Bushido Bolt Ons - House Rules

[MoonHunter]

Bushido is a great game. Unlike most games of its era, it was complete. You didn't feel the need (or requirement) to add something to the game.

Yet, adding house rules to games was a really common place back in the day. 

So I ask you, what were yours?

[MoonHunter]

I should add my two.

One is not mine, but something I learned of from the only other Bushido GM I knew back in the day. 

He added an appearance stat.  It measured your raw appearance.  It was a 1d10 for all male characters.  They could syphon one point of attribute to appearance, up to a total of 10.  At best, it was a modifier for another skill.  Females were 1d10+2.  His reasoning, "All my men need to be heroes and my women beautiful... just the way of my world."

The one I used in later games, after instituting the "NO NINJAs" Rule.  Ninjas have one skill: Ninjitsu, ranked from 5-19.  Roll to hide, roll ninjitsu.  Roll to hit something, ninjitsu.Roll to disguise and impersonate someone, roll ninjitsu. Roll to make smoke appear around you, roll ninjitsu.  They had adequite numbers for initiative purposes, Lv 3 for Budo purposes, and were pretty disposible in the hits department. Each one got a distinctive weapon or a special ability, but their statistics were the same.  Why stat up the monsters, when you didn't need to?