House Rules for D&D 2nd Ed. - Short

These rules change the math to make it 3 points easier to hit, but PCs can mitigate it by using a shield and/or fighting carefully or defensively. However, it introduces resting and a death save to reduce lethality.

It also makes all classes a bit more flexible and offers martial classes more things to do in melee than just swing a weapon.

Why change the math? In old-school D&D, a 4th-level fighter with 16 strength (+1 to hit) had a THAC0 of 17. Hitting AC 2 (plate mail and shield) would only happen on a roll of 14-20, or 35% of the time. So, players of fighters would beg for an 18 percentile strength and magic weapons to have a decent chance of hitting.

Wizard classes

• You can use Cantrip at will without expending a spell slot.
• In place of mundane spell components, you carry a custom-made staff, wand, or other sorcerous channel. Without it, you can only cast cantrips.
• Fireball does 3d6 hp damage +1 hp/level.
• Sorcerer class instead of illusionist. No specialization.

Priest classes

• Favor: You gain 1 point of luck each morning.
• Minor miracle: You can spend a point of luck to find–or suddenly recall packing–one item or a few small items of a mundane sort, such as chalk or candles.

Rogue classes

At 3rd level, you start every day with 1 point of luck.

You pick up skills haphazardly: at 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, and 17th levels, the DM should randomly offer two choices you don’t already have:

• Coup de grace: If maximum damage from your backstab could kill a bloodied opponent, you can spend a point of luck, and, if you hit with a normal attack, kill the opponent.
• Uncanny Agility: Get advantage on agility-based checks. You can climb most walls, cross roofs, and catch hand-holds as parkour; on a failed check, you must merely get down. (1d6 damage on a natural 1.)
• Evasion: When hit in melee but before you know the damage, you can spend a point of luck to evade the blow, but you end up… (1d12: 1=DM chooses; 2-10=clock points around the opponent, 11-12=you choose).
• Hide in Plain Site: Creatures with greater than beast intelligence tend to not notice you if there are at least two humanoids with you. When engaged in combat, they will generally not target you, unless you are doing something conspicuous (about to attack, starting a fire, etc.).
• Silver tongue: Given the opportunity to spend adequate time with a person you can communicate with, you’re so persuasive that you effectively have the ability of Charm Person by spending a point of luck. If successful, it lasts 1 day.
• Swashbuckler: Daring feats only cost you 1 point of luck instead of 2. You can also spend a point of luck to tuck and roll after a fall (up to your DEX score in feet) to avoid falling damage.
• Viper strike: You can perform a backstab-like attack face-to-face, as long as it is the very first attack of a combat encounter. You create your own surprise.

Hero Dice

Adventurers add a hero die as a bonus to certain rolls. It starts at nil and advances +1, 1d3, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d12.

• Warriors' die advances at levels 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20.
• Clerics and rogues' die advances at levels 4, 8, 12, 16, 20.
• Wizards' die advances at levels 5, 10, 15, 20.

Luck

You gain luck when you roll a 3 or more on your hero die.

• Spend 1 point to reroll a die roll (keep either roll).
• Luck resets to zero at the end of the adventuring day.
• The DM gets luck when a player rolls a natural 1 on a d20. The DM’s luck never resets.
• The DM can get a point of luck by describing an ill omen (crows, bats, thunder clap, wolf howl, ominous echoes, slammed door) at a moment when danger is near.

Equipment

Armor class is ascending from 7 for none (17 minus the old 10 AC). Shields give +2 to AC instead of +1.

Daring Feats

At 5th level, you can declare a daring feat, spend 2 points of luck (1 point for warriors), then hit for damage:

• Swap: You put yourself between an opponent and either an ally or something they are protecting.
• Mount: You do half damage but get the opportunity to leap onto a rock or piece of furniture and fight from the high ground. Or you leap onto the opponent, if larger than you, where your blocked attacks count as hits for damage.
• Target: You do half damage but hit a specific body part (such as the hand) that is not typically a target (like the head).
• Spoil: You do half damage but spoil an opponent’s next attack or attempt to chase you by throwing sand or dirt, knocking over barrels, toppling a brazier, etc.
• Demoralize: You display skill at arms that rattles same-sized or smaller opponents and causes them to make a morale check (describe the display).

The GM is free to allow similar daring feats appropriate to the adventure using these as a model.

Initiative

Each side rolls 1d20 and adds the number of characters on their side; higher modified roll wins. Deal with readied actions first, then a chosen character from the winning side, then their opponent, and so on, each side choosing. Reroll initiative after area-effect spells.

Combat

Each round, you can decide on your fighting tactics:

• Cautious: Add your hero die to your attack roll.
• Aggressive: Add your hero die to your damage roll. If you hit for damage and your opponent does not, you can force an opponent back 5 feet, if they are no more than one size larger.
• Defensive: Add your hero die to your armor class. If you also fall back 5 feet, melee hits against you from your front do half damage; you cannot also be forced back by an aggressive attack.
• Sweep: Your hero die +1 determines now many opponents you can hit for half damage with one attack roll, as long as you hit their AC and can move to reach them.

To attack, roll 1d20 and add your attack modifiers. If at least equal to the opponent's AC, the attack hits and does damage according to your weapon die. Otherwise, the attack was fended off or bounced off the opponent's armor or hide, but a natural 4 or less indicates an actual miss.

Natural 1 is a mishap and could cause your weapon to break (see Weapon Quality above). The GM gets 1 point of luck for the opponents. For ranged weapons, the arrow, etc., is merely dropped. For unarmed attacks, you fall down.

Natural 20 is a critical hit: do maximum damage. On a natural 19 or 20 attack roll, choose an effect based on your weapon type:

• Mace: Bonus or knockback
• Axe: Rend or trip
• Hammer: Knockback or trip
• Sword: Bonus or rend
• Spear: Bonus
• Pick: Bonus or trip
• Flail: Knockback (also: ignore opponent's shield)
• Polearm: Pick three: Bonus, rend, knockback, or trip

Effects:

• Knockback: Knock a similar-sized opponent back 5'; smaller opponent also falls prone.
• Rend: Rend the opponent’s armor or hide for -2 AC (or chops off a tentacle, tendril, tail, etc.)
• Bonus: +2 damage.
• Trip: Same or smaller size opponent takes half damage and falls prone (or is unhorsed).
• Grapple: Regardless of weapon, if you have one hand free, you can choose to deal normal damage and still perform a grapple hand-to-hand combat maneuver.

Injury

At half hit points, you are bloodied. Monsters check morale.

When reduced below 10 hp, you are injured. You get disadvantage on physical saves, checks, and attacks.

When reduced to zero hp, you are seriously injured. Make a system shock check at the end of the round and again at the end of the following round or die. If you take more damage, you die immediately. If conscious, you can crawl.

Resting and Healing

If you were seriously injured, you heal at 1 hp per week until you have 10 hp, unless healed by magic.

If you were not seriously injured, you recover hit points with a good night’s rest. Sleep at least 6 hours and regain 2 hp per level (or, if disturbed by attack or sleeping in heavy armor, 1 hp/lvl) and all "once a day" abilities.

Falling Damage

If you fall more than 5 feet, save vs half the height in feet using your constitution modifier. If you succeed, you take take 1d4 hp damage per 5 feet. If you fail, you are reduced to zero hp by a serious injury (broken bone). See Injury, above, for the effects of being reduced to zero hp.

Hand-to-hand Combat

Roll 1d20 against the target listed for the maneuver you attempt. Strength bonus applies. For creatures one size smaller, you get advantage. For creatures one size larger, you get disadvantage. (You can’t fight most non-humanoids or creatures much larger or smaller this way.)

• Tackle: On a 6 or better, you tackle your opponent and go down together. Fail: only you go down.
• Plow: On an 8 or better, you plow your opponent back 5 feet and go with them. Fail: you go past them.
• Grapple: On a 10 or better, you get a hold on your opponent. The next round, you can make an opposed strength check to do 1d6 hp damage plus strength bonus or move the opponent 5 feet in any direction. Failure (or being hit for damage) means the hold is broken.
• Knockback: On a 12 or better, you shove or kick your opponent back 5 feet. Smaller opponent is also knocked prone. Fail: do 1 hp damage plus strength bonus.
• Knockdown: On a 14 or better, you knock your opponent prone. Fail: do 1 hp damage plus strength bonus.

Magic Items

Potions have a short shelf life. If a potentially fresh one is found, check difficulty 8 or it is spoiled. On a natural 1, it is just starting to spoil, so it works but you get a minor wild magic effect. Drinking two potions also causes a minor wild magic effect. All potions spoil between adventures.

Except for potions, magic items are worth 5x their XP value in gold pieces. They cannot be bought, but, by pursuing rumors, a player can forgo gold treasure equal to the item’s value and find one on the next adventure.

Also, a powerful specialist wizard can give a weapon a +1 for 1000 gp (maximum of +3) or add a magic weapon’s effect to yours by paying half its value.

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Derek Jensen | D&D 2e House Rules