House rules
This is an overview of house rules used in my roleplaying campaigns.
Dice Rules
- Don't roll d20s unless you intend to use them. The worst rolls I see will count for next checks/attacks.
- If a die drops off the table: Reroll.
- If a die is cocked (tilted on some table item to the point you can't position a d6 on top of it without falling off): Reroll.
- A player is generally trusted to not fudge any dice and trusted to use digital randomisers off screen at times.
DnD 5e
House rules used in DnD 5e.
Basics
- Books: All official (if anything 2021+, please inform first)
- 3rd party: Ask
- Optional features: All valid
- Unearthed Arcana: Not used
- Abilities: Use Point buy or Standard array
- Extra feat 1st lvl: Yes
- Hit Point Rolls: Use standard progression
- Potion drinking: Bonus Action
- Diagonal move & Square shape: Standard 5e (5ft/square meaning "spheres" are actually cubes)
Falling
When you fall 10 feet or more, you may choose to cinematically fall the remaining 490ft at the end of your current or next turn, whichever comes first, allowing for more reactive and dynamic play.
Reminder: The basic rule for fall damage in D&D 5e is that a character takes 1d6 points of damage for every 10 feet fallen, up to a maximum of 20d6.
Mitigating Fall Damage
You may attempt to mitigate the fall by using Acrobatics or Athletics. The DC is 3 higher for Athletics. If you take no damage, you are not prone. This may not apply to all spells and effects.
| Acrobatics | Athletics | Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| <15 | <18 | N/A |
| 15-17 | 18-20 | -1d6 |
| 18-20 | 21-23 | -2d6 |
| 21-23 | 24-27 | -3d6 or 20% |
| >23 | >27 | -4d6 or 40% |
DC 15 reduces the damage by 1d6 and every
5e Initiative
Same Initiative
If using Roll20; let the automatic function decide.
Otherwise:
If two combatants have the same initiative:
- The one with higher Initiative bonus goes first
- If same; opposed flat check; highest get highest Initiative.
Shift numbers up/down as conveniently as possible.
Initiative Cascade
If many enemies of the same kind appears, their initiatives may be "cascaded" as in one roll is made, and the rest of them continue to have one less initiative number in order to spread actions out. If one such reduction overlaps with a PC, skip another point down in order.
Example: If the party is attacked by 5 zombies, one initiative roll is made and the result is "7", the following three zombies will have 6, 5, 4 and 3. IF a player got "5", one zombie is pushed down (as it has terrible +Init) so the zombies instead get 6, 4, 3 and 2 with a PC on 5.
Delay Initiative
Despite earlier versions of DnD having Delay as an option, DnD 5e does not. I am evaluating if this can be used but for right now I'll allow anyone to lower their initiative to any lower number at the beginning of combat.
Actions
Demoralize
When you want to decrease a creature's combat efficiency you can attempt to confuse or intimidate them using your force of personality or intimidating presence to Demoralize it. The creature becomes unsure of what your next actual move will be, increasing their instinctive hesitation while it lasts, or outright makes it nervous of you. This is primarily a combat morale effect and only a fear effect if Intimidation is used to accomplish it.
As an action, target a creature you threaten in melee that can see you and choose whether to use Charisma (Deception), Charisma (Intimidation), or Charisma (Performance) to make an opposed skill check against your opponent's Wisdom (Insight) to attempt to demoralize it. If you're able to make multiple attacks with the Attack action, this attack replaces one of them.
If you succeed, the creature is Demoralized (-2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws) for 1 minute or less. Unless otherwise specified, write down your check to use as the DC to overcome the demoralized effect at the end of its turns.
If the creature is larger than the other, they get a cumulative +4 bonus to their check for each size category difference. If the creature has succeeded at a Demoralization contest with you in the past 8 hours they gain an additional +4 bonus to the check. Using Intimidation in the check counts as a fear effect for resistance or immunity.
Design:
"Translated" to 5e from DnD 3.5 Intimidate and Feint (but it's shit) as well as PF2 Demoralize and Feint. It's essentially a "contest in combat".
Ready Action
A readied action counts as if it was done during "your turn" for a number of effects such as the Extra Attack feature or for Spellcasting. I.e. this allows a creature to use the Extra Attack during a readied action and a caster "holding" a spell isn't forced to retain concentration if injured before the spell goes off.
If the event stated in the Ready doesn't trigger, the Action is still void.
Clarification: A character can always elect to NOT use a Reaction that is available to them, including the one Ready Action grants.
Ready outside of combat needs to be interpreted on a case-by-case basis, but common ways to resolve it is a one free pot-shot before the rest of initiative starts or that an appropriate readied action grants a player to not be surprised if the creature would otherwise be surprised. If two triggered actions would happen simultaneously, let the ensuing initiative roll decide who gets theirs off first.
Help Action
You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of a task if you are able to be of any use. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains a bonus to the roll equal to your proficiency modifier or ability modifier on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you are helping with, provided that it makes the check before the start of your next turn.
If the helper would be of extraordinary use for the attempt, they may instead of their bonus choose to grant an additional die to roll and the most favorable result is used, stacking with advantage if applicable.
Alternatively, you can aid a friendly creature in attacking a creature within 5 feet of you. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first attack roll is made with advantage.
Conditions
Rules regarding Conditions in 5e.
Section moved to 5e Conditions.
Small Creatures
Small creatures do not suffer Disadvantage when using heavy weapons if adequately (at all) roleplayed. The topic of Longbows may need some solution but otherwise this is the case.
Mounted Combat
Mounted combat RAW:
- 1/2 movement to mount
- If mount is moved: DC10 dex. Fail = 5ft prone
- If you are knocked prone same
- Mount prone you can use reaction to stand or be prone
- Controlled mount (like a horse) can use its full movement, any bonus actions (normally none) and actions (normally disengage, dodge, and dash), pooling your actions for the turn
- Free-willed mounts (sentient creature) acts on its own and the rider is simply a passenger and can choose to stay on
- The Mounted Combatant feat can be used to deflect attacks against the mount onto you
Mount Interpretations
A character who controls a controlled mount on its turn uses 2/3 of its movement to maintain that control (movement and actions). If you controlled one mount and managed to change mounts during a turn you can use Dash to give yourself enough movement to control the second mount in succession.
If you have a free-willed mount that accepts being controlled, you may choose to control it on your initiative and it acts on your initiative like a controlled mount (including that it can't normally attack).
If you have a free-willed mount you may, at the start of your turn, choose to lower your initiative to match the mount's initiative. If it has a higher initiative score you simply skip your turn and then has your turn at the next time the mount does. If you use the same initiative and are able to fight like a trained unit you may then treat both as one turn, pooling actions (including its attacks).
If you act in different initiatives from a mount or vehicle carrying you, you may use your reaction to dismount, expending 5 feet of your movement on your next turn.
If you have traveled on a mount or vehicle that has its own initiative since your last turn, that distance is then expended on your next turn. If your movement and/or dash is greater than the amount you were moved, you may still move that amount as normal.
DC 17 acrobatics or DC 20 athletics, using all of your movement (you can still Dash).
Mount Sidekicks
If you have a named mount that you have trained mounted combat with and it has 1/2 CR or lower you may treat it as a Sidekick that gains 1 lvl of either Warrior or Expert for every 3 character levels you gain.
http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/sidekicks
You may replace a level class feature with one of a lower level from the other type of sidekick.
You will have some responsibility to ensure it doesn't drag out on your turn deciding what to do!
Classes
Barbarian Berserker
Original: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/barbarian:berserker
TL;DR:
- This replaces all standard rules!
- Can Frenzy when entering Rage
- Can Frenzy start of your turn
- Crits on 19 & 20 instead of ONLY 20
- Crit = Add damage +STR + Proficiency (Zif has +4+3=+7)
- Every action used to attack = +1 attack (even Reactions)
- OPTION: Use 1 or more Hit Die to add to hit or to damage
- After Frenzy, gain Fatigue
- Fatigue removed if you rest
- If you get a 2nd Fatigue you get Exhaustion and Fatigue stays on you as well
Frenzy
Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, you can go into a frenzy when you rage, or at will during the start of your turn when raging. If you do so, for the duration of your rage you fight with an unrelenting rage frenzy and gain several benefits.
You may make one additional attack when you use the Attack action or attack as a Reaction.
Your chance to score a critical hit is increased by one step (if your critical hit chance was 20 it's now 19-20).
If you critically hit, you double Strength bonus and rage bonus in addition to the damage dice.
For the duration you may exert yourself by spending up to two Hit Dice when attacking a creature to either add to a to-hit result or damage roll.
When the rage where you used frenzy ends, you gain Fatigue.
Mindless Rage
Beginning at 6th level, you can't be charmed or frightened while raging. If you are charmed or frightened when you enter your rage, the effect is suspended for the duration of the rage and one additional minute after. When in a frenzy you may also use Hit Dice for more things than attacks; checks for strength and constitution, to AC or a saving throw.
Intimidating Presence
Beginning at 10th level, the mere chaotic energy of your presence force all creatures to use 5 extra feet of movement for every 5 feet moved within 15 feet of you as long as they can see you.
When you go into a frenzy your menacing presence frightens any foe near you. If a creature within 15ft can see or hear you it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be frightened of you until the end of your frenzy. Any creatures frightened by you gets a new saving throw at the end of their turns. If the creature succeeds on its saving throw, it is no longer frightened and it has advantage on future saving throws against your intimidating presence for 24 hours or until they fail another saving throw.
At the start of your subsequent turns, you impose your presence again to force creatures within range to make a new Wisdom saving throw. You may use a bonus to empower this effect and increase the DC by 2. Creatures that fail the check become frightened of you. Creatures that fail the check that were already frightened of you lose their reaction and their movement speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of their next turn. Succeeding on the forced save has no effect and does not grant advantage on future saves.
The frightened effect ends if the creature ends its turn out of line of sight or more than 30 feet away from you.
Retaliation
Starting at 14th level you become one with your surroundings and can take two reactions per round instead of one. When you take damage from a creature that is within reach, you can use a reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.
Feats
- Telekinetic feat
- Assumes the character habitually casts Mage Hand. Unless otherwise specified, when rolling initiative also roll a D10 and that is how many rounds are left until it expires.
- Update feat language:
be moved 5 feet toward or away from you- be moved 5 feet in the direction the hand pushes
Full text:
You learn to move things with your mind, granting you the following benefits:
Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
You learn the mage hand cantrip. You can cast it without verbal or somatic components, and you can make the spectral hand invisible. If you already know this spell, its range increases by 30 feet when you cast it. Its spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.
As a bonus action, you can try to telekinetically shove one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. When you do so, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability modifier of the score increased by this feat) or be moved 5 feet in the direction the hand pushes. A creature can willingly fail this save.
Scribe Scroll
Rules as written are insane. I haven't formulated exact details yet, but an intermediary is this:
To determine how long scribing a scroll will last simply takes the level of the spell scroll times 8 and then add 8 to that total. This means a cantrip (0-level * 8 + 8) would take 8 hours, and a 9th level spell (9th-level * 8 + 8) would take 80 hours, or 10 days, to complete.
In addition to cost in Xanathar's.
Daylight
Daylight (3rd) can be upcast. For each extra lvl:
- +20ft bright light & +20ft dim light
- The innermost 5ft radius (10ft diameter) counts as sunlight; +5ft radius per additional lvl upcast
- The spell dispels darkness spells of the same level or lower as the upcast in the inner bright light radius and 3rd or lower on the outer
Dispel Magic
Dispel Magic (3rd) works on items like in 3.5.
- DC determined by DM if the spell slot used is deemed too low to autmatically succeed.
- Supressing its magical effects for a number of rounds equal to the spell slot level used.
- Does not remove curses, but allows the owner to un-attune to a cursed item.
Goncai's Tower
Combined from Galder's Tower (3rd) and Leomund's Tiny Hut (3rd).
- Spell lvl: 3 (ritual)
- Casting time: 1 minute
- Range: Any place within sight you can place the key
- Components: V, S, F (a specifically crafted key worth 300g)
- Duration: 8 hours wall of force, 24 hours structure
Corpus Turris
You enter the key to Goncai's Tower straight into thin air where you want the front door of your tower to be located and say the incantations over a minute as an outline of the tower appears and becomes more tangible until the final keyword is said and the tower takes physical form. The tower will push minor obstacles like sticks or branches down or out of the way and creatures will be pushed in or out of walls upon creation. Before completing the casting you may move the key up to 5 feet in any direction and thus move the outline of the tower by using all your movement for that round. You may keep concentrating after the casting to further position the tower and it takes physical form within a few seconds when you stop concentrating. After the tower has physical form, it also starts affecting its surroundings like settling in the ground if it's not on solid rock, though a base is included that will give effective support that will work for most situations other than the most odd ones.
A three-story tower made of stone, wood, or similar suitably sturdy materials is conjured. The tower can be round or square in shape. Each level of the tower is 10 feet tall and has an area of up to 400 square feet (20x20ft). Access between levels may be either a simple ladder and hatch or a set of stairs, chosen by you. Each level takes one of the following forms, chosen by you when you cast the spell:
- A bedroom with a bed, chairs, table, chest, and magical fireplace
- A guest bedroom lined with simple but comfortable beds
- A study with desks, non-magical books you have read, bookshelves, parchments, ink, and ink pens
- A dining space with a table, chairs, magical fireplace, containers, and cooking utensils
- A lounge with couches, armchairs, side tables and footstools
- A washroom with toilets, washtubs, a magical brazier, and sauna benches
- An observatory with a telescope and maps of the night sky
- An unfurnished, empty room
- A stables with stalls for mounts or other applicable Resident animals, hay or dry feed, and a filled water trough
Whichever floor is the ground floor has a Guest Book chained to the wall that lists local dates and guests who have been Residents. Guests are encouraged to leave a message after the stay.
The interior of the tower is warm and dry, regardless of conditions outside. Any equipment or furnishings conjured within the tower dissipate into smoke if removed from it. When the spell ends, all creatures and objects within the tower, other than items placed in the bedroom chest, that were not created by the spell appear safely on the ground, and all materials of the tower and its furnishings disappear leaving only a physical indentation where it stood. Any items put in the bedroom chest can always be found in your Goncai's Tower. If you have made more than one Goncai's Tower chest, only one can be opened at a time. Goncai's Tower chest cannot be opened from the inside.
Until the tower dissapears, you can command the interior to become dimly lit or dark. You can also command to or open, close or lock any/all doors, windows or latches. If you cast Arcane Lock on any opening, you can choose which openings, or all openings, to be under its effect.
Clypeus Turris
Unless cast as a ritual, for the first 8 hours of the tower's duration, walls of force line the walls, floor, roof, windows, and doors, attached to the building's structure for the duration. If the structure should move, the walls of force holds the tower together as well as moves with it. Spells and other magical effects can't extend through the wall of force or be cast through it. Resident creatures and objects may leave and enter freely but all other creatures and objects are barred from passing through. The wall of force reaches into adjacent planes, like the ethereal plane, in addition to the plane the tower is conjured on. The force wall is opaque from the outside, of any color you choose, but it is transparent from the inside.
Up to ten creatures of Large size or smaller can be Residents of the tower; you are always a Resident. You may write a Guest List that you use as a material component of the spell or let the first creatures up to your command (or the limit of ten total) become Residents who can come and go through the barrier. All other creatures and objects are barred from passing through it.
If a disallowed creature (Huge or larger, more than maximum number of residents or creatures not on the Guest List) is present at the location of the casting, the caster becomes aware of this. If, at the end of the casting, something is blocking the tower to activate its wall of force you have to choose between keep concentrating on the spell until it's free, to move the outline of the tower as described until you find a free spot or drop concentration, which completes the tower without a forcefield but still uses a spell slot.
Permanentia
You can cast this spell again while it is active to maintain the tower's existence for an additional 24 hours. You can create a permanent tower by having the tower in teh same spot with the same configuration for a full year, which makes the walls and all items in the tower essentially non-magical and possible to remove (other than Goncai's chest). The wall of force is not made permanent unless it was active the whole duration. Residual magic in the walls will allow you to channel a 3rd lvl spell slot or higher as an action into the tower to activate the wall of force it as if it was a new cast or to alter the resident list. Once a week, the tower will replenish non-magical consumable items such as wood for the fireplace, parchment, ink etc.
At Higher Levels.
When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, for each slot level beyond 3rd the tower can have one additional story, duration is increased by 8 hours, its wall of force duration is increased by 4 hours, and the maximum number of Residents increase by three. You may request the tower creates non-magical common items that can be brought out from the tower and persists after the spell ends, including a sack of vegetables, dried meats and mundane dinner drinks like ale, wine or water to make a decent meal for up to the number of Residents. The amount of items you can request is the same as the spell slot level (minimum 4) and the maximum cost per item is 20g per spell level above 3rd.
Items
New properties
Bleed
Once per turn when you deal damage with the weapon, you can force the target to make a Constitution save where the DC is 8 + the dice result. On a failed save, the target starts to bleed 1d4 hit points at the start of their turns. If the target receives a successful DC12 healing attempt, succeeds on a DC12 Constitution save at the end of their turn or remain stationary during their turn and use their action to patch up, the bleeding stops. These bleeding wounds can stack and are dealt with separately. Creatures immune to bleed effects are unaffected by the weapon's bleed effect.
Hand Claw
- Type: Natural Melee Weapon
- Cost: 150 gp
- Weight: 1 lb
Proficiency with a hand claw allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with it and attempt to bleed your opponent.
If you already have a similar Natural Weapon, if you have Martial Proficiency or specific Hand Claw proficiency, you are considered proficient.
| Name | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand Claw | 150 gp | 1d4 slashing | 1 lb | Finesse, Bleed |
Exinanitio
Weapon (hand claw), uncommon
Exinanitio is a golden, ornate, set of five finger-talon extensions meant to be worn on the left hand and of exceptional quality and sturdiness. Exinanitio's damage dice is 2d4 instead of 1d4, and can bleed an opponent as a regular hand claw. Attacks against targets without medium or heavier armour is made with a +2 bonus to hit. If you score a critical hit with the Exinanitio you may alter the result of one of the d4s to 4. Slashing damage dealt by the Exinanitio is magical.
Creatures immune to bleed effects are unaffected by Exinanitio's bleed effects as well as its critical hit damage bonus.
You may attune to the Exinanitio to gain proficiency weilding it. If you are already proficient with hand claws, you do not need to do this.
Old IPO
[ edit ]
- Traits - Maximum 2.
- Drawbacks - Maximum 1. Gives a Trait.
- Flaws - Maximum 1. Almost all of them are ok (including third party stuff), but you have to check with me first. That link is just one (good) example.
- Damage Conversion (AC) - Armoured characters converts some lethal damage to nonlethal as in Unearthed Arcana (with a small fix).
- Hero Points are introduced at lvl 3.
- Damage and healing - Increased detail to go with wounds, primarily. There's now also an incentive to sleep comfortably.
- ALL MAGIC IS x2 COST. That includes enhancements on items, scrolls, potions, services, ALL! It also means that the material cost in crafting magical items is higher.
- Masterwork - Partly added to make up for a lack of magical weapons. These non-magical items packs a punch!
- Environment - Rules for sleep deprivation and hunger/thirst.
- Starting above lvl 1: Max 50% of wealth on 1 item.
- Recommend: Weapon 25% - Armour 25% - Other magic 25% - Consumables 15% - Ordinary/coins 10%
Extra reading
- Hit Points - My thoughts about traditional roleplaying Hit Points.
- Pazio GM stuff
If Anything is Unclear
- Ask
Other, Unused or WIP
- Skill bonus - Primarily needed for 3.5. Not used: Dead
- Skill training - Allowing characters to do stuff during downtime. Not used: Fix and add.
- Wounds - Mainly for RP, but also to make the world more gritty. Not used: May be fixed and added.
- Death - Death, Shock and damage. Not used: Dead
- Magic - In this low magic campaign setting, some magical features are unique. Some used: Will be fixed and added.
- New Spells - Some to do with the above some to do with the world or with functions in it. Mostly used: Rest will be polished and added.
- Residue time and DC tables - Entirely to do with detecting cast spells. Not used: Will be fixed and added.
- Feats - Magic and others. Mostly used: Rest will be fixed and added.
- Death Attack - Attempt to make it better. Not used: Dead