DnD House Rules

=Death and Healing=

Death
Instead of dying at -10HP, your new minimum hitpoint score is -CON. (So, -10, -12, -14 etc).

Healing
Instead of healing Character Level (CL) HP per night of rest, you heal CL+CON Modifier HP. (So, a Level 4 character with +3 CON Modifier heals 7hp per night, instead of 4. For a full night's rest, that's 14 HP instead of 8.)

=Grapple rules= The bane of my existence. D&D Next has a fresh way of approaching Grapple checks.

As a standard action, using at least one free hand, you try to grab and hold a creature no more than one size larger than you by making a successful Strength check contested by the creature’s Strength check or Dexterity check (the creature chooses the ability). If you succeed, the creature’s speed becomes 0 and cannot increase until the grapple ends.

Moving a Grappled Creature
When you move, you can drag or carry a grappled creature with you, but every 5 feet costs you 5 extra feet of movement, unless the creature is two or more sizes smaller than you.

Restraining a Creature
As a standard action, you can restrain a grappled creature by making another successful Strength check contested by the creature’s Strength check or Dexterity check. If you succeed, the creature is restrained. While you’re restraining it use your flat-footed AC, your attacks are at -2, and Dexterity saving throws are at -2. You can stop restraining the creature at any time.

Ending a Grapple
You can release a grappled creature whenever you like, and you must do so if you can’t take actions or if you lose control of the grabbing limb. If a force, such as the blast created by the spell thunderwave, removes a grappled creature from your reach, the creature is freed, unless the force also targets you and moves you with the creature.

As a standard action, a grappled creature can escape by succeeding on a Strength or Dexterity check contested by your Strength check.

The Improved Grapple feat still gives a +4 to the initial strength check.

=Equipment=

Upkeep costs
It's clear that taking a sensible amount of trail rations (5sp), booking in at an inn (2-8sp), animal feed (2cp) and stabling (5sp) are petty amounts of money for the average adventurer, and with enough foresight a comfortable buffer of gold will be set aside to pay for these upkeep costs. Don't worry about buying fresh ration packs or feed unless you want to use them for roleplaying purposes, or use them in bulk. You'll be charged 1d20+15gp at the end of each month to cover costs.

Expanded list
To expand the list of gear available to the average adventurer, the contents of the Arms and Equipment guide are up for offer. The contents may be unavailable depending on the type of equipment (Gray renders as mounts, or Astral Driftmetal armour for example) and should be passed by the DM first.

See also: DnD Homebrew Items for custom items created by the DM and players.

=Spellcasting=

Extended spell list
Spellcasters (Bards, Clerics, Druids, Rangers, Wizards, Sorcerers) now have access to spells listed in the supporting material for D&D 3.5, which are collected in a book called The Spell Compendium (PDF). Spell use is still at the DM's discretion, so please discuss this with Grimmie before-hand.

Free Cantrips
Level 0 spells are now considered "free" spells, which can be used indefinitely. The only exceptions to this are Cure Minor Wounds and Inflict Minor Wounds, as out of initiative these spells could be used to heal to full, or kill a character without any effort.
 * Allows Level 0 spell slots to have more variety
 * Allows utility spells like prestidigitation and light to be used casually
 * Allows magic users to feel more like magic users by allowing them more than X spells per day total.

These spells have been replaced with Stabilise and Bleed, taken from the Pathfinder (D&D 3.75, essentially) rules. When preparing spells, substitute the old spells with the new ones.

Stabilise is not to be confused with the Level 2 spell in the Spell Compendium of the same name, which shall henceforth be known as "Greater Stabilise" for clarification.

Identifying magical items
A really tricky one for 3.5 rules. The Pathfinder rules make things much simpler.

Identify the properties of a magic item using
 * Detect magic (DC = 15 + item's caster level)
 * Identify (DC = 5 + item's caster level)

An elf gets a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft checks to identify the properties of magic items.

Decipher a scroll using
 * Detect magic (DC = 20 + spell's level)
 * Identify (DC = 10 + spell's level)