Hi there,
I have written a few house rules for my game group and would like to hear what you people think of them.
(I'll add commentary in
cursive
).
1) When using miniatures: Use rules from p. 266, with Diagram 6-1 being correct (Range 3 is 3 squares wide.) When you wield a readied weapon, its stated range (max. 2) around you are Difficult Squares, so leaving one costs an extra square of movement. A foe can ignore the limitation, but that gives you a free attack (1x/turn).
I have the feeling that the system is primarily designed without miniatures, and that the miniature rules leave out some of the finer details. For example, a lot of smart tactics by players can be build on weapon ranges: Like using a longer weapon and keeping opponents at reach (or fighting at range 0 where their weapons do not work). The miniature rules do not reflect those fine details, however, since a single free move can take you from range 3 to range 0 (or vice versa), as ranges 2, 1 and 0 are 1 square each and you move 3 squares with one free move. This would take you 3 free movements in the regular combat rules. So I devised this rule to make it more difficult to just move empty-handed into grappling range of a foe wielding a spear.
2) When someone takes a Severity 7 – 11 Critical Hit or has the Severly Wounded condition and receiving another Wounded condition, he gets both a Scar Disadvantage as well as gets/keeps the Severely Wounded condition.
Since most enemies have a ring they are best in, inflicting a Severely Wounded condition on that in combat is a game-changer, as TN+3 is fierce. Receiving a Scar disadvantage, by contrast, is much less problematic for foes. It is worse for PCs, sure, as those do not heal. But if the bear they fight receives memory loss? The ghost loses a finger? The boar can't lift heavy things? The skeleton receives a horrible scar on his face? Those don't matter. But a higher severity on a crit you deal should be better for you, not worse. That's why I give the scar in addition to Severly Wounded: It is an escalation.
3) Upon becoming invisible, you make a Skulduggery (Air) check with Advantage (= you can reroll two dice) vs. the Vigilances of your opponents. If you reach their Vigilance as TN, they do no longer know your position, as long as you remain silent. Enemies have to choose a square to attack, but speaking, casting spells without the Silenced penalty, attacking in melee etc. reveals your square. Being invisible increases the TN of enemy attacks by 2 and gives your own attacks Advantage.
Sort of a special case, but as Cloak of Night is a rank 1 invocation, it can come up easily. The spell has one of the shortest duration of all Support spells, so I think it should do more than just give foes the Blinded disadvantage equivalent. Otherwise, the spell is not worth it, as it only last few rounds.
4) The shields from the Shadowlands sourcebook are not allowed. Wielding a shield instead has the following effect: As a Movement and Support action, if you have a shield readied, until the start of your next turn, you may increase the TN of Attack action checks targeting you by 1 and decrease the TN of your next attack by 1.
Giving every shieldcarrier Physical Resistance 5-6 seemed way excessive to me, Rokugani use few shields, so they should not be too good. Otherwise, every samurai and shugenja schlepps one around. So I used the rules from the Mantis Clan web enhancement instead.
Usagi Jojimbo is one of the listed inspirations for L5R, and he regularily does this when accosted by overconfident ronin: Hitting them with his sword still in its sheath. I think that is very cool, so I want my players to be able to do that too. The second is an adaption of the Rurouni Kenshin movie, which was cool, too: Dual-wielding your katana and its sheath.
6) All Shinobi characters can learn all Ninjutzu techniques.
I consider this a design error on the developers side: Since there were only 4 ninjutzu techniques in the core rulebook, they handed them out individually in the school tables instead of just giving them shinobi ninjutzu as Techniques Available. But then, new ninjutzu techniques came out with Courts of Stone, but since they are not listed in their school lists, no core rulebook shinobi can learn them. The mercenary ninja school from Courts of Stone can learn all ninjutzu, however. Those ronin ninja should not be categorily better at ninjutzu than Scorpion Clan ninja.
7) Monsters and enemies without Honor can only unmask as Panicked Retreat.
This may be controversal, but I found it wrong that being honorable is actually a disadvantage, seeing that someone without honor can just unmask without any negative consequences (losinh honor they do not have costs them nothing). I feel like the catharsis effect of breaking your mask of honor should only work if you have one. Someone who curses all day should not feel all his stress evaporate for cursing once again. Neither should an Oni or a bear.
This way, using tactics that cause Strife instead of Fatigue (Maztu's Battlecry, Pelting Hail style kata, inflicting Burning, using Fire opportunities to cause strife) become more effective, widening the array of tactical options. And being honorable becomes a positive super-power the bad guys do not have, instead of a burden in battle.
8
) Non-minion enemies and NPCs have Void Points equal to half their Void Ring.
Just a clarification, since the number is not listed.
So, what do you think of those?