My B/X House Rules

When I eventually decided to cut my teeth on B/X, I wanted to do some good research on rules, mechanics, and the general feel of the game system. There would be odd choices in our game (like race-as-class, limited armoury, general lack of ability checks) so I wanted to better acquaint myself with the system as it was used back then, and better grasp the game design of late '70s and early '80s. So I did what would anyone naturally do, started reading the books and any blogs that discussed them. To my dismay, I realised that all editions of D&D Basic (Holmes, B/X, BECMI, RC) had significant differences, enough to spark mini wars between Basic gamers. My main thought was that most of the differences were of an aesthetic nature, maybe a few extra rules here and there, so when I picked the 1994 Classic D&D edition (as it was the first available at that time), I initially assumed that it was a "cleaned up" version of B/X. How erroneous of me.

This was my first foray into D&D. It was quickly replaced by the AD&D introductory boxed set.

Not that if I chose to stick with this edition, my B/X games would be unplayable, but there were things that changed over the years. Giving out my printed B/X rulebooks to my players while basing my campaign on a latter edition would only make things more confusing (at some point, I will discuss those tiny details that make B/X different from BECMI and RC, but I need time to sit down and note them all). Still, that never stopped me from not going all-out RAW; rather, I found myself writing down a few house rules for things that either I couldn't find any references in the books or I didn't quite agree with how they were implemented.

Two-weapon fighting. For this one, I borrowed Blackrazor's proposed rule for handling weapons in both your hands. Basically, it goes like this:
1. You need at least a Dexterity score of 13 to effectively use two weapons in combat. You can carry a weapon in both hands, but you don't gain any benefits if you have less than 13 in your Dexterity score.
2. If you have a Strength score of 13 or higher, you can wield a Medium weapon in both hands; otherwise, your off-hand weapon must be Small.
3. Fighting with two weapons is treated as a single attack; you don't need to roll separately for each weapon. Abstract as the combat may be, it is assumed that on your turn, you try to maximise your efforts in scoring a hit by using two weapons instead of one. While you lose the benefit of using a shield, and thus improving your AC, you gain the benefit of scoring on average a higher amount of damage.
4. Whenever you successfully attack with two weapons, roll both weapon damage dice and pick the highest roll. Add any Strength modifier to that damage.

Hit Points. I believe this entry needs a post on its own, but I'll try and be brief here. I consider hit points to be an abstract mechanic, less like one's physical stamina and more like difficulty to be hit (and bite the dust). To me (and I would assume in Arneson's mind too) hit points represent some sort of damage reduction against any harm. A swinging axe, a magic missile, a pit full of spikes, you name it. Your puny 1st level thief might not be able to defend themselves against a hobgoblin's attack, but a fighter knows how to turn that killing blow into a glancing one. Sure, Constitution bonuses add to your hit point total; you gritting your teeth and trying to ignore that painful stab you just received shows your increased resistance to damage. But so does your experience level, reflecting all the accumulated knowledge from adventuring and braving all those dangers. Resting therefore gives you not only the benefit of healing naturally but also to evaluate your experiences. For each hit point being healed naturally, a character gains 10 XP.

Ability Checks. I plan on using ability checks sparingly. Earlier versions of D&D (including B/X) didn't have such notions of skills checks and thus I want my players to think first then roll, if at all (luckily, they're old school gamers, so they are used to this type of play). In the few cases that I allow an ability check, I have two methods; the first one is taken from DungeonWorld and reserved for tests that may add complications to the result. An example: a magic-user visited the local library and asked to do some research on ancient deities. I called for an Intelligence check and she got a result of 8. That's a success with a complication, so I decided that she gleaned a little information, but the managing librarian would help her get access to more, as long as she brought an artefact from the nearby swamp.

The second one was taken from Jeff's alternate stat checks; in actuality, using the retainer morale column from Charisma. I use this method when I strive for binary results, success or failure. An example: that same magic-user was investigating a crime scene for clues. I called for another Intelligence check and this time she rolled a 10 (her Intelligence score of 16 allowed her to succeed on a 9 or lower), thus missing that dropped ring near the trapdoor.

Armour Cost. I've found that chain and plate armour are significantly cheap, compared to leather. So I ruled out that chain armour costs 80gp and plate 320gp. That way, I ensure that no warrior class starts at 1st level with AC 3 or lower (even though a fighter with chain armour, a shield and a good Dexterity can go below that number). It won't take long for them, however, to get their hands on treasure big enough to afford a couple of those suits.

Magic-user Spells and Research. B/X has magic-users and elves begin adventuring with a single spell and they can't copy spells from other spell books or magic scrolls. I find that quite limiting, so I proposed a few rules:
1. A magic-user or elf begins adventuring with an amount of spells equal to their Intelligence modifier plus one. An elf, for instance, with an Intelligence score of 15 starts with two spells. From these starting spells, one is recommended to be read magic, while the rest are chosen randomly.
2. Spells can be copied from magic scrolls, after they have been identified with a read magic spell, but they are destroyed after such use.
3. Crafting a magic scroll requires 100gp and one week per spell level. A magic-user or elf can only craft magic scrolls with spells they already know and must have access to a relevant workshop.

Weapon Groups. Some weapons just make no sense; the battle axe, for instance, costs 7gp, is considered a two-handed weapon and deals 1d8 damage. By contrast, the normal sword costs 10gp, can be wielded with one hand and deals the same amount of damage. In a game where there is an abundance of gold, why would anyone bother with a battle axe? I've got this inspiration from a blog I can't recall at the moment Delta's blog, that placed some weapons under certain groups with specific abilities. Hence, my take:
Daggers and swords (dagger, short sword, sword) are light and compact weapons. They're easily worn on scabbards and can be used in tight spaces to thrust at an opponent.
Spears (spear, staff, polearm) provide reach. For the first round of combat and only, wielders of such weapons receive an extra attack against their opponents, if they approach them for melee with a shorter weapon.
Axes (battle axe, hand axe) can sometimes penetrate heavy armour. Axe wielders gain a +1 bonus to attack opponents with AC 5 or lower.
Blunts (club, mace, war hammer) can deliver heavy blows by hitting harder. Users of blunt weapons gain a +2 bonus to damage if they score an attack that exceeds an opponent's AC by 5. Dwarfs, elves, and halflings need exceed by 4, whereas fighters need only 3.

That's enough, for now. As I delve deeper into B/X, I might come up with more house rules, but this will be another post for another time.