House Rules, What house rules you use? Options

[Muspellsheimr]

I think nobody mention this one: Matrix tests are Logic + Skill limited to raw hits (not net hits) of the Program rating. (just like magic spells)

Everyone mentioning Frank's Matrix Rules mentioned that.

[Nefacio]

Everyone mentioning Frank's Matrix Rules mentioned that.

you are right, my apologise after I post I was reading frank rules and ofc this one came up, was not mentined directly like most though, and this one in particular is one of the most used so wasnt so bad to point it out xd

[Sir_Psycho]

Although a lot of us use Logic + Skill for hacking, but don't use Frank's more controversial ideas.

[Scarlet Spider]

Still testing this one out... will try and get back to people once I have more in-game occurances.

Eldritch Aim (Simple Action) – Only usable by magic users. Player declares a Spell and a Target. Only able to be done Once per Initiative Pass, each Eldritch Aim action confers a +1 bonus to the Spellcasting test for the declared task, up to a maximum bonus of half the Spellcasting Skill. Bonus is canceled if the Eldritch Aim action is not taken in a consecutive Initiative Pass AND/OR Line of Sight is broken for 1 full Combat Turn.


Designed to represent a gaining of focus and clarity in a more instinctual way than Centering.

[Caadium]

Below are 2 house rules I've used for a while in previous versions and have updated for 4th.

Recoil:
Recoil modifiers are cumulative throughout the entire round. So, if you have 3 IP and are shooting nonstop the recoil keeps adding up. However, one simple action can be used to negate all previously incurred recoil as you re-aim and settle your firearm back down.

Initiative:
Once upon a time in SR if you had multiple actions in a round, your extra actions were front-loaded (you got them before people without extra actions got to act). And then there were Initiative Passes (3rd Edition I believe) which back-loaded the extra actions so that everyone got to act first before you got multiple actions. At the time, the only real way (other than spells) to get extra actions was Wired Reflexes. In order to balance the high essence costs with play balance and fairness I created a hybrid initiative that spread extra actions around based on how high your score was so that you could possibly get some extra actions early and others later. With the major system overhaul of 4th it took me a while to figure out what to do for initiative, but I liked the hybrid I'd used before so I finally came up with something that my players and I are happy with. In 4th edition I simply mix up the order of Initiative passes. There are still only 4 IP per round, but I don't go 1 2 3 4. Instead we use 4 1 3 2 in order to better balance things.

[Snowfall]

The house rules that I've been working with in my group revolve around penalties, and threshold. We have decided for a grittier game, where bad circumstances matter a bit more.

Wound penalties, and range modifiers count as adding threshold instead of taking out dice. This includes vehicle, commlink, or drone damage penalties.
Most ranged combat penalties we take down to half value and use that number as threshold.
Background count works as ranged combat mod, 1/2 value = threshold penalty, and the drain mod stays the same.

We also put in stunt dice. +1 die for describing what you're doing with any real detail. +2 for a very detailed and cinematic description that is made out of awesome. And +3 for the coolest and most awesome descriptions ever (once per month max).

And I think that's as far as we went with that . . . but as all games are the rules are in flux.



Hope it helped.

[NetWraith]

My house rules(for any game that I run):

Rule# 1: Don't argue with the GM.
Rule# 2: See rule #1.

Generally this applies to during the game, if you have an issue with a GM call bring it up after the game.

[Neraph]

... one of the JackPoint posters is a Ghoul.

Hanibelle. Play on Annabelle and Hannible (Whoever, Silence of the Lambs guy).

EDIT: That aside, a house rule I'm kicking around is this, designed to make Dual Wielding a little more... Not crappy:

When Dual Wielding firearms, split your dicepool as normal, then add modifiers from Smartlink and Laser sight, individual to each weapon. Ex. Human Desperado has Smartlinked Ruger Warhawk in left hand, Laser Sighted Cavalier Deputy in right hand, and Ambidexterity. Agility 4 + Pistols 4 + Even Split Dicepools = 6 dice with the left, 5 dice with the right. If no Ambidexterity and left hand dominant (southpaw), final dicepools would be 6 dice in left, 3 in right.

[Backgammon]

I limit Extended Tests to 4 rolls.

4 having been mathematically determined to be a nice cush number between too hard and too easy.

[Warlordtheft]

The house rules I use are as follows:

The logic+skill for hacking.
Technomancer complex forms can have varied ratings (just like spells)
Armor is reduced permantly by 1 every time the PC resist damage (does not apply to vehicles).

[thepatriot]

I never offered this up to TSS, but feel free to use it if you wish...

This is straight out of the house rules booklet I wrote called "Character Background and Creation 101". Perhaps one day it'll see the light of day. Sorry it's so lengthy, but it IS part of a booklet after all.

Step 4: Contacts

Contact Skills and Attributes
Any given contact will have skills and attributes based on his or her profession. You will note that I have not listed any Archetypes on these charts… and for good reason. Any one of these could be a shadowrunner. As GM, it is your job to determine if a contact has potential or history… or not. In general, however, contacts will have a bare minimum of skill to get their job done.
The average professional will have a skill of 4 in any skills applicable to his or her specific job. A skill of 3 would be below par, and 5 would make him or her one of the best in a district, 6 being the best in a city, 7 is best in a region, and 8 the best in a nation. Contacts should not have professional skills below 3… otherwise what good are they?

Optional: Acquisition Skill
For any Contact expected to acquire goods or services for a PC, an Acquisition skill should be used. The Acquisition skill should range from 6 (professional) to 1 (clerk or wage slave). This skill is rolled against the Availability of the item or service needed once per the Availability time period. Most Acquisitions people will expect some cash up front (usually Acquisition Skill x 100Â¥ or 10% of the cost of the item or service, whichever is greater), with the remainder of the Street Indexed value of the item or service payable on delivery.
This option is especially useful for GMs who wish to limit or otherwise prevent a PC from acquiring over-powerful items. Example: a PC completes a run and is suddenly infused with THOUSANDS of nuyen. Wishing to get a Panther Cannon and Thunderbird, he or she approaches a nearby Fence… The GM is suddenly faced with a difficult problem. How to keep players from unbalancing the game? First of all, he or she can make the PC wait as long as he or she wishes before that Panther or Thunderbird become available. By then, the PC may not have the cash to get it or will have to take out a loan from a shark, etc… realistic role-playing. This option exists as a way of codifying and justifying such a claim (for all those rules lawyers out there � ).

Optional: Availability Rating
This option gives an alternative to using the ‘level’ system for how much of a friend the contact is. This optional rating represents how available the contact will be to the character. Whether the contact is otherwise busy or is just ignoring the character is up to the GM.
The rating is a target number, against which the character rolls (Charisma) dice. Treat this target as a social skill number, applying all modifiers from edges and flaws that the character possesses. Anything the GM deems that the contact would not particularly care about should not be counted. Do not add Charisma dice from cyberware, but any dice added by Adept powers can be included at the GM’s discretion.
Improving this rating is much like improving a skill, but since it is a target number, the character wants it low. Subtract the rating from 6 and add one to the result to determine the ‘skill’ level, treating it as a Charisma-based Active skill. Apply Karma (or convert nuyen to Karma) carefully but skillfully.

Optional: Contact Relationship (1d6)
Not so much how your character met the Contact, but more likely the reason and mood of the continuing relationship. Roll once for reason and then once each for mood and tenor. Results are vague and somewhat ambiguous to accommodate all possible outcomes, regardless of the gender of either party. The writer is not responsible for troubling your relationships with your contacts. Parental discretion is advised. In the absence of a parent, consult your neighbor’s babysitter’s therapist… freak.
Reason
1 Common Interest: The character and Contact share a hobby or special interest, such as an Interest (Know) Skill, and met in pursuit of this interest.
2 Family: The Contact is a relative of one sort or another. It is entirely possible that the Contact has married into the character’s family.
3 Professional: Either you worked together or one of you worked for the other. Two scientists who meet at a conference would fit into this category.
4 Common Friend: The two of you share a Contact or friend, who was the impetus behind your current relationship.
5 Childhood: Whether at the military academy, teen gang, or just public school, the two of you have known each other since you were children… or the older knew the younger as a child. The two of you may have been separated for a long time.
6 Neighborhood: You live in proximity to each other and are neighbors in some way, or you hang with the same crowd in one venue or another (clubbing, Matrix gaming, book-of-the-Month, etc…)
Mood (Can also be used to determine starting Rating for Optional Availability rules.)
1 Best Friend: Either because of amorous love or strong mutual admiration, the two of you often indulge in quality time.
2 Mutual Admiration: You do not indulge constant interaction, but your relationship remains strong through a mutual admiration of each other’s strengths.
3 Friendly: You see each other at irregular, but frequent times… often to share family or week’s events or to compare notes.
4 Strictly Business: You rarely see each other unless one or the other wants or needs something, at which time you are cordial.
5 Infrequent/Distant: Christmas cards, perhaps a visit every few years… your relationship is mostly written or on the phone.
6 Troubled: Either from unrequited admiration or from lack of time and attention, the two of you have grown apart.
Tenor (Remember that tenor may be different on each side of a relationship.)
1 Parental: One of you sees the other as someone who needs protection or shelter. Often the ‘parent’ figure offers advice or help… which may or may not be annoying. Alternatively, one may solicit advice and help as if the other were a guardian.
2 Mentor-Student: Either the Contact or the character has a talent or skill that the other admires. The Student may or may not feel in awe of the Mentor or be aware of flaws.
3 Attraction: Your relationship is mostly based on influential, material, or physical attraction. Placation or flirting is often involved when you are together.
4-5 Fraternal: You share (or shared) an aspect of your lives… and that means something.
6 Rivalry: Regardless of the mood of your relationship, it always boils down to one-upmanship

Optional Step 4: Level 0 Contacts
Call them Level 0 Contacts. Everyone has them though, so SR characters should be no different. Roll for a number of friends roughly equivalent to half the character’s age. Determine race, age, gender, and description as above. To find out when the character met this friend, roll age a second time. The larger roll is the friend’s age, the smaller roll is the friend’s age when he or she met the character. Use the Contact chart or the Family Business chart (modified by the character’s Family Wealth roll) to determine what the friend does for a living.
Remember that these are free level 0 contacts. They will not betray their employers, go out on a limb, or risk their necks for the character. What they are for is window dressing and potential level 1 (or higher) contacts.

[Fortune]

When Dual Wielding firearms, split your dicepool as normal, then add modifiers ...

This in itself is not a house rule. The bit about Smartlinks and Laser Sights is though.

[Caadium]

After talking to some players for the new game I'm starting here is a new house rule we came up with.

Contacts:
I like the idea of a few free BP worth of contacts at character creation, and I know there is already a commonly used house rule for this (Cha * 2 if I recall). However, we came up with a new system that isn't defendant on your Cha, thus making it more balanced for all characters.

My rule is that characters in my games will get base BP * .02 in free contact points to be used on 2 ore more contacts. This means that a standard 400 bp character has 8 bp on contacts. With the requirement that these points be used on at least 2 contacts a 6-point contact is the most you get for free under this system, or conversely you could have 4 2-point contacts.

[Zormal]

I think that high charisma characters *should* get more free contacts, as these characters are more outspoken, and should have more 'friends'.

But that rule seems to fit your group, so I'm happy for you (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[HentaiZonga]

I've already mentioned my Tempo system a few times, but here goes again:

1. All Combat Turns are 1 second long.
2. All players have an Action Pool that caps at 5 Action Points (AP).
3. When joining combat, a player rolls Initiative to determine their starting Action Points.
4. A Complex Action costs 4 AP, a Simple Action costs 2 AP, and a Free Action costs 1 AP.
5. At the end of each second, players gain a number of Action Points into their Pool equal to their Reflexes (Initiative Passes) trait.
6. If two or more players each try to go during the same second, the one with the higher initial AP always goes first. On a tie, compare base Initiative attributes. On a tie, they go simultaneously.
7. Movement rates, weapon rate-of-fire, and the like are adjusted accordingly to account for the 1-second turns.