Forgotten Rules

[Sliver]

Recently, I was browsing the SRD trying to decide how to dress my character, when I came across this:

Courtier’s Outfit

This outfit includes fancy, tailored clothes in whatever fashion happens to be the current style in the courts of the nobles. Anyone trying to influence nobles or courtiers while wearing street dress will have a hard time of it (-2 penalty on Charisma-based skill checks to influence such individuals). If you wear this outfit without jewelry (costing an additional 50 gp), you look like an out-of-place commoner.

I have never encountered this during play, and wouldn't consider using this rule regardless. Clothes might add a modifier to a check, but saying that all nobles are harder to convince or intimidate if your outfit doesn't cost at least 80 gold is a bit...

But that's not the point. The rule is so random and obscure that I was curious, what other such rules have you noticed, even though they never, or rarely, actually appear in play, partially because nobody is aware of them.

[johnbragg]

Recently, I was browsing the SRD trying to decide how to dress my character, when I came across this:



I have never encountered this during play, and wouldn't consider using this rule regardless. Clothes might add a modifier to a check, but saying that all nobles are harder to convince or intimidate if your outfit doesn't cost at least 80 gold is a bit...

But that's not the point. The rule is so random and obscure that I was curious, what other such rules have you noticed, even though they never, or rarely, actually appear in play, partially because nobody is aware of them.

I was writing up a template in the Homebrew section yesterday, and I noticed that there is still an entry in the monster stat block for Treasure. I thought that went out with 2E.

[Âmesang]

Remember Potion Miscibility?

There's also the old rule that every alignment had its own special language.

[Sliver]

Is the treasure entry really unnoticed? I've checked it quite often, when the treasure didn't really have plot importance...

I also don't think that an April Fools article would really count...

[Arael666]

Remember Potion Miscibility?

There's also the old rule that every alignment had its own special language.

Seriously? it's a joke! why do people in these foruns have such a hard time understanding that? same deal with chicken infested, it's not for gameplay....

[Âmesang]

I guess I'll keep that in mind if I ever get to play 1st Edition. Or is this less about the left-behind rules of days gone by and more about the stuff people tend to overlook 'cause they either misread or don't care (which would apply to way too many things with my last group)?

POTION MISCIBILITY

The magical mixtures and compounds which comprise potions are not always compatible. You must test the miscibility of potions whenever:

• two potions are actually intermingled, or
• a potion is consumed by a creature while another such liquid already consumed is still in effect

While it is possible to prepare a matrix which lists each potion type and cross references each to show a certain result when one is intermingled with the other, such a graph has two drawbacks. First, it does not allow for differences in formulae from alchemist and/or magic-user. Second, it will require continual addition as new potion types are added to the campaign. Therefore, it is suggested that the following table be used - with, perhaps, the decision that a delusion potion will mix with anything, that oil of slipperiness taken with oil of etherealness will always increase the chance for the imbiber to be lost in the Ethereal Plane for 5-30 days to 50%, and treasure finding mixed with any other type of potion will always yield a lethal poison. Whatever certain results you settle upon far your campaign, the random results from the table apply to all other cases.

DUNGEON MASTER'S Guide, p.119 (Revised Edition—December, 1979)

CHARACTER LANGUAGES

In addition to the common tongue, all intelligent creatures able to converse in speech use special languages particular to their alignment. These alignment languages are: Chaotic Evil, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Evil, Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Neutral Evil, Neutral Good, and Neutrality. The alignment of your character will dictate which language he or she speaks, for only one alignment dialect can be used by a character (cf. CHARACTER CLASSES, The Assassin). If a character changes alignment, the previously known language is no longer able to be spoken by him or her.

Player's Handbook, p.34 (6th Printing—January, 1980)

[Sliver]

Well, considering that this is the 3rd edition D&D forums, and that you linked to an april fools article... It still isn't really what I intended regarding 'forgotten' rules...

[Hal0Badger]

From SRD, for Jump skill:

If your speed is less than 30 feet, you take a -6 penalty for every 10 feet of speed less than 30 feet. If your speed is greater than 30 feet, you gain a +4 bonus for every 10 feet beyond 30 feet.

One of the things I forget about constantly.

[HalfQuart]

From SRD, for Jump skill:
One of the things I forget about constantly.

Yeah, I forget about that and the double armor-check penalty to swim checks until I load my character into Heroforge Anew and find I have a swim check of -8... "But I have an 18 Strength!.... Ah, right, full plate gives -12 to Swim."

[Troacctid]

Similarly, distance penalties for Spot and Listen. I never remember to apply them.

Oh, and having ranks in Tumble improves your AC bonus when fighting defensively or using total defense. That's a thing, apparently.

[ComaVision]

Pinning in a grapple, I've never seen it used.

[AvatarVecna]

There's always that classic rule about multiple abjurations being close to each other for more than a day.

EDIT: More specifically, this one:

If one abjuration spell is active within 10 feet of another for 24 hours or more, the magical fields interfere with each other and create barely visible energy fluctuations. The DC to find such spells with the Search skill drops by 4.

[ComaVision]

There's always that classic rule about multiple abjurations being close to each other for more than a day.

I'm unfamiliar with this. Explain?

[AvatarVecna]

I'm unfamiliar with this. Explain?

Edited into my previous post, but in case you missed it:

If one abjuration spell is active within 10 feet of another for 24 hours or more, the magical fields interfere with each other and create barely visible energy fluctuations. The DC to find such spells with the Search skill drops by 4.

As far as "obscure rules that everybody forgets because it never comes up" goes, this is one that takes the cake.

[Telok]

Massive Damage

If you ever sustain a single attack deals 50 points of damage or more and it doesn’t kill you outright, you must make a DC 15 Fortitude save. If this saving throw fails, you die regardless of your current hit points. If you take 50 points of damage or more from multiple attacks, no one of which dealt 50 or more points of damage itself, the massive damage rule does not apply.

I don't think anyone ever plays with that one.

[AvatarVecna]

Massive Damage


I don't think anyone ever plays with that one.

I've had DMs who've used it...but that was for an E6 game.

[Thurbane]

One that pops up now and again: Monster Manual, p.300. Calculating Saving Throws DCs.

It specifically calls out that if a creature has a non-ability score normally used for calculating a DC, it defaults to Cha instead.

So, for example, the poison attack of that Vampire Medusa is based on Cha, rather that it's non-existant Con.

I don't think this rule got translated into the SRD, so a lot of folks are not aware of it.

[Melcar]

Pinning in a grapple, I've never seen it used.

Chokehold needs this, but then again... We have never had a wrestler in our games...

Massive Damage


I don't think anyone ever plays with that one.

Actually we do...

[Kurald Galain]

One thing that people tend to forget but crops up every now and then is that tieflings aren't people.

Spoiler

Show

That is, they're not affected by Enlarge Person and similar spells.

[AtlasSniperman]

From SRD, for Jump skill:
One of the things I forget about constantly.

I had a player playing a Thri-kreen Monk with full ranks in Jump.... He sure as hell remembers this rule.

Massive Damage
I don't think anyone ever plays with that one.

I do, Though I modify it so that it's DC 15 + 1 per 4 above 50 damage.

One thing that people tend to forget but crops up every now and then is that tieflings aren't people.

Spoiler

Show

That is, they're not affected by Enlarge Person and similar spells.

I remember a player using the whole "Tieflings are outsiders" argument to avoid a spell and promptly got slapped with "Then you pay double for armour since you are 'nonhumanoid'"

[Necrov]

Pinning in a grapple, I've never seen it used.

I use it on my Elven Fighter/Reaping Mauler build to initiate the save or suc and then the save or die. I should point out, I only use it incredibly rarely when faced with weak lookouts or the like.

[Willie the Duck]

I remember a player using the whole "Tieflings are outsiders" argument to avoid a spell and promptly got slapped with "Then you pay double for armour since you are 'nonhumanoid'"

Wow. Problem DM. The outsider factor is a major part of the LA for tieflings. Why wouldn't the player argue for it? The nonhumanoid thing on the other hand...

[AtlasSniperman]

Wow. Problem DM. The outsider factor is a major part of the LA for tieflings. Why wouldn't the player argue for it? The nonhumanoid thing on the other hand...

Wasn't so much that the PC was immune to some effect(cant remember which), but that he taunted not the casting NPC but the DM for it.

[Albions_Angel]

Similarly, distance penalties for Spot and Listen. I never remember to apply them.

Oh, and having ranks in Tumble improves your AC bonus when fighting defensively or using total defense. That's a thing, apparently.

We have always played with spot/listen distance penalties. Its +1 to the DC for every 10 feet right? Well when you have 6 PCs in a marching order, that can make all the difference. Never heard of the tumble one though...

Pinning in a grapple, I've never seen it used.

Used it multiple times. Had it used on me. Its great for ending a fight quickly and without bloodshed.

[Alex12]

One thing that people tend to forget but crops up every now and then is that tieflings aren't people.

Spoiler

Show

That is, they're not affected by Enlarge Person and similar spells.

That's both good and bad. On the one hand, tieflings (and aasimars, ifrits, oreads, and all the other planetouched and all the other non-Humanoid races) are unaffected by stuff like Charm Person. OTOH, buffs like Enlarge Person also don't work.
I do know that I personally would be okay with a non-Humanoid sorcerer learning a Charm spell of the same level as Charm Person that only works on their own type. So tieflings get Charm Person, and so on.

[Telonius]

Spell Resistance applies to all spells, including beneficial ones; but you can raise and lower it with a standard action. (So, yes, if you're at -1, you can't lower your SR. The party Cleric has to overcome it in order to cast a Cure spell. And everybody goes crosseyed about the definition of "own item" if somebody tries to give you a potion). My groups were constantly forgetting/ignoring this, so much that we eventually houseruled it that SR doesn't need to be lowered for beneficial spells.

[Sliver]

I remember a player using the whole "Tieflings are outsiders" argument to avoid a spell and promptly got slapped with "Then you pay double for armour since you are 'nonhumanoid'"

I get being annoyed when a player taunts the DM, but he is right, and the opposed argument is rather petty. A lesser planetouched would be humanoid, but his shape is the same as a normal planetouched. If you wouldn't increase the cost of armor for a lesser tiefling, it's unfair to increase it to a normal tiefling. But being immune to humanoid only spells is fair, considering the only difference between a tiefling and a lesser one is the outsider tag and +1 LA.

[ComaVision]

I use the massive damage rules but I can only remember a few times where the save wasn't made.

[Alex12]

Stone Dragon maneuvers can only be initiated if the initiator is in contact with the ground.

[nyjastul69]

30% of magical weapons shed light as per the light spell. I ignore this one myself.