So, house rules for my campaigns. This campaign is a Forgotten Realms® campaign using the AD&D® 2nd Edition rules (with a bit of 1st edition rules thrown in), with the year set at 1368 DR, Year of the Banner. (Following years will not necessarily follow the official Forgotten Realms timeline.)

• Character Creation
  • 1st level characters receive maximum HP - think of this as a boon from the kindly DM.
  • Races allowed are: Human, Dwarf (Shield, Gold, Duergar), Elf (Moon, Gold, Sea, Drow, Avariel), Gnome (Rock, Svirfneblin), Half-elves (Moon, Gold, Sea, Drow), and Halflings (Hairfoot, Stout, Tallfellow).
  • Most kits are not allowed; only Bladesingers (elf fighter/mage), Battleragers (dwarf fighter), Gypsy-bards (bard), Gallants (bard), Swashbucklers (thief), and Witches (wizard) are allowed, but if you really want to use a particular kit, you can also just try and ask me. However, I would rather my PCs play non-kit classes, as there is a lot of room for customization already.
• Warriors
  • Warriors can be Fighters, Paladins, or Rangers.
  • Weapon specialization (and proficiencies) are specific (i.e. Mace), and not general weapon categories (i.e. Blunt Weapons).
• Priests
  • Priests can be Clerics, Druids, or Specialty Priests. Special cases may be made for Crusaders, Monks, or Shamans as well, but not for 1st-time players.
  • Deities can be chosen (with special spells granted from that deity) from the following books:
    • Faiths & Avatars - specialty priests and priest spells
    • Powers & Pantheons - specialty priests and priest spells
    • Demihuman Deities - specialty priests and priest spells
  • All deities can grant spells of any level (as ruled in Faiths & Avatars), whether they are greater, intermediate, lesser, or demi powers.
  • Priest spell spheres of influence are as given in the Player's Handbook and the Tome of Magic, plus the sphere expansions given in The Complete Druid's Handbook. (The new sphere reorganizations given in Spells & Magic are not used; new spells given in this tome are used with the specified spheres.)
  • Priest spells - priests with the proper Spheres of Influence can access common spells, as defined as spells from the following books (spells are granted with permission from their deities; in general, rare or extremely powerful spells require special permission from the respective deities):
    • Player's Handbook
    • Monstrous Manual
    • The Complete Druid's Handbook
    • The Complete Ranger's Handbook
    • Tome of Magic
    • Spells & Magic (new spells only)
    • Faiths & Avatars
    • Powers & Pantheons
    • Demihuman Deities
    • The North
    • Volo's Guide to All Things Magical
  • The following spells from Player's Option: Spells & Magic are not available to priests for general use: Blessed Watchfulness, Strength of Stone, Iron Vigil, Soften Earth and Stone, Whirlwind, Conjure Water Elemental, Conjure Air Elemental, and Tsunami. These spells (or very similar spells with the same name) are granted only as deity-specific spells for the following deities, as written in Faiths & Avatars and Demihuman Deities: (1st Level) Blessed Watchfulness: Gaerdal Ironhand, Arvoreen; Strength of Stone: Moradin, Laduguer, Callarduran Smoothhands; (2nd Level) Iron Vigil: Gaerdal Ironhand; Soften Earth and Stone: Urdlen, Urogalan; (Level 7) Whirlwind: Akadi, Aerdrie Faenya; Conjure Water Elemental: Istishia, Deep Sashelas; Conjure Air Elemental: Akadi, Aerdrie Faenya; Tsunami: Istishia.
  • Don't ask about quest spells.
• Rogues
  • Rogues can be Thieves or Bards. Special cases may be made for Psionicists as well, but not for 1st-time players.
• Wizards
  • Wizards can be Mages, Abjurers, Conjurers, Diviners, Enchanters, Illusionists, Invokers, Necromancers, Transmuters, Wild Mages, or Elementalists (Pyromancers, Hydromancers, Geomancers, Aeromancers).
  • Beginning spells can be chosen from those spells that are considered common to uncommon knowledge in the Realms, i.e. any spells found in the following books (other spells exist, but must be found or obtained while adventuring):
    • Player's Handbook
    • The Complete Bard's Handbook
    • The Complete Book of Elves (elf PCs only)
    • The Complete Wizard's Handbook
    • Tome of Magic
    • Spells & Magic (new spells only)
• Other
  • Names of the various Planes of Existence are as found in Manual of the Planes - no silly Planescape garbage. (I.e. not Mechanus, but Nirvana.)
  • No wild talents at PC creation, unless you are a Duergar or other psionic-enabled race (Duergar can always multiclass as psionicist, or else are always wild talents) - if you want a wild talent, you must test for it during the game (with any resulting consequences).