[Runequestprax] House Rules

[Lev Lafayette]

House Rules

I've made a few rules modifications to the standard RuneQuest (3rd)
edition rules. Even with the errata in the Deluxe edition there have
been some changes, and of course RuneQuest has since had a few extra
editions including RuneQuest: Adventures in Glorantha (unpublished,
c1994), RuneQuest (Mongoose edition 2006-2007) and most recently
Chaosium's Basic Role Playing (2008). Each of these have some
interesting new rules ideas and can be implemented without radically
changing the game as a whole.

Characteristic Points

This story uses a point-buy system; starting characters receive 85
characteristic points.

APP for "Perception"

OK, changing a core characteristic is a big deal. However, it is
relatively painless process. RQ lack a perception stat, and given the
highly subjective value of "APPearance" in RQ3 it is a simple matter to
convert this to a perception ability (for ease of language it can still
be called "Appearance" - how well things 'appear' to the character!).

In this case, APP is a obviously primary characteristic for Perception
skills (along with INT as a primary and POW as a secondary). APP is also
a secondary communication skill (INT is Primary, and POW is secondary as
well).

Annual Experience

Every year a character receives a number of percentage points to
distribution among skills appropriate to their occupation. Use the
occupations listed in the Player's Book as a guide. These provide a flat
rate of improvement (roughly 33% total). Instead, this story uses INT
+INT+POW skill points, representing a combination of intellect and
willpower. For an average character this will turn out to be the same as
the normal rules. One can even use these skill points to boost some
characteristics according to the new value (so to go from DEX 10 to 11
would cost 11 skill points - for most characters, roughly 1/3 of their
year)

Weapon Skills

I strongly prefer a significantly looser definition of weapon skills. If
you know how to use an axe, you probably know how to use a mace equally
well; the same applies for a shortsword and a longsword and so forth.
Also I do not use separate skills for parry and attack. However they may
have different base chances (e.g., a shield has a base 5% attack and a
base 25% parry) and different skill category modifiers (manipulation and
agility as appropriate).

Actions and Strike Ranks

The number of Actions per melee round is derived from the Mongoose
edition of RuneQuest. You get 1 action up to DEX 7 points of DEX, 2
actions up to 14, 3 up to 21 and so forth (or POW for pure spirit
creatures). An action can include things like parrying, dodging,
attacking, drawing a weapon, a full move etc. Characters act in order of
strike rank (after their statement of intent) which is calculated from
DEX+SIZ+weapon size (+10 for long weapons, +5 for medium weapons, +0 for
short weapons) for melee, DEX*3 for missile weapons, POW*3 for spells
and DEX+SIZ+INT for non-engaged characters. For D&D players, think of SR
as your total initiative roll and actions as 'attacks per round' :)

Damage

I don't bother with general hit points (this is now the case in Mongoose
RQ) and just keep track of sectional hit points, except in the case of
poisons and the like (which can reduce your sectional hit points). 

Criticals

Criticals successes are based on 1/10th of your attack chance (this is
now used in BRP and Mongoose RQ); there are no 'special' hits. Fumbles
are based on 1/10th of your failure chance. A character with a 60% will
achieve a critical result on a roll of 6% or less and a fumble on 97% or
more. A critical is always an especially good result and a fumble is
always an exceptionally bad result, the precise nature will depend on
the skill in question. A critical with a impaling weapon will, for
example, cause double damage (once armour is subtracted) from a normal
roll, representing the puncturing of vital organs and the like. A
critical with a crushing weapon will do double effective damage for
purposes of calculating knockback/knockdown, and a slashing weapon will
cause a bleeding wound of 1/10th of the damage done each full turn until
bound etc. A spirit magic spell that criticals will require none of the
caster's personal magic points, drawing magic directly from the
surroundings; and so forth.

Opposed Rolls

Drawing from Basic Role Playing, opposed rolls acts like levels of
success between an active and passive (or reactive) force. A successful
dodge countering a successful attack will result in a failed attack. A
critical dodge against a normal attack however will result in the foe
over-extending themselves (sort of like a fumbled attack), putting them
at a -25% disadvantage for their next action.

Experience Checks

The standard RuneQuest method is to do experience checks for every time
a character uses a skill and has less than a 95% chance of succeeding
and then rolls over their current skill rating. I prefer to assign a
skill check every time a character is "seriously threatened" (which does
involve a fair bit of subjectivity) as such moments do seem to become
firmly embedded in the mind
(http://huehueteotl.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/moments-of-horror-that-will-not-pass/). Rather than a skill check, I simply allow a flat 1d6 gain; after all, at higher abilities, less things will be a serious threat.