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SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 9 (BFRPG)

CREATING CHARACTER
1. Players roll 4d6 (dropping the lowest die roll). They may put the scores in any order they
wish.
2. First-level characters get their full hit point total. Re-roll 1s when rolling for hit points past
level one.

COMBAT
1. Class Determines Weapon Damage: Each weapon has a damage category listed for the
purposes of allowing any class to use any weapon. See Table 1 to determine the Category
of the Weapon and then consult Table 2 to see the amount of damage that weapon does for
the class of the character. There are no weapon restrictions for clerics or magic-users,
except for the following. Clerics may only use the weapon associated with their gods. If their
god is not associated with a weapon, then the cleric should use a blunt weapon. Magic-users
can use any weapon they wish.
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SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 9 (BFRPG)

2. Two-Weapon Fighting: Fighters and thieves with a Dexterity score of 13 or greater may
choose to fight with a one-handed melee weapon in each hand. Unless a character has a
Strength of 13 or better, he may only fight effectively with a Small weapon (i.e., dagger) in
his "off-hand." Strong characters may use One-Handed weapons (Medium sized weapons) in
their off-hand. On a successful attack roll, the player may roll damage dice for both
weapons, and choose the best result of the two. For example, a fighter using a sword and
dagger may roll a d8 and a d4 on a successful hit, and use the better of the two dice rolls for
his damage. If a character has a damage bonus from a high strength, the damage is added
to whichever dice is chosen (i.e. it doesn't matter whether or not the character is using an
off-hand weapon to inflict damage, the strength bonus in melee is due to the character's
might allowing for better muscling/maneuvering in addition to a stronger blow).
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SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 9 (BFRPG)

Fighting with a magic weapon: Roll the attack on 1d20. Add the magical bonus from the
weapon to the attack. If there is a hit, roll both damage dice. If the magical weapon damage
die is the highest, add the magical bonus to the damage. If the non-magical weapon die is
highest, do not add the bonus. So a magical weapon (even a +1 dagger) will aid in the
attack, but may or may not aid in the damage.
3. Cleave: Fighters only! When you drop an opponent to 0 or fewer hit points in melee combat,
you may make a second attack with the same weapon at the end of the combat round
against another creature within range of your weapon.
4. Shields Shall be Splintered!: Shields will increase your Armour Class by one. However,
any time a character takes damage, the player can opt instead to have his characters shield
absorb the force of the blow. The shield is shattered and must be discarded, but the
character does not take any damage from the hit. Metal shields have a 10% chance of
surviving the blow. Magic shields also get a base 10% survival chance plus each +1 gives
the shield another 10% chance to survive the blow. So a Magic Shield +2 would have a 30%
chance of survival.

DEATH
Save vs. Death: Characters reduced to zero hit points must save vs. Death Ray to avoid death. If
the save is failed, the character is immediately dead, just as in the normal rules. If the save is
made, the character remains alive for 2d10 rounds; if the character's wounds are bound (or he or
she receives healing magic) within this time frame, death is averted.
The character remains unconscious for the full 2d10 rounds rolled, either dying if left untreated or
awakening if his or her wounds are bound. Binding the wounds of the dying character stabilizes him
or her at zero hit points. Non-magical healing will require a full week to restore the first hit point;
after this, healing proceeds at the normal rate.
Magical healing will restore the character to whatever total is rolled on the healing die roll (up to the
usual maximum of course).
Note that any spellcaster reduced to zero hit points who subsequently survives loses all remaining
prepared spells.

HEALING WITH SPELLS OR POTIONS

Cure Light Wounds and Cure Serious Wounds act differently in these house rules. When a cleric
casts a Cure Light Wounds spell, the character being healed receive 1HD+1 of curing. The HD is
based on a characters class hit dice. So a Thief and Magic-user would receive 1d4+1 of healing, a
Cleric would receive 1d6+1 of healing, and a Fighter would receive 1d8+1 of healing. If a character
is a recipient of a Cure Serious Wounds, he will receive 2HD+1 point per caster level.
Drinking a Potion of Healing will cure 1HD+1 points of healing.
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SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 9 (BFRPG)

THIEVES ABILITIES
Demi-human thieves gain or lose percentages to their thieving abilities.
Open Remove Pick Move Climb Hide Listen
Locks Traps Pockets Silently Walls
Dwarf +10% +15%
Elf +5% +5% +10% +5%
Halfling +5% +10% -15% +20% +5%

Thief Skills Abilities

Open Locks, Pick Pockets, Move Dexterity
Silently
Remove Traps, Hide Intelligence
Listen Wisdom
Climb Strength For each +1in Bonus Ability in Strength,
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Dexterity, the thief will add +5% to the corresponding Thief Skill.
Thieves may wish to have more control over their Thief abilities. From levels 2-9, the Thief improves
30 percentiles (total) each level; from levels 10-15, 20 percentiles; and from level 16 on, 10
percentiles. The player will allocate these points as he or she wishes. Allow no more than 10
percentiles to be added to any single Thief ability per level gain. Note also that no Thief ability may
be raised above 99 percent.

MAGIC SYSTEM
Magic-Users may be able to retain spells in their memories after casting. A Magic-User can always
prepare read magic from memory. After other spells have been cast once, the player will need to do
an Intelligence Ability Roll, using the method and chart below, with the spell level as a penalty on
the die roll. A successful roll means that the spell is retained in the Magic-User's mind. A failure
exhausts the spell completely. The spell cannot be cast again until the Magic-User rests.
The player rolls 1d20 and adds his or her Magic-User's Intelligence Ability Bonus and subtracts the
spell level as a penalty. Consult the following table. If the total rolled is equal to or higher than the
given Target number, the roll is a success.

For example, Merlin the Magic-User has cast his Fireball spell.
After casting it, the player checks to see if remnants of the spell
remain in Merlin's mind, allowing him to cast it again. Merlin is a
5th level Magic-User with an Intelligence of 17 (+2 Ability
Bonus). So casting a 3rd level spell means that Merlin will deduct
1 from his die roll, and must make a 15. Merlin rolls a 9 minus 1
= 8. So the Fireball spell has been wiped from his memory.

The same method could be used for Clerics as well. Sometimes

the gods are fickle.

SPELL BOOKS
The rules for starting spells and new spell acquisition are replaced with the following: Magic-User
begin play with a spell book containing 3 spells. Read Magic is not a spell, but an ability that a
Magic-User can perform anytime. The remaining 3 spells are determined randomly by rolling 1d6
three times, once on each of the following table columns:
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SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 9 (BFRPG)

Additional spells must be acquired through adventuring, trade or (rarely) through purchase. Magic-
User spell Scrolls may be copied permanently into a spell book, whereupon the spell on the scroll
disappears. Additionally, Magic-Users can copy spells from one spell book to another but when this
is done the spell in the originating book disappears. Also, a spell may be cast directly from a spell
book in the same manner as a scroll, but doing so will immediately erase the spell from the book.
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SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 9 (BFRPG)

OPPOSED CHECKS
Sometimes, characters will want to attempt something that pits the PC against another character or
NPC. These checks are opposed checks. They are made against the result of someone elses check.
Whoever gets the higher result wins. An example is trying to bluff someone. Brother Artemis wants
to try to bluff an NPC called Percival. Brother Artemis will roll a 1d20. He will then add any
applicable Ability modifiers (in this case his Charisma modifier of +1 because he has a 14
Charisma). Percival will make an opposing check. He will roll 1d20, add any applicable modifiers
(either Intelligence or Wisdom). In this case, Percival will use his Wisdom, which is 18, so +3.
Brother Artemis rolls an 8 + 1 = 9. Percival rolls a 3 + 3 = 6. In this case, Brother Artemis is able to
bluff Percival. For ties on opposed checks, the character with the higher modifier wins. If the
modifiers are the same, re-roll.

CRITICAL HITS AND MISSES

A roll of 1 is always a critical miss (allows the characters opponent a free strike if in melee) and a
roll of 20 is a critical hit (allows the character to deal maximum possible damage).

No Resurrection Spells.

Use BFRPG 0 Level Spells option.