Tweaking the rules!

Howdy folks! This episode I am going to discuss tweaking the rules to make a setting and a game world work for you! I will mention some good references for game mastering too!

Tweaking the rules is a simple fascinating way to liven up a game world, inspire players, and create realism!

It can create life and wonder and majesty!!! It can also destroy things in a horrible catastrophic way where it could even UNMAKE YOUR WORLD HAHAHAHAHAHHA!!! Just like in flippin Dogma! Just as I wrote this, "The man comes around" by Johnny Cash plays! beware!

Anyway, look dont let the forboding sense of doom I have instilled within you cause you drama. Save the drama for your make believe story world!

Tweaking the rules is an easy thing to do. In 3.5 D&D for example, just add +2 or a -2 to a roll if the circumstance calls for it. Is it raining? -2 on attacks with arrows and other ranged attacks! are you trying to convince a duchess that already thinks the character is hot to have a drink? +2 to yer roll! Simple yea?

Alright heres where the warning kicks in. When you make a complicated tweak to the rules, like say you dont like the way armor works in D&D 3.5. You, as a game master, think that armor should reduce some of the damage characters take to subdual damage (if this sounds like gibberish to you because you dont play RPGs, sorry there will be other more interesting blogs later me thinks ;D ).

So you hereby decree: "When a character takes damage, some is converted to subdual damage according to the armor rating TO WHIT!" What does this mean? Say a character has plate mail armor. This kind of armor has a +8 bonus to Armor class. So the Character takes 10 points of damage and 8 points are now non-lethal (it just makes the PC really tired!). This is a good, viable, and more survivable game setting! Very good idea for the most part.

Now watch the twisted hell of this unfold! Say this guy with the plate mail fights something tough like a stone golem. It has damage reduction 10/adamantine (it can only take full damage from adamantine weapons if you non Role-players are still reading). A stone golem has a lot going for it in this senario heres why - it has a +18 to its Armor Class AND, as a construct, it is immune to subdual damage! So lets say you are using an average +1 magic bastard sword weilding it 2 handed and made of steel... your average damage (for your average suped up specialized fighter) would be 1d10+1(magic bonus)+6 (damage bonus from strength) +2(weapon specialization) for a total of 1d10+9. And what the hell, lets add another +5 to that damage cause your fighter is super sweet killer awesome and that's just how he rolls! The total is now 1d10+14. You can do 24 damage in 1 HIT!!! Go you!

Your fighter hits the golem and rolls max damage. With the DR of 10/adamantine and the +18 converted to "subdual" you do no damage (you would need to do at least 29 damage to hurt this thing 1 point). Now would be the time to pray to whatever silly gods your gamemaster made up to save your character's life.

Tweaking the rules is an important part of gaming. So what happens if it does go too far? Correct it- preferrably in a way that's agreeable to the PCs and you. Say in the above example. You discover the horrible possibilities of the Armor bonus to subdual rule. Say the party got wiped out and the only silly GM god that listened was Vic Makkai the horrible law god who made you his bitch when he blackmailed you and arressted you for drugs you never sold! Then you are no longer playing D&D, you are playing "Oz: The Role-playing game" and you now have a +5 in "tossed salad (Dex based)" skill! No one wants to have the tossed salad skill!! (especially at +5!!)

What would be a good way to make this subdual armor deal better? You could have the golem only take half as subdual, rest as real, or say it takes real damage and skip it for constructs. You might even think of something better!

Tweaking the rules can be rewarding, and teach you a lot about gaming, and how to handle difficult situations. remember to work with your group, but if you are the GM, you have final say. Just remember it sucks to be tarred and feathered over a dead elf...

Next time I will discuss some sweet books on game mastering and world building.

Ta for now (and I humbly promise to never use "Ta" again),
Chris Curran - artist and swanky individual