House Rules & Homebrew

Here I have decided to start recording our House Rules and Home Brew by Game. So we can export and Import them across othergames easily, I guess. Never used to write this shit down, so it may be incomplete.

The Four-bidden Championship / 4s are not allowed

Applies to d20 games that are not D&D.

  1. rolling a natural 4 is not allowed, the die must be re-rolled.

  2. If the re-roll leads to a success, then the person who rolled it gets a ‘point’

  3. If a hero point or other re-roll mechanic is used the person who rolled the natural four does not receive any ‘points’, if a natural 4 is rolled after a hero point is spent, they do not gain a ‘point’ on the re-roll shoul,d the die return a four as that number becomes a 14 due to the Hero point mechanic, then they also do not receive a point.

  4. The person with the most ‘points’ at the end of the night becomes the new Four-bidden Champion, and is awarded the belt.

    1. If the GM becomes the Four-bidden Champion, they may at their discretion designate a single entity to receive the benefits of the Championship.

  5. The Four-bidden Champion has the following benefits and responsibilities:

    1. Fir they roll a natural 4, it is treated as a non natural 20.

    2. They must cut a promo at the start of each night as champion.

    3. If there is a tie in natural 4 ‘points’ and they are involved in the tie, they win by default as Champions Advantage.

  6. If there is a tie in natural 4 ‘points’ and the Champion is NOT involved in the tie, those involved in the tie must roll 10 d20 rolls, the person with the most 4s in that roll of 10 wins the Title, however if they tie, or roll no fours, the Champion retains as Champions Advantage.

  7. If the GM suspects someone is “Roll Spamming” to try and mine natural 4 points they shall not receive any points for it. Repeated abuse may result in natural 4s counting for them.

  8. The GM rolls more dice naturally than other players, and has several options available to account for this

    1. They may assign a single entity to represent them, this entity may swap during the night depending on what is being interacted with by players. But only one entity may count per ‘scene’

    2. The GM may count every roll, but must divide his total ‘points’ by the number of players who made regular rolls at the end.

  9. Only natural 4s rolled on a d20 are considered for this rule, 4s that are a part of other numbers, such as fourteen (14) are not considered.

  10. If the Champion does not bring their title belt to the table on a session where the mechanic is in play, they forfeit the championship.

  11. If the Champion is going to be away, or miss a session, they must turn the belt in to the owner of the belt, and forfeit their championship reign.

The Foot Prints Mechanic

A mechanic used so far in The Exceptionals and Cyberpunk RED games.

An investigation mechanic, when investigating players have time working against them, as usual, and now also have a limited action and investigation economy.

  1. The team is issued by the GM a number of “Foot Steps.”

  2. Each action they take costs one or more “Foot Steps.” This can include reading a document, looking at something enough to require a check, flicking on a light switch, searching a computer.

  3. Whenever a member of the team transitions between two areas that could be closed off (eg; to another room separated by a door, even if the door is open) it costs 1 “Foot Step.” If multiple members of the team transition from one area they have in common to another area also in common at the same time, it still only costs 1 “Foot Step.” This means that if multiple members of a party are in the same room, and all move to another room together (From Room A to Room B) And none are going to a different room than the others, then the cost is 1 “Foot Step,” If they are moving to different rooms, the cost is applied separately.

  4. There is no difference as far as “Foot Steps” are concerned between a quick task and a long task.

  5. Having remaining “Foot Steps” does not mean the team cannot deplete their time. If the Police are five minutes away, they are five minutes away, “Foot Steps” can only suspend the narrative time flow for so much.

  6. When they run out of foot steps, a scene is triggered that concludes the investigation, this may include combat or destruction of the area.

Naughty or Nice

The Christmas Special Ruleset for Cyberpunk Red.

  1. Affects natural 10s and Natural 1s rolled. Does not trigger on the second d10 rolled as a result of the first 1 or 10

  2. For the duration of Naughty or Nice players who roll a natural 1 or 10 must call “Naughty” or “Nice!” depending if the 1 or 10 is a desired result (as in a Roll under a certain number check) or undesired result (as in a combat to-hit check) When they do, they roll on the appropriate below tables.

  3. The Naughty table (2d6 result)
    2 - Lose Any remaining actions an MOVE actions this turn.

    3 - Lose 2 Luck. (Does not affect Maximum Luck)

    4 - Weapon Jams (if appropriate) Weapon is dropped if Jam is not appropriate.

    5 - Lose 1 Luck. (Does not affect Maximum Luck)

    6 - Nothing Happens

    7 - The next bullet out of your gun is a dud. No damage, no hit. Not using a gun? You miss your next melee, no matter what.

    8 - If the character is under the effects of a substance, Street Drug, beverage, cigarette, but not Pharmaceuticals, they must make a DV13 Resist Drugs check, to not become addicted. Even if they have already made such a check. If not, lose 1 HP

    9 - If you spent Luck, you do not gain the benefit of the spent Luck. (Does not affect Maximum Luck) If you did not, lose 1 luck

    10 - You Look Foolish, a major fumble! Even if you still pass the check, you now do not. And are embarrassed somehow, Roleplay appropriately.

    11 - Combat Awareness Points DO NOT COUNT next turn. If the character is not a SOLO, -4 to your next check.

    12 - Gain 1 Luck. (Does not affect Maximum Luck)

  4. The Nice table (2d6 result)
    2 - Lose 1 Luck. (Does not affect Maximum Luck)

    3 - Roll 1d6 and recover, if possible, that result in Humanity, you may not recover over your Max. Do not roleplay the changes in humanity until a new session. If not possible Gain 1 luck

    4 - If your equipped Weapon is POOR quality, it cannot JAM this session. If it is not or if the equipped weapon has already benefited from this effect, reload or Recharge any 1 Clip, battery, Cryopump or any other item that has charges you possess (Yes Including Trauma Response Nanomatrix.)

    5 - Next time you roll on the Naughty Table, Roll twice and choose the result you prefer. (this can stack)

    6 - Nothing Happens

    7 - Gain 5 IP immediately

    8 - Gain 10 IP immediately

    9 - Heal 1 SP of a single piece of equipped Armor in ONE location only (Head or Body) (Does not allow SP to increase above Maximum) If you cannot then roll 1d6 and heal that amount immediately

    10 - Combat Awareness Points allocated are doubled for this round. OR roll a single d6 and heal that result

    11 - Gain 2 Luck. (Does not affect Maximum Luck)

    12 - Gain 1 extra action this turn! OR if not in combat, On the first round of next Combat.

  5. Each time a Player declares a Naughty or Nice Roll, they must keep a record of which it was. At the end of the night Players must add up the total number of Naughty rolls, and the total number of Nice rolls.

  6. If the number of Nice Declarations is greater than the number of Naughty Declarations then the Player is Judged NICE by Santa, and receives a gift.

  7. If the number of Naughty Declarations is greater than the number of Nice Declarations then the Player is Judged NAUGHTY by Santa, and receives nothing.

    1. If all Players are judged NAUGHTY, then an additional Extremely Dangerous battle against a powerful enemy will occur in one of the next few sessions. That battle will be rolled on the below 2d6 table.

    2. 2 - Adam Bomb and a crew of Edgerunner mercs.

      3 - Max-Tac with an AV

      4 - Top-Tier Bozos, with a Mini-Boss

      5 - Puma Squad

      6 - Heavy Corporate Security Elites

      7 - Mutated Flood Cultists

      8 - A Militech Extraction Team

      9 - Polonius, an Iron Sights Mini-Boss and some goons

      10 - A Terminator.

      11 - NCPD Heavy Weapons Squad

      12 - Adam Smasher

    3. If all Players are judged NICE, then an additional Backup is available to come help them when they need it in future, this backup is not one that can be called in, but is triggered when the team is severely pressed. That backup is rolled on the below 2d6 table.

    4. 2 - Max-Tac

      3 - Trauma Team

      4 - Top-Tier Bozos, with a Mini-Boss

      5 - Puma Squad

      6 - Lacroix

      7 - A large gang of Roger St.Burghsend Chromers

      8 - The Murada Twins

      9 - Kana Tsugihara and some Tyger Claw goons

      10 - Rook Castle and the NCPD Heavy Weapons Squad

      11 - Adam Bomb and a crew of Edgerunner MErcs

      12 - Adam Smasher

Santa’s Stocking

  1. At the start of the session, all Players must write down the difference between their ORIGINAL max Humanity and their current Humanity. This number becomes how many pieces of COAL in their stocking they have.

  2. The GM will also assign coal at the start of the night to each character based on a series of questions.

  3. The Objective is to not have any coal left in the stocking at the end of the night.

  4. The players may “Burn Coal” to heat up the night.

    1. Burning Coal is the act of spending a piece of coal to apply a minus one (-1) to their next roll.

    2. Only two pieces of coal may be burnt per roll.

    3. Coal may not be burnt on a companion skill check, but may be burnt when assisting another.

    4. Coal may not be burnt frivolously, for example, shooting at a wall out of combat, perceiving a blank wall over and over, or on any irrelevant no-consequence task that has no penalty for failure beyond not being able to attempt it again. Coal must be burnt on important rolls only, such a combat rolls, investigations, resistance checks, knowledge and skill checks judged by the GM to not be frivolous.

    5. Frivolous rolls will be punished by more coal.

    6. Players are required to double check their original humanity number with the GM at the start of the night, especially when using the Cyberpunk Red Companion App, which has mishandled that number for characters that existed before the changes in the App.

    7. Changes in humanity during the night do NOT alter the amount of coal you have.

    8. Additional Coal may be earned by being a douchebag. Some examples include:-

      1. Throwing others under the bus.

      2. Making things harder for others.

      3. Trying to loophole the rules.

      4. Causing the Admonish button to be pressed. (Excessive off-topic discussion)

      5. Other arbitrary reasons.

    9. If the Naughty And Nice Mechanic is also in effect, a roll of 2,3,11, or 12 on the naughty list also grant the player who rolled it one extra piece of coal.

    10. Players may spend more coal then they have! And earn negative coal. The more negative coal you have at the end of the night the better!

    11. Special rewards and prizes await those with negative coal at the end of the session!

Trick or Treat

The Hallowe’en special mechanic for any game. This turns every crit into a trick or treat situation. Rules specified for a d20 system, and more specifically for Mutants And Masterminds.

  1. Affects natural 20s and Natural 1s rolled. Could be adapted in a d10 system to affect natural 10 and 1 rolls.

  2. For the duration of the Trick or Treat Mechanic Hero points or other re-roll mechanics are suspended for rolls of 20 and 1 (10 and 1 for d10 systems) , specifically spending a hero point to re-roll may not be done on Trick or Treat rolls.

  3. On Natural 20 rolls a person at the table must say “Trick or Treat!” To the person that says that, a hero point is rewarded, to be kept in a special pile “Treats” This does not need to be the person who rolled the result. (in d10 systems Hero points or Luck is not awarded here)

  4. On a Natural 1 roll a person at the table must say “Trick or Treat!” This does not need to be the person who rolled.

  5. No matter who said “Trick or Treat!” 2d6 must be rolled, this can be done by the GM, or by whoever said “Trick or Treat!” or whoever rolled the original dice, this decision is made by the person who said “Trick or Treat!”

  6. The table (2d6 result)
    2 - No matter what the original roll was, it is now treated as a natural 1. No additional “Trick or Treat!” call is allowed on this result. (in Cyberpunk RED the 1’s follow-up roll is the same as the one rolled for the natural 10, oops!)

    3 - The person who called “Trick or Treat!” loses 1 Hero Point (if they have none, nothing happens).

    4 - The character of the person who called “Trick or Treat!” loses one Standard action on their next combat turn—whenever that turn occurs, even weeks later. (In Cyberpunk RED you lose either your action or your move for a turn, your choice)

    5 - The person who called “Trick or Treat!” suffers –4 on their next roll (–2 in d10 systems).

    6 - If the caller is NOT the original roller, the original roller gains 1 Hero Point. Otherwise, no effect.

    7 - The person who called “Trick or Treat!” gains 1 extra Hero Point.

    8 - 1 Hero Point is added to “The Candy Bag”.

    9 - The person who called “Trick or Treat!” receives 10 +1 bonuses. They may use these on themselves or give them to anyone at the table. Each time this result is rolled, the number of +1s awarded drops by 2 (10 → 8 → 6 → etc.).

    10 - The person who called “Trick or Treat!” recovers 1d6 damage and permanently removes one existing condition from their character (narrate however you like—“I was never hurt!” is fine). (You can suffer this condition again, but the currant instance is removed)

    11 - Everyone at the table, including the GM, receives 1 Hero Point.

    12 - Both the original roller and the person who called “Trick or Treat!” each receive one “Natural 20 Pass.” Redeem it later to replace any single roll with a natural 20 (Trick or Treat mechanic is suspended for that pass).

  7. Quick Reference Notes

    • Natural 20 Pass: Single-use token; declare before rolling (then do not roll)

    • All Hero Points awarded by Trick or Treat mechanic are to be kept separate from regular Hero Points.

    • Candy Bag: Physical bowl or note sheet—tracks only points from 8 results.

    • +1 Stack (9): Track the current pool size on a scrap of paper; resets only at session end.

    • Future Action Loss (4): Mark it on the character sheet with the date; it must burn the next combat turn after it’s earned.

    • In Cyberpunk Red Hero use LUCK points in place of Hero points, gained LUCK points are noted separately and CAN allow you to go above your MAXIMUM LUCK but do not RAISE your maximum luck. Any luck over your maximum is lost at the end of the game session.

  8. Candy Bag.

    • If there are any Hero Points in anyones “Treats” Pile at the end of the night, those points are added to their normal reserve of hero points.

    • At the end of the night, all Hero points in the Candy Bag go to the player who rolled the most failed checks that session.

      • In Cyberpunk RED any LUCK points in the Candy Bag are converted into LUCK tokens and may be retained by the player who rolled the most failed checks that night. This can allow them to exceed their maximum luck and is accounted separately, and must be spent before normal LUCK. These Tokens are kept until spent.

  9. Over Eating - At the end of the night the number of Treat Hero points (Or luck) spent is added up and converted into a penalty on a roll. That roll will differ depending on system, in M&M it is Fortitude. Roll a DC 15 Fortitude check, apply the penalty. If you fail, your character will have a minor Stomach Upset next session, which will add a -2 penalty on all checks for the session call it “Tummy Upset” this effect cannot be removed by any in game effect. Shoulda listened to your Mom.

    • In Cyberpunk RED the check is Restist Torture/Drugs DV 13 and the penalty is -1 next session.