at the rate of .5 exp per 1 gold sun spent. A list of consumables (which assume you have access to a city such as Kezmarok or Marlank) can be found in Live Weird or Die or along the above links.

Magic Backpack. Anything you need in your backpack is somehow on top when you need it. Bam its a rule, wizard did it.

Non-Stupid Encumbrance. Enc rules are handwaved if the PC is carrying the “logically normal” range of goods. Bulky treasures (remember gold suns are 1/10^th the weight of the D&D gp) or large items will encumber you as per my judgment. Dur.

Villain Cameos. From time to time, people outside the main party will continue to play the parts of various NPC villains (Kezmarok's surviving Autarch for instance). The GM will strive to reduce meta-knowledge and will cap the amount of carnage if it strays into the Non-Fun sphere of thing.

Rules from the HC Compendium No Longer in Use

Exp for training or gear. We use the double-dipping rules from above now.

The Alternate Charisma rules. Nope.

Loyal Followers and the Hireling wage scale. Hireling rates are at the prevailing Guild-set wage.