Houserules and Rule Clarifications

[kenada]

The opening post will contain houserules and rule clarifications/interpretations. Any changes prompted by subsequent posts will be reflected in the opening post.

Critical Strike Bonus Damage
Only attacks that deal damage, which can be either constant or variable (i.e., the result of a die roll), may receive the critical strike bonus effect (usually dice) from their weapon/implement on a critical hit.

To reuse an example from the PHB2: a wizard who rolls a natural 20 when casting Sleep does not roll any crit. bonus dice from his implement because Sleep does not do any damage.

Daily Power Regeneration
Upon attaining a milestone, you may regain the use of an expended daily power provided that its use has not been regained since the last extended rest. If no daily powers are elligible to be regained, or if you choose not to regain a daily power at this time, this opportunity is lost.

Knowledge Checks
Knowledge checks use the level-appropriate easy/medium/hard skill DCs + 5 for common, expert, and master knowledge. At level 1, for example, the DCs for common, expert, and master knowledge would be 10, 15, and 20 respectively.

Supplies
Please make sure you have enough supplies for your expeditions. It would be embarassing if everyone starved to death. If everyone takes an adventurer's kit, they have 10 days worth of rations. Don't forget to buy more!

Weapon/Implement Expertise
At levels 5, 15, and 25, you receives a +1 bonus to attack rolls as if you had taken the appropriate expertise feats. This obsoletes the weapon and implement expertise feats, making them unavailable.

WRATHGAR
WRATHGAR is properly written in all caps at size=4.

[kenada]

I find the argument that there is a problem with 4e’s math compelling, so I added the common fix of free expertise feats to the list. I’ll post an update later about whether this can be represented or not in the Character Builder.

[Atreys]

I find the argument that there is a problem with 4e’s math compelling, so I added the common fix of free expertise feats to the list. I’ll post an update later about whether this can be represented or not in the Character Builder.

In the Character Builder, if you click on the little house icon on the Feats page, it will allow you to add an extra feat to the character with a popup warning that this will make it a 'Houseruled' character.
If everyone did that and added either a weapon expertise or an implement expertise, then that would probably be the appropriate thing to do with this houserule.

[kenada]

I find the argument that there is a problem with 4e’s math compelling, so I added the common fix of free expertise feats to the list. I’ll post an update later about whether this can be represented or not in the Character Builder.

In the Character Builder, if you click on the little house icon on the Feats page, it will allow you to add an extra feat to the character with a popup warning that this will make it a 'Houseruled' character.
If everyone did that and added either a weapon expertise or an implement expertise, then that would probably be the appropriate thing to do with this houserule.

Oh, nice. That should handle the issue nicely.

I removed teleportation from the houserules section. I am sympathetic to the argument that forced teleportation powers are dependent on falling damage to remain competitive with other powers, but I’ve not found alternate options that I am happy with.

[Measure Zero]

I removed teleportation from the houserules section. I am sympathetic to the argument that forced teleportation powers are dependent on falling damage to remain competitive with other powers, but I’ve not found alternate options that I am happy with.

It's not the falling damage issue so much as the idea that teleportation should at least be able to do everything a slide does, subject to LOS.  I think a saving throw to avoid a teleport into a fall or hindering terrain would be an appropriate hack.

[kenada]

Today’s update fixed some typos and made minor alterations to the wording of the daily power regeneration section.

[kenada]

I added the house rule about knowledge checks. Overall, it makes them a little easier to do.

The fact that the DMG2 recommends using level-appropriate knowledge checks instead of regular DCs listed in the PHB for identifying special terrain features is what gave me the idea that all knowledge checks should function this way.

[kenada]

Apparently free actions can be taken in the middle of other actions. The “Warden Essentials” article in this month’s Dragon discusses using it during your movement. That’s a pretty big oops on my part.

[kenada]

I added a bit about crit. bonus damage. I don’t think this differs from RAW or RAI, but I posted it since this is how I intend to run it. Minions do not receive bonus damage when they crit. because they suck (i.e., are minions).

[Atreys]

I added a bit about crit. bonus damage. I don’t think this differs from RAW or RAI, but I posted it since this is how I intend to run it. Minions do not receive bonus damage when they crit. because they suck (i.e., are minions).

So that wizard effect that does a constant amount of damage, and also makes the enemy -2 to attack, would roll in a crit dice in that circumstance?

[kenada]

I added a bit about crit. bonus damage. I don’t think this differs from RAW or RAI, but I posted it since this is how I intend to run it. Minions do not receive bonus damage when they crit. because they suck (i.e., are minions).

So that wizard effect that does a constant amount of damage, and also makes the enemy -2 to attack, would roll in a crit dice in that circumstance?

Yes, but nothing extra happens unless his implement grants a bonus on a critical hit.

[Atreys]

I added a bit about crit. bonus damage. I don’t think this differs from RAW or RAI, but I posted it since this is how I intend to run it. Minions do not receive bonus damage when they crit. because they suck (i.e., are minions).

I have another thought about this.  When you score a critical hit, the bonus damage (on top of max damage) is determined by the bonus for your magical weapon/implement/whatever.

The problem is: the minions don't have magical weapons.  If they did, then we adventurers would be looting them and we would become rich off clearing a den of minions without even finding any treasure besides.

If you want to give a minion extra damage on a critical hit, can't you just give them a magical weapon?  What's that little kobold doing with a vorpal blade?  Who knows?  But then that would invite us to take it from his cold dead hands.

[kenada]

The problem is: the minions don't have magical weapons.  If they did, then we adventurers would be looting them and we would become rich off clearing a den of minions without even finding any treasure besides.

If you want to give a minion extra damage on a critical hit, can't you just give them a magical weapon?  What's that little kobold doing with a vorpal blade?  Who knows?  But then that would invite us to take it from his cold dead hands.

Right, which is why I don’t give minions magic weapons. (Plus, I seem to crit. rather infrequently.)