(3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Let’s face it, playing a Fighter level after level can get a little boring. A good DM will include some pretty interesting magical items, but aside from that it’s likely that your strategy in battle tends to be “attack the nearest enemy.” A few things have been tried in the history of D&D to make the Fighter a little more interesting and give them something to look forward to.

Fighter Combat Options seem to have been a combined attempt at codifying the kinds of maneuvers that characters can make in a board game-like battle, and to give fighters a couple of extra moves so they can do something besides roll 1d20 in a fight.

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(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)

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The Color of Magic was an excellent article from Dragon Magazine issue no. 200 by Dan Joyce. I particularly liked it because it showed how the real game isn’t about rules and dice rolling–it’s about story and wonder. It explained how the mechanics of various spells (do damage, heal, improve AC, etc.) are really all the same, it’s how the spells are perceived that make the real difference. Additionally, I have found it a useful technique to tweak certain spells that seem “broken” for a particular campaign.

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(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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• Prime Requisite: Strength. Other Requirements: Constitution 9, or better.
• Experience Bonus: 5% for Strength 13-15; 10% for Strength 16-18.
• Hit Dice: 1d8 per level up to 9th level. Starting with 10th level, +2 hp per level and Constitution adjustments no longer apply.
• Maximum Level: 12 (36, if optional rules are used.)
• Armor: Any; shields permitted.
• Weapons: Any.
• Special Abilities: Fighter Maneuvers (Lance Attack and Set Spear vs. Charge maneuvers at 1st level; at 660,000 XP, Fighter Combat Options); extra languages (Orc and player’s choice of: Ogre or Goblin); infravision; Hear Noise; Detect by Smell

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(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Modified Mystic and Monk from Dragon Magazine 09/1981

• Prime Requisite: Strength and Dexterity. Other Requirements: Wisdom 9, or better.
• Experience Bonus: 5% for Strength or Dexterity 16-18; 10% for Strength and Dexterity 16-18.
• Hit Dice: 1d6 per level up to 9th level. Starting with 10th level, +2/level after 9 with no CON adjustments.
• Maximum Level: 21.
• Armor: None; shield not permitted.
• Weapons: Any.
• Special Abilities: At 1st level — Armor Class bonuses, increased Movement, Find Traps, Climb Walls, Move Silently, Hear Noise, Martial Arts and Mystical Abilities.

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(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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This is a combination of the Mystic/Monk classes I have posted before.

• Prim Req: Wis and Dex; Other Requirements: Wis 13+, Dex 13+
• Experience Bonus: 5% for Wis or Dex 16-18; 10% for Wis and Dex 16-18
• Hit Dice: 1d6/level, +2/level after level 9 with no Con bonus
• Maximum Level: 16
• Armor: None; shield not permitted
• Weapons: Any
• Hit Rolls: as Fighter
• Saving Throws: as Fighter

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(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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by BAHUMUTH

Duch Year: 982

The huge saber crashed against the center of the iron sword, throwing its holder back a few steps, and then again in an overhand strike. The tall, plate-mailed knight brought down his steel broadsword down with all his might. The muscular, dark-skinned island-man threw his crude sword to parry, catching the broadsword at its hilt.

The Kikapa island-man, although naked, was very seasoned with his hilt less sword. Comparatively, the knight, mailed in white satin-draped field plate, definitely held the advantage. The Kikapa allowed the knight to come in at him and then fell back against the weight of the knight, causing the knight to lose his balance. He then used this advantage by stopping the collapse of the armor on himself with his leg and then swiped his sword hard against the knight’s head.

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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Originally published by February 2001, the Wizard’s Codex contains a collection of custom spells created by authors at Heroes Only. All of these spells have been used and tested within the gaming environment, but of course you should consider their effects on your own campaign before adopting them.

This list of spells is updated from time to time, with the “last modified” timestamp appearing at the end of the article. (more…)

(3 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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This is based on the idea that players and the DM will build characters for a story line, not just to suit their gaming needs. In other words, characters should have some panache or style of their own. This means the items below are not rules but rather suggestions on how one might play his own character. The player should be able to freely choose to do this, these are not rule changes. The DM may want to offer “rewards” (some are described below, if you look closely). These rewards are not experience rewards, etc. but instead take the form of some sort of reward in the story, or “good luck.” For example, one reward for being an elf and not using your power to the fullest potential (as a ranger) is that you always seem to find food in the wilderness, you are able to befriend animals more easily (not attacked by bears), and you have a faithful pet (such as a dire wolf). And such rewards can increase as you go up level, because it’s one thing to start out as a “ranger” and then not keep up with it, but someone who has been a ranger for 9 levels should at least have a dire wolf to help him. Again, this is not a rule change.

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(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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Notes:

• 1 in 20 chance of being cursed
• Hold Person on hit: operates just like the spell, but there is no -2 penalty to save
• Flame and lightning arrows turn into a bolt of flame or lightning when fired,doing 2d6 dmg.
• Leech arrows do 1 hp/round after the initial strike until the arrow is removed or healing is applied.
• Light/darkness on impact: if a creature is hit, he is the victim of the spell, and must save or be blinded.

(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)

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Here are some optional rules that you may want to adopt in a more basic type campaign (which I find more fun). When deciding on a rule, go for whatever is more fun or will make a better story-line in the game.

Attributes

Even though it may not be fair to my old players, I think I might adopt this system also. Just roll 9d6 for each phsyical (STR, DEX, CON) and mental (INT, WIS, CHA) attributes and then let the players choose where they want to put them. Allow players to trade 2 for 1 between the 2 categories. If you want, you might consider just rolling 10d6 for each category to give a better chance of getting good scores. Also, don’t roll ability checks much, if at all. Too much rolling dice makes the game too random and not enough story. If you can’t base it on a saving throw, you probably shouldn’t roll it. How creatures react to players should be based on how the players have acted, not on a charisma check. (more…)