1

SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 7 (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 7 (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 7 (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 20%
chance of survival.
DEATH
If a character is reduced to 0 hit points, he or she is dead. Period.
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.
THIEVES ABILITIES
Thief Abilities
Open Locks
Detect / Remove
Traps
Pick Pockets
Move Silently
Climb Walls
Hide
Listen

Base
Chance
1 in 6
1 in 6
1
1
1
1
1

in
in
in
in
in

Thieves begin with a base 1 in 6 chance to succeed at their

thieving skills.

6
6
6
6
6

At level 1, the Thief gets to allocate 3 additional points into their Thief Skills. Thieves gain 2 more
Skill points for each level achieved after 1. If a Thief has a skill with a rating of 6 in 6, the roll to
succeed is made with two dice, and only if both dice come up 6 does the attempt fail.
Dwarven Thieves add +1 to their Detecting and Removing Traps skill.
Halfling Thieves may add +1 to their Hide and Move Silently Skill Rolls.
Thief Skills
Open Locks, Pick Pockets, Move
Silently
Remove Traps, Hide
Listen
Climb

Abilities
Dexterity
Intelligence
Wisdom
Strength

If a Thief has 18 in Strength, Intelligence,

Wisdom, or Dexterity, he or she will add +1 to the corresponding Thief Skills.

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SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 7 (BFRPG)
Spell Complexity Matrix
Magic-User Level of Experience
Spel
l
One

1 to 3

4 to 6

7 to 9

2-5 F (5)
2-5 F (5)
2-4 F (5)
6-9 D (6) 6-9 D (6) 5-8 D (6)
10-12 I
10-12 I
9-12 I (6)
(6)
Two
2-6 F (6)
2-5(6)
F (5)
2-5 F (5)
7-10 D
6-9 D (6) 6-9 D (6)
(6) I
10-12 I
10-12 I
11-12
Thre
2-6(6)
F (6)
2-5(6)
F (5)
e
7-10 D
6-9 D (6)
(6) I
10-12 I
11-12
Four
2-6(6)
F (6)
7-10 D
(6) I
11-12
Five
2-6 F (6)
7-10 D
(6) I
11-12
Six
Sev
en
Eigh
t
Nine
MAGIC SYSTEM
Upon casting a spell, the player rolls 2d6

10 to 12

13 to 15

16 to 17

18 to 19

20+

2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (5)
9-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (6)
9-12 I (6)
2-5 F (5)
6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
2-5(6)
F (5)
6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
2-5(6)
F (5)
6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
2-6(6)
F (6)

2-3 F (4)
4-7 D (5)
8-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (5)
9-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (6)
9-12 I (6)
2-5 F (5)
6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
2-5(6)
F (5)
6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
2-5(6)
F (5)

7-10 D
(6) I
11-12

6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
2-6(6)
F (6)

2-3 F (4)
4-7 D (4)
8-12 I (5)
2-3 F (4)
4-7 D (5)
8-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (5)
9-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (6)
9-12 I (6)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (6)
9-12 I (6)
2-5 F (5)
6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
2-5(6)
F (5)

2 F (4)
3-6 D (4)
7-12 I (5)
2-3 F (4)
4-7 D (4)
8-12 I (5)
2-3 F (4)
4-7 D (5)
8-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (5)
9-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (5)
9-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (6)
9-12 I (6)
2-5 F (5)
6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
2-6(6)
F (6)

2 F (4)
3-6 D (4)
7-12 I (4)
2 F (4)
3-6 D (4)
7-12 I (5)
2-3 F (4)
4-7 D (4)
8-12 I (5)
2-3 F (4)
4-7 D (5)
8-12 I (5)
2-3 F (4)
4-7 D (5)
8-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (5)
9-12 I (5)
2-4 F (5)
5-8 D (6)
9-12 I (6)
2-5 F (5)
6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
2-5(6)
F (5)

7-10 D
(6) I
11-12
-

6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
(6)
-

7-10 D
(6) I
11-12
2-6 F (6)
7-10 D
(6) I
11-12

6-9 D (6)
10-12 I
(6)
and consults the spell complexity matrix below.

I The spell is cast immediately.

D The spell is delayed, as long as the magic-user continues to perform whatever activity is required to cast the spell it will
occur on the next round of combat.
F The spell is not cast.
(#) The spell is not automatically lost from memory and may be cast again if this value or higher is rolled on ld6. Magic-users
should add their INT Bonus to this recovery roll.

Preferably the player could roll 3d6 (2 dice of one colour and another die of a different colour for the
recovery roll) all at once. I would suggest that a roll of 3 sixes means that not only is the spell
immediately cast and recovered, but that the maximum effect of the spell is achieved (for example,
maximum damage on Magic Missiles or maximum number of hit dice of creatures are Charmed).
Perhaps a roll of 3 ones could result in a spell fumble.
Die Roll
1-3
4

Spell Fumble
Nothing else happens. Spell just sputters harmlessly. Spell is lost.
One swarm of locusts appears randomly (use the chart for determining where

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SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 7 (BFRPG)

5
6
7
8
9
10
11

12

grenade-like missiles land but the caster is the target). See Insect Swarm in the
Monsters section for the effects of a swarm. Each swarm attacks any creatures
occupying its area. The swarms are stationary after being summoned. Spell is lost
afterwards.
A random creature is summoned (use an appropriate wandering monster table for
the level of the spell). The creature will be hostile to the Magic-User and the party.
Spell is lost afterwards.
Spell malfunctions. Caster takes 1d4 hit point damage per level of spell cast. Spell is
lost afterwards.
Blackout: caster falls face down and remains prone and unconscious for 1d4 rounds.
Spell is lost afterwards.
Caster is stunned for 1d4 rounds. A stunned creature drops everything held, cant
take actions, takes a 2 penalty to AC, and loses his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).
Spell is lost afterwards.
Caster is blinded for 1d4 rounds. A blinded creature is surprised on 1-4 on 1d6,
suffers a -4 penalty to its attack rolls, a -4 penalty to its Armor Class, and a -2 penalty
to its Initiative rolls. Spell is lost afterwards.
Caster is paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. Spell is lost afterwards.
A random person in the area is the target of the spell instead. Spell is lost afterwards.
The spell fails but causes a random mutation to the caster.
1. Casters hair turns white or falls out
2. Caster grows 1 random digit (hand or feet)
3. Casters body emits a foul odor.
4. Casters skin turns an unusual colour.
5. One part of the casters body grows or shrinks (1) arm, (2) leg, (3) head, (4)
whole body.
6. Every move the caster makes emits a slight jingling sound.
The mutations has a 5% chance of being permanent. Otherwise, the spell lasts 1d4
days. Spell is lost.

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:

Additional spells must be acquired through adventuring, trade or (rarely) through purchase. MagicUser 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.
OPPOSED CHECKS
Sometimes, characters will want to attempt something that puts 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

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SHANNONS D&D HOUSE RULES VERSION 7 (BFRPG)
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
melee) and a roll of 20 is a critical hit (allows the character to deal maximum
damage). If a character rolls a critical miss with a missile weapon, see
rules in BFRPG rules (47):
When throwing grenade-like missiles (flasks of oil, etc.), a
successful attack roll indicates a direct hit. Otherwise,
the GM will roll 1d10 and consult the diagram below to
determine where the missile hit. Treat each number as
representing a 10' square area.

strike if in
possible

Missiles That Miss: With the exception of grenade-like missiles, missile

weapons
which miss the intended target are normally
considered lost. However, if the weapon is fired into a melee where allies of
the
shooter are involved, and the attack misses, it may hit one of the allied creatures. The GM should
decide which allies may be hit, and roll attacks against each until a hit is made or all possible
targets are exhausted. These attack rolls are made with the shooter's normal attack bonus, just as
if he or she intended to attack the allied creature. However, the GM must make these rolls, not the
player. This rule is applied to attacks made by monsters, when appropriate. However, the GM still
makes the rolls. This rule is intentionally vague; the GM must decide when and how to apply it
based on the circumstances of the battle. It is recommended that no more than three allies be
tried in this way, but the GM may make an exception as he or she sees fit.