Some house rules I posted on my blog.

[Agrippa]

Wrestling With Giants

No jokes about bigger boats please. We've had enough of them already.

There comes a time in D&D and many other fantasy role playing games when the heroes, such as they are, the players control end up fighting against some sort of large/giant beast or monster. An earthshaking creature of immense size with nigh impenetrable scales or hide. Yet in Dungeons & Dragons, especially OD&D and BECMI, treats fights against giant creatures the same as fights against tiny little pissant weakling kobalds and goblins. I see this as a bug and not a feature.

I've told you my problem with this, now's the time for the solution. These are the behemoth rules. Think of it as an attempt to make a build your own kaiju/giant subsystem. Some of it involves the d20 Star Wars Saga condition track to work.

When scholars and naturalists claim that the tarresque is a unique creature, one of its kind, they are partly right. There is only one tarrasque but there are many creatures of around its power and status or even greater through out all Creation. While most often they are not gods their terrible strength may lead many to believe they are. A great multitude of peoples and civilizations have fallen before these beasts. Whether fashioned by man, created by the gods or shaped by beings much older and grander these monstrosities have made their presence known in the cosmos and are all but bound to leave destruction in their wake.
-Professor Elias Zahn, A Treatise on Behemoths

Behemoths

Behemoth is a catch all term for large demi-godlike or godlike beasts. Think on the scale of Godzilla or Shub-Niggurath. From the typical brutish hill giant all the way to Surtr, king of Muspellheim. Great imposing creatures whose mere presence alters the land they dwell on. Their footfalls rumble the earth and the sheer size of these beasts can blot out the sun. The rules for behemoths are simple, it should be great in scale and or godlike in power, a truly epic foe or ally. Other than that the DM/Labyrinth Lord/Mutant Lord has free reign in designing the behemoth. Behemoths should seldom if ever be random encounters. So if you feel like statting a behemoth of your own feel free to do so in this thread.

Plant turtle Rocky behemoth

Behemoth Creation Rules

• A behemoth must have at least for hit dice and be Large-sized (at least 8 feet tall).
  
• All behemoths have either d8, d10 or d12 hit points per hit die depending on type. These types with examples are:
  
  • Fae: nuckelavee, d8 or d10
    
  • Demonic: oni, balor/balrog, d8 or d10
    
  • Elemental: elder elementals, d8 for air and fire, d10 for water and d12 for earth
    
  • Deific: titans, d8 or d10
    
  • Draconic: Need I explain? d10
    
  • Plant: Hellboy II: The Golden Army's forest god, d8
    
  • Beast: rocs, giant eagles, elephants, the Tarresque, King Kong, d8
    
  • Humanoid: hill giants on up, d8
    
  • Construct: several golems, d12
• If giving the behemoth ability scores roll 6d6, dropping the lowest two. The behemoth must have at least a 13 to Strength, at least to physical ability scores of 16 or above and at most one ability score below 7. Otherwise arrange to taste. Or figure out what ever system works out best for you. I'm still tinkering with this one.
  
• If it makes sense for the behemoth to be a spellcaster or have any class abilities of any sort give it appropriate spellcasting or class abilities equal to half, 3/4 or even full casting per level of pseudo-class level the behemoth has. In other words figure out what level the creature would be closest to give it what ever its level in class abilities you deem fit if any.
  
• Behemoths possess multiple hit point pools based on size. Large sized behemoths possess two hit point pools while Huge behemoths possess three. Gargantuan behemoths have four pools while Colossal behemoths possess a grand total of five.

Massive red dragon Giant mechanical scorpion

Fighting a Behemoth

• Attacks against a Huge or greater sized behemoth's extremities cause no hit point damage in and of themselves. Instead the damage that would be inflicted is compared to the behemoth's condition threshold (renamed damage threshold). If the attack "damage" is equal to it's damage threshold it suffers at least one wound to that limb. Two wounds to a limb can disable it, a third will sever or cripple it.
  
• Behemoths that suffer the loss the of a hit point pool are dazed for 1d4 rounds. During this time the behemoth cannot move or attack and is at a disadvantage to Strength or Dexterity checks for grappling and resisting grappling attempts. This should make climbing and holding on a lot easier.
  
• Speaking of climbing, scaling a behemoth involves a grapple check, and a Climb Sheer Surfaces attempt if the behemoth slayer possess that thief skill. The Climb Sheer Surfaces check suffers a -2% penalty for every point the behemoth's Strength score is over 10. If successful the climber scales the beast by five feet per round for 3-4 rounds, until another grapple and or Climb Sheer Surfaces attempt. Succeeding the grapple by at least five points, or the CSS attempt by 25% doubles the climber's speed. A thief or similar character only needs to pass one of them.
  
• To actually damage a behemoth it's would be slayer must reach the exposed portions of the head, neck and torso. This means somehow getting around any shell, bone plates and wings in the way. I know, easier said than done.
  
• These big bastards have some weak spots and attacking them causes at least twice the damage hitting them elsewhere would cause. These spots can include the neck, the soft pallet, lower back and mid chest.
  
• Attacks made by behemoths tend to come in two forms, sweeping and lunging.
  
• Last but not least, as a result of their size behemoths only suffer a fifth normal damage from non-siege weapons unless attacking one of its weak spots.

Attack hit roll by size

• Five sizes smaller than target +16
• Four sizes smaller than target +8
• Three sizes smaller than target +4
• Two sizes smaller than target +2
• One size smaller than target +1
• Same size as target normal
• One size larger than target -1
• Two sizes larger than target -2
• Three sizes larger than target -4
• Four sizes larger than target -8
• Five sizes larger than target -16

Behemoth Slam

Behemoth's and creatures of similar size can leave devastation in their wakes. With a mighty stomp or slam a behemoth can sunder armies in two. All non-incapacitated creatures within the radius of the behemoth's smash attempt must pass a save vs. stun or suffer the same damage of a behemoth's normal attack and be rendered prone. After three rounds the behemoth has fully regained his bearings and can make another smash attack. In addition, a smashing behemoth can make no other attacks in that round.

Behemoth slam attack area by size

Code: Select all

Creature Size   Stomp Radius   Saving Throw    Time Prone
Large           10 feet        Versus Stun     1d3 rounds
Huge            20 feet        Versus Stun -1  1d4 rounds
Gargantuan      30 feet        Versus Stun -3  1d4+1 rounds
Colossal        40 feet        Versus Stun -6  1d6+1 Rounds

Sweeping Strike


A behemoth can scatter armies with a single swing. Instead of lashing out at a single foe a behemoth can make a swiping attack at all creatures with in cone-like spread with a length equal to the behemoth's reach. There are two main way of resolving this. One, make a single attack roll and compare it to the ACs of all creatures in reach. Anyone who would be hit by a normal attack of this type takes normal damage. Or require a Save vs. Stun/Reflex Save (10+Str mod.+BaB)/Dexterity Save (8+Str mod.+proficiency bonus) to avoid being hit. Here are some pseudo-tables below to give you an idea about how the area of Sweeping Strike might look.


For Large Behemoths
h h h h
- h h -
- b b -
- b b -


For Huge Behemoths
h h h h h h h
- h h h h h -
- - h h h - -
- - b b b - -
- - b b b - -
- - b b b - -

For Gargantuan Behemoths
h h h h h h h h h h
- h h h h h h h h -
- - h h h h h h - -
- - - h h h h - - -
- - - b b b b - - -
- - - b b b b - - -
- - - b b b b - - -
- - - b b b b - - -


For Colossal Behemoths
h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h
- h h h h h h h h h h h h h h -
- - h h h h h h h h h h h h - -
- - - h h h h h h h h h h - - -
- - - - h h h h h h h h - - - -
- - - - - h h h h h h - - - - -
- - - - - b b b b b b - - - - -
- - - - - b b b b b b - - - - -
- - - - - b b b b b b - - - - -
- - - - - b b b b b b - - - - -
- - - - - b b b b b b - - - - -
- - - - - b b b b b b - - - - -

Double the arms, double the rock throwing and flesh ripping fun.

Thanks due to Ators Commander for his Defiant Creature template, the advice I got updating and improving giants on Giant in the Playground forums, the creators of Star Wars Saga Edition for their Condition Threshold rules and all the assistance from Dragonsfoot and Goblinoid Games forums.

[Agrippa]

A really ill-advised idea of mine, wound thresholds.

One of the things I've noticed about D&D in general is that damage doesn't really matter until the last few hit points. Now I know that's just fine with a lot of people, but I feel I can do better. At the very least make it a bit more complex. A lot of it is borrowed from SWSE (Star Wars Saga Edition) and Iron Saga as well as the Vitality/Wounds system with 5e's short and long rest mechanics and some d20 conditions.

Damage Threshold

Your damage threshold is simply your Constitution score+highest class level+3 for any warrior class (fighters, dwarves, elves and halflings)+the AC bonus* of your armor. Magical AC bonuses including bracers of armor also apply, but not shields, Dexterity bonus or incremental armor class from class levels.

Léonard Tolbert is a young, if moderately experienced, warrior (4th level fighter) marching off against a small pack of demons mistakenly summoned by a sorcerer friend of his. He arms and armors himself well before battle knowing that at least some of these hellspawn could rip him to shreds. He already has a Constitution of 14, a Strength of 17 and a Dexterity of 16 (meaning that his player probably rolled pretty well) and is wearing a suit of plate armor (AC 3). Subtracting the AC his armor gives him from nine gives Léonard a total damage threshold of 27 (14 Constitution+3 fighter+4 level+6 armor), while his armor and Dexterity give him an AC of 1.

*I know that AC in pre-3rd edition D&D is descending and most armors are given a set AC value. Just subtract a particular armor's AC from 9 and add the difference to damage threshold.

The Wounds Part of it All

The wound track measures how much severe trauma and injury a character can withstand before losing consciousness. Every attack that inflicts your damage threshold or more in hit points causes at least a single wound. A character can withstand a number of wounds equal to his or her current Constitution score and depending upon his or her current hit points before unconsciousness.

• Full hit points and no wounds. Completely and utterly fine, unless your PC has been poisoned, petrified, paralyzed, stunned, cursed or set on fire.
  
• Full hit points and one wound. Fatigued until wound is healed.
  
• Full hit points and at least 1/2 maximum wounds. Fatigued and sickened.
  
• Full hit points and full Constitution in wounds. Sickened and exhausted.
  
• Half hit points and no wounds. Fatigued.
  
• Half hit points and one wound. Fatigued and sickened.
  
• Half hit points and at least 1/2 maximum wounds. Sickened and exhausted.
  
• Half hit points and full Constitution in wounds. Exhausted and nauseated.
  
• 0 hit points and no wounds. Fatigued and sickened.
  
• 0 points and one wound. Sickened and exhausted.
  
• 0 hit points and at least 1/2 maximum wounds. Exhausted and nauseated.
  
• 0 hit points and full Constitution in wounds. Disabled or unconscious.
  
• Negative hit points equal to your character's base damage threshold. Dead.

Healing Wounds

Healing wound damage is trickier and more difficult than healing normal hit point damage. In fact all hit point damage needs to be healed first before the character can recover from any wounds at all. After all hit point damage is recovered from characters heal their wounds at a rate of one wound for a short rest and three wounds per long rest. Effective medical care can double or even triple the rate of wound healing and magical healing can further improve treatment. For every ten hit points (rounded up) a spell would normally heal remove one wound instead.

Conclusion

Here it is, my attempt at a wounds system for BECM/Saga/Mutant Future Franken-game. So then, how does it look?

[Agrippa]

(A little bit of this and a little of that) Segment based initiative and some other combat rules. Here we go again.
Initiative: Who Goes First?

Let's start things off with one of the most contentious topics in role playing games. Not alignment, which for the most part is only a thing in D&D, Palladium and the 'World games. I'm not even talking about encumbrance. No, I'm talking about the real most controversial topic in most if not all RPGs. I'm talking about initiative, what others have called the Kobayashi Maru of D&D.

So let's get down to the nuts and bolts here. I'm drawing from a mix of 1st Edition AD&D, Hackmaster and Exalted in which the lowest initiative roll goes first and then you count up. At the start of combat, and only at the start of combat, roll a 1d10 for each combatant, or block of combatants. The lowest roll is then subtracted from all rolls, including itself, going first. This should result in a starting initiative of 0 for the fastest character, counting up one segment until you reach the character's initiative. Then you count up to their action's speed and add your character's Dexterity bonus to initiative, a plus +x low Dexterity and a -x for high Dexterity.

Under this rule the DM then counts up from 0, with each character starting on his or her initiative count and finishing on his or her action speed. After a character finishes their current action, including attack and damage rolls and saving throws against that potential attack, the DM starts counting up again until the next character can act. And so on and so forth until the battle/encounter is over.

So for a recap:

1. Everyone rolls a 1d10, with the lowest going first and subtracting itself from all rolls, starting at 0.
   
2. Add your character's chosen action's speed to his/her initiative.
   
3. Add your character's initiative bonus from Dexterity to your current subtotal. Higher than average Dexterity actually subtracts from initiative. This is for your character's first action in the encounter.
   
4. The DM counts up from 0, with whomever is ready to act on that segment starting their action and finishing it on their plus action speed.
   
5. Count up to the action speed for your character's next action.
   
6. Repeat step five until the battle is over.

Or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Battle Wheel.

Action speed

• light one-handed melee weapon: +3
  
• medium one-handed melee weapon or light two-handed melee weapon: +4
  
• heavy one-handed melee weapon or medium two handed melee weapon: +5
  
• heavy two-handed melee weapon: +6
  
• slings, pistols and throwing knives/darts: +3
  
• short bows and chakram: +4
  
• longbows, thrown spears and long guns: +5
  
• combat spell: +5 +1/2 spell levels
  
• use of active mutation: +5
  
• movement: +1 per 1/10 of base speed, concurrent with melee attacks and at least some missile attacks
  
• running: +1 per 1/5 of base speed, but can only attack at the end of the run/charge
  
• miscellaneous: +5

Example

Our Heroes

• Bran Ó Caoindealbháin, a low level druid (magician) wielding sling, staff and sickle
  
• Meadhbh Ó Fithcheallaigh, a young princess (noble) well versed short sword and knife fighting and possessed of a voice that can bewitch and enthrall those who hear it. Deadly knife thrower.
  
• Saoirse Ó Fithcheallaigh, Meadhbd's older sister and protector. Huntress (scout) and skirmisher more accustomed to the woods than life at court. Expert archer, tracker and spear fighter.
  
• Léonard Tolbert, a young knight (fighter or warrior, whatever you would like to call him) in shining armor and near spotless virtue. Armed to the teeth and doesn't believe in such a thing as "overkill".
  
• Jeanne Pelletier, young witch and seer (magician), romantically involved with Léonard. Hides a stilleto dagger in her garter.
  
• Louis Renard, occultist and summoner (magician), good friend to Léonard but foolish and inept summoner. Tends to mistakenly summon demons due to his sloppiness and overconfidence.
  
• Trevor Bucket, agent in his majesty's secret service (thief or operative, your pick) in an occult war for survival. Armed with a pair of brass knuckles, a cane sword and a pistol.
  
• Lilly Haversham, underground boxer, back alley brawler and bar fighter (warrior/fighter). Mostly uses her fists and elbows, but will occasionally bring out her sledgehammer or twin pistols.
  
• Zhū Yuanjun, a junior government functionary and emissary (noble) from the Golden Phoenix Empire. Wields a jian (normal sword) for self defense with some skill. He also carries a small pistol with adjustable sights built in.
  
• Takaki Sakura, middle child and eldest daughter of shogun Takaki Yasuhiro of the Divine Sun Empire, and personally tutored in the way of the samurai (warrior) by him. About as heavily armed as Léonard but with a composite bow and four quivers of arrows stashed on her horse. 20 of those arrows have explosive black powder heads.

The Enemy

• The local goblin king and his five elite knights
  
• 60 goblin troops, divided into 5 units of 12 led by one knight each.
  
• Three ogres the goblin king controls.

The ten players (yes all ten of them) and the DM roll their initiatives with the following as the results:

Party

• 7 (Bran)
  
• 10 (Meadhbh)
  
• 5 (Saoirse)
  
• 1 (Léonard)
  
• 9 (Jeanne)
  
• 2 (Louis)
  
• 8 (Trevor)
  
• 7 (Lily)
  
• 1 (Yuanjun)
  
• 6 (Sakura)

Goblins and ogres

• 6 (king)
  
• 3 (knight and unit)
  
• 6 (knight and unit)
  
• 7 (knight and unit)
  
• 9 (knight and unit)
  
• 6 (knight and unit)
  
• 6 (ogre)
  
• 9 (ogre)
  
• 2 (ogre)

Initiative Count, Not Including Actions and Dexterity
0 Léonard and Yuanjun
1 Louis and ogre #3
2 goblin knight and his unit #1
3 no one
4 Saoirse
5 Sakura, Goblin King, goblin knight and unit #2, goblin knight and unit #5 and ogre #1
6 Bran, Lily and goblin knight and unit #3
7 Trevor
8 Jeanne and ogre #2
9 Meadhbh

Reach Weapons
Reach weapons are weapons the allow their wielders greater than natural reach in melee. That's basically it. I have a small list of weapons that I consider reach weapons and another list beneath it that might be possible possible reach weapons too.

Reach Weapons

• Longspear
  
• Sledgehammer
  
• Lance
  
• Pollaxe
  
• Meteor hammer
  
• Two-handed axe
  
• Greatclub

Potential Reach Weapons

• Greatsword
  
• Bastard sword
  
• Glaive
  
• Halberd
  
• Bec-de corbin

Reach weapons are long enough to avoid most melee counterattacks and backlashes. They can also be used for attacks of opportunity/free attacks against foes with light or no weapons and no shield.

[Agrippa]

Strikes and Guards Rules

Melee combat under these rules differs significantly from standard D&D/Basic Fantasy RPG. In normal D&D you make an attack roll either against your enemy’s AC (d20 rules) against your Attack Value/THAC0, adding your foe’s AC as a bonus to hit. This is true for both melée and missile combat. This isn’t a bad system, just a limited and overly simple system. So I’m adding a bit more depth to the melée portion of combat.

Under the strikes and guards rules melée combat consists of, well strikes and guards. Strikes are your basic melée attacks, while guards are the counters to them. There are three main kinds of strikes and three corresponding guards. Over head strikes or high attacks, which are automatically countered by high guards, in other words head level parries. Then there are low attacks, which are underhanded swings, or more likely upward thrusts to the center, with low guards intercepting them. Finally you have side attacks which are swings or stabs from one side or the other, which can be countered with side guards for the corresponding side. A corresponding guard automatically defeats a corresponding attack. Otherwise make a standard attack roll.

Combatants may make a number of strikes and a number of guards each attack action equal to the number of attacks he or she could normally make. All players involved in melée, plus the DM, secretly decide what strikes their characters will use, in order of use, along with the secret feint rolls for each. Then all characters have their guards and feinting strike selected secretly by those playing them, for which ever order of use they deem fit. A character has a minimum of two potential guards, but can only execute one guard per attack.

Feinting: Bluffing in combat, also known as feinting is an attempt to misdirect an opponent into failing to guard against your attack. Make a Deception check, using the highest of your Charisma, Intelligence or Dexterity, against the higher of your opponent’s Wisdom or Intelligence plus character level, which is that character’s Bluff Defense. If your feint succeeds you may feint with your chosen false strike and then attack with your true strike.

Example Battle 1: Steffan Rackham faces of off against his foe Sir Desmond Birch and three of his soldiers. So to determine order of battle both Steffan’s player and the DM make initiative rolls. Steffan’s player rolls a 2, adds his initiative bonus of -1 for a total of 1. Damn good starting place for a fight like this. The DM then makes Sir Desmond’s initiative roll and gets a 9, then adds his initiative bonus of -2 for a total of 7. Things aren’t looking good for Desmond right about now; Steffan has the drop on him. Finally the DM makes one initiative roll for Sir Desmond’s goons and get a 7.

Steffan starts at about 20 feet away before charging towards the ruthless knight and his brutish men. Since Steffan’s base speed is 40 feet and his long sword is a speed 5 weapon it only takes him five ticks to move and then attack. Because he’s attacking before his enemies can act Steffan’s foes can only guard themselves, not attack. Sir Desmond is a clever man; he has an Intelligence of 15 and Wisdom of 16. Both pretty good for a warrior. His men on the other hand, while by no means stupid, are less cunning and canny than he is. His three foot soldiers have Intelligence scores of 12 and Wisdom scores of 8-11. This gives Birch a Feint Defense of 17 (+1 for 1st character level) and his men a Feint Defense of 13 (+1 for 1st character level).

Steffan’s opts for a cleaving left strike against two of Sir Desmond’s men, so he chooses side attack – left for his true strike. For his feinting strike he decides on a downward high attack. His player makes two Deception rolls, one a 9 and the other a 6 six, for a total of 21 and 18. Steffan briefly assumes a top stance, drawing the two soldiers into a high guard, before swiftly lowering his sword and going for a left to right side swipe with the Crushing Blow maneuver and the Cleave combat option, making a single attack roll of 12+7, for a total of 19, just enough to score a hit for 16 points of slashing damage. These soldiers being lightly armored minions have 17 hit points, 13 from Constitution, with their armor only protecting them from 2 points of damage each, causing them each one wound and dropping them down to one hit point.


Strikes and Guards cards.