What house rules do you use when playing Palladium games?

1. Do you use Roll with Punch/Fall?
2. Do you use SDC for characters?

I tend to house rule that an entirely different syustem be used preferably one that isnt so broken beyond repair that its a hindrance to play like the palladium system is these days.

Our current level 14 3.5 game is on hiatus with a player on holiday in Spain, and the GM dusted off Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a two-shot game. Thus far we're using it pretty much as written without any major problems - the GM does seems to have forgotten about parrying, let about roll with punch, but we are using SDC. He dug up a rule from the Rifter where if you don't have a skill you just roll against the stat as a base %, which I thought was interesting at least.

In the past have played Rifts and we did have some problems with MDC (I've seen a couple of characters get vapourized reasonably messily): we tried a 10:1 conversion rate (rather than 100:1) and this actually seemed to work adequately.

Lethal damage goes strait to hit points for normal humans unless they have magical protection. A supernatural form, invulnerability, Enhanced Physical Endurance and the like turns lethal damage into bruising damage (SDC).

We never used to allow RWP unless you had to do it in place of your dodge or parry roll, but I'm probably going to bring it back and try using it in my next game.

Supernatural Strength damage is tripled from the charts. Usually in Nightbane and the like, almost everyone has it along with a metric ton of SDC, so it just speeds up the game.

I don't understand the rational for keeping martial arts bonuses seperate from one another. They don't add much. 15 levels of TKD adds like a +3 to strike. 80% of most characters bonuses come from their stats, and the d20 roll is the biggest factor anyway. Next game, I'll probably let Dedicated martial artists with multiple forms add their bonuses together.

Burst fire from automatic weapons adds a bonus to strike instead of a penalty. It also does a lot less damage, especially sense modern weapons deal direct hitpoint damage against normal humans in our games.

I'm sure we have others.

We also do skills at a fixed rate of 40% +5% per level of experience. We are liberal with bonuses and penalties, and rarely level up.

Quote from: enelson;379534What house rules do you use when playing Palladium games?

1. Do you use Roll with Punch/Fall?
2. Do you use SDC for characters?

I use both these rules, yes.

As for house rules, the only major house rules I use are my Palladium alternate skill system, which you can find over on the Pundit's Forum.
Oh, yes, also I don't use the change Siembieda made to his rules where firearm attacks are now at -10 to dodge or whatever. That's a very stupid rule that unbalanced the whole game.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;379680I use both these rules, yes.

As for house rules, the only major house rules I use are my Palladium alternate skill system, which you can find over on the Pundit's Forum.
Oh, yes, also I don't use the change Siembieda made to his rules where firearm attacks are now at -10 to dodge or whatever. That's a very stupid rule that unbalanced the whole game.

RPGPundit

The new skill system is really good. I'm probably going to use it.

If you use roll with punch/fall, does that slow down combat?

Yeah, it slows it down. It is a whole extra roll that never helps end combat, only to prolong it by conserving hit points and SDC.

Not only that, but it takes a action to perform, just like dodge, so you have to roll for initiative more often.

I feel like in older books I had, RWP didn't cost an action, but it does in Heroes Unlimited and I like it that way. Most people won't give up an action to reduce the effects of a hit unless it was really bad, like Superman punching Batman.

I like it because it helps show how a strong and accurate person's attacks can overwhelm a weaker person and keep them from hitting back.

I think you should keep RWP, and change the amount of damage a few things do. There isn't any reason that a blast of fire from the hands should deal a mere 3d6, a rounds from a high powered sniper rifle 5d6, while a long burst from an Ingram Model 10 should deal 4d6x10. It isn't THAT much more likely to kill a person than a single bullet from a rifle.

I like to triple all Supernatural Strength Damage, let energy projection, swords, and guns deal direct HP damage unless their is a special protective power, and keep RWP.

You could even allow a RWP roll to turn lethal melee attacks into flesh wounds, dealing SDC damage. Like the super strong guy, it would show how a guy with a sword can overwhelm someone without, keeping him from attacking.

There are no house rules. Kevin will not allow them to exist. In this he is much like Chuck Norris, when it comes to anything Palladium, Kevin Siembieda is Chuck Norris. He simply kicks them out of existance and your grandchildren feel it.

Quote from: Spike;380095There are no house rules. Kevin will not allow them to exist. In this he is much like Chuck Norris, when it comes to anything Palladium, Kevin Siembieda is Chuck Norris. He simply kicks them out of existance and your grandchildren feel it.

Actually, from what I understand (from the Palladium open houses and such), KS runs a fairly heavily houseruled version of his own game. Even he won't run a game RAW in the system he refuses to update.

Quote from: IMLegend;380252Actually, from what I understand (from the Palladium open houses and such), KS runs a fairly heavily houseruled version of his own game. Even he won't run a game RAW in the system he refuses to update.

Why does that not surprise me at all.

And yet I take great comfort in this, because it tells me that at least something in this life is constant.

As to the actual questions;

1. When I played, we used RWP, but it costs an action.

2. SDC is go. MDC is out. We just ruled that only a weapon that did MDC damage could harm an MDC object. I think we bumped the damage a bit too. So getting shot with a 1d4 laster pistol wasn't going to flash boil your internal organs anymore.

Houserules: Well, to be honest, I can't find anyone willing to play a Palladium game anymore. I've still got my dog-eared copies of RIFTS, TMNT, and Robotech though.

But my group likes Savage Worlds, so I just ran a Savage RIFTS adventure, and I gotta say, it was tons of fun. So the new HR is to Savage it.

Just don't tell Palladium, or Siembieda will slap me to death with an MDC Cease and Desist.

Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;379545Our current level 14 3.5 game is on hiatus with a player on holiday in Spain, and the GM dusted off Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for a two-shot game. Thus far we're using it pretty much as written without any major problems - the GM does seems to have forgotten about parrying, let about roll with punch, but we are using SDC. He dug up a rule from the Rifter where if you don't have a skill you just roll against the stat as a base %, which I thought was interesting at least.

In the past have played Rifts and we did have some problems with MDC (I've seen a couple of characters get vapourized reasonably messily): we tried a 10:1 conversion rate (rather than 100:1) and this actually seemed to work adequately.

Wait... is that a GNOME in your avatar?!!

RPGPundit

I also favor reducing the MDC to SDC ratio to 10:1 instead of 100:1

Other than that, I use a simplified Skill System, and basically the older set of rules for Palladium, and it runs easily enough to avoid most kerfunckles...

I played with KS at his Open House event and like Dave Arneson and several other RPG designers I've met, he couldn't care about the RAW.   Hell, Dave had us narrate our saving throws.  KS is all about the pacing and the action and the dice were just there for success/fail and flavor.

I met John Wick when he demo'd 7th Sea at a cool mini-con called Games University out in the OC.  When asked about most rules, he shrugged and said "Do something cool and roll some dice"

I just wish more designers would write their games as they play them.

What house rules do you use when playing Palladium games?

Fixed Initiative

Abbreviated chargen for one shots

Gear / OCC selection depends on the region, AKA in my Russia / South America campaign, you get to pick stuff from those books, and anything beyond would be really, really unusual.

Do you use Roll with Punch/Fall?

Yes, but it costs an Attack/Action.

Do you use SDC for characters?

In MDC worlds, its kinda meaningless.  However, I sometimes have all MDC damage sucked down by armor do SDC to the squishy underneath the represent the power of the blows.