House Rules Part 2

Some more houserules for my games, although these have only rarely seen use.

Shields Shall Be Splintered! - as can be seen, this one I am able to source.  Another gaming blog, of course.  I love the flavor and the usefulness of this rule, yet it has yet to see use in the Ironguard campaign, mostly because most of the PCs don't use shields.  Enemies haven't used it because they have either been beasts or unintelligent undead.  I am confident that it will be used, and on that day it will be glorious. 

I Know A Guy - I have a source for this one, as well.  You'll note it has an impressive pedigree.  We have yet to use this one, as well, mostly because there aren't that many folks out in the borderlands where the Ironguard campaign is set.  I imagine this rule would see more play in my megadungeon campaign (currently on hiatus), which is centered around a megadungeon near the city of Skara Brae.  As cities are full of people, this seems a natural fit.

Alignment Matters - this one has no specific source, beyond the earlier editions of D&D and the fiction that inspired it (notably Pournelle's Three Hearts and Three Lions and Moorcock's Elric and Eternal Champion books).  In 5e, alignment is merely something you write on your character sheet and mostly ignore - but in the Ironguard campaign, it matters because the powers that be are locked in eternal wars between Law and Chaos, and Good and Evil.  The higher level the PCs attain, the more they become beacons and champions of their professed alignment, whether they like it or not.

I'm looking forward to the allies that task them and the enemies that hunt them down, expressly due to alignment.  Unlike the other houserules mentioned above, this one has seen some use in a minor fashion (beyond the overriding point of the Ironguard campaign - throwing down the Chaos temples to keep the borderlands for Law).  The PCs recently recovered a LG Sword named Glory.  Aside from speaking and sentience, Glory has the lovely ability of detecting the alignment of whomever holds it, and burning (like hot metal) the Evil ones.

A companion fighter had donned a Helmet of Alignment Change, switching to NE.  She then picked up Glory which burned to be let go.  And the dice exploded! 19 damage later (not quite enough to trigger death saves, but close), she let go and Glory was picked up by our Sorcerer (a LG PC) and told merely to repent and find a better wielder for it.  (That PC has a history of questionable ideas, that so far, the rest of the party has prevented from coming to fruition). 

I'd post the details of Glory, but they aren't yet set in stone.  I foresee it being given to the Castellan of Ironguard Keep to curry favor, honestly, so I may not have to set them.

That's all for now.