[ +- ] House Rules
General rules
KO
Whenever you reach 0 HP, you take one level of exhaustion.
Experience
Whenever you deal with an obstacle that should give you any amount of experience points, you get the adjusted XP (DMG p.82) instead of the normal amount. That’s more XP for you if you’re wondering.
Dealing with an obstacle means that you take care of it in a durable way. Negotiating or bribing can sometimes work as well, if not better, than fighting. Clever solutions will be rewarded!
Getting around an obstacle will grant you less XP if it means that this obstacle will remain in place and that you could face it again. Sneaking past the guards will only grant you some minor XP, but bribing them would grant you the whole XP (and killing them afterward would give you none, as they were not an obstacle anymore).
Leveling up
Whenever you have gained enough XP to reach a new level, that level will be available at the end of the next long rest.
Passive proficiencies as knowledge
All Proficiencies (skills, tools, weapons, and armor) are assumed to represent both active uses of those things and relevant background knowledge, lore, information, and awareness. When a character with a Proficiency encounters something in the game, the GM should simply give them any relevant information based on their expertise.
A character’s Passive Skill is equal to 8 + Ability Modifier + Proficiency Bonus. If the character has Advantage on such skill checks, the Passive Skill gains an additional +5. If the character has Disadvantage, the character suffers an additional -5.
Inspiration
Inspiration as described in the PHB sucks. That’s why we never remember that it even exists. So we will use that variant from the Angry GM.
Every character begins [each narrative arc] with Inspiration, which is a thing you either have or you don’t.
If you have Inspiration, you can spend it at any time to take an Inspired Action provided that action somehow ties into one of your character’s personal characteristics. If your Ideal is "I will do anything to save a person in danger," and you want to swing across a ravine on a vine to rescue someone who is about fall into the ravine and hanging by one hand, that fits. You can claim an Inspired Action.
When you take an Inspired Action, you can either gain advantage on an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw OR you can give advantage to someone else’s ability check, attack roll, or saving throw provided you are in a position to assist them directly in some way OR impose disadvantage on someone else’s ability check, attack roll, or saving throw provided you are in a position to hinder their action directly in some way. Whatever it is, the Inspired Action MUST somehow connect to one of your Personal Characteristics.
So, let’s take that "I will take any risk to save a person in danger." You could do the aforementioned "swinging across the ravine to catch them from falling" thing. Or if they have to attempt a saving throw to avoid a collapsing ceiling, you could throw yourself at them to save them, giving them advantage on the saving throw. Or if a monster is about to attack someone standing near you, you can interpose yourself and give the monster disadvantage on the attack roll. See? Easy.
When you don’t have Inspiration, you can Claim a Setback to gain Inspiration. To Claim a Setback you must either impose disadvantage on one of your own ability checks, saving throws, or attack rolls based on one of your Personal Characteristics OR make a decision that creates a significant story setback, obstacle, or hindrance. When you want to Claim a Setback, simply ask the GM. For example: "I’m easily distracted by shiny objects, so I’m distracted by the giant pile of treasure. Can I Claim a Setback and take disadvantage on my saving throw against the dragon’s fire breath?" Or: "This guy wants to help us, but I distrust all strangers. I’m going to be rude and accusatory of him. Can I Claim a Setback for that?" And then the GM might have the stranger refuse to help or get offended or start a fight. Whatever.
After you Claim a Setback, you get Inspiration. You can use the Inspiration to take an Inspired Action. And on and on it goes.
Working Together
When two or more characters work together to accomplish the same task, the character with the higher modifier leads the effort. The leader makes the appropriate ability check and enjoys a +2 bonus for one or two helpers or a +5 bonus for three or more helpers. Characters can only work together if it is task where such help is feasible and possible. In addition, a character can only help with a task if they would not be incapable of attempting the task on their own (due to a lack of Proficiency for instance).
Group Checks
When several PCs are trying to accomplish something as a group, the GM can call for a group check. First, the GM determines whether the group will succeed if any member succeeds (such as with searching) or if the group will fail if any member fails (such as with stealth). In the first scenario, the character with the highest base Ability Check modifier (Proficiency Bonus + Ability Bonus) rolls the check. In the second scenario, the character with the lowest base Ability Check modifier (Proficiency Bonus + Ability Bonus) rolls the check. Bonuses, penalties, Advantage, and Disadvantage are applied normally to the character rolling the check, but these should only be applied after the GM has determined which player rolls the check.
Traveling
At the beginning of the day, the party decides what kind of pace to set: Slow, Medium, or Fast.
At a Slow Pace, the party is moving carefully and quietly. They gain Advantage to all checks to perceive danger and all hostile creatures suffer Disadvantage to detect the party, thus allowing the party to surprise enemies. In addition, the party can forage for food normally if they maintain a slow pace for the entire day. Finally, navigation checks enjoy Advantage when moving at a Slow pace. The party’s speed, however, is reduced by a third. So every three days of travel count as only two days of travel.
At a Medium pace, the party travels normally. They may forage for food with Disadvantage.
At a Fast pace, the party travels more quickly. Their speed is increased by a third. So every three days of travel count as four days. While traveling at a Fast Pace, the party cannot forage for food at all. They suffer Disadvantage on all checks to perceive dangers and on navigation checks. Hostile creatures enjoy Advantage on checks to detect or track the party.
Once the party has set the pace for the day, they CAN change the pace based on what happens to them during the day. The result is resolved at the end of the day.
Bosses, Swarms of lesser enemies and other special foes
Special enemies such as bosses or swarmes of lesser enemies will sometimes be ruled in non standard ways to ease their management or create tension. Either way, I’ll do my best to give in-game hints on any unusual thing going on.
Altered features
Magic
Evolving cantrips
We will b using the amazing Evolving cantrips, which means that non damage-dealing cantrips will scale with your character level too!
Reworked classes
Ranger: Consensus ranger
Monk, 4 elements sub-class: Monk of 4 elements
Class features
Sorcerer’s Font of Magic
The class features "Font of Magic" and "Metamagic" now both come at level 2.
Paladin’s Divine sense
As an action, until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. This sense can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. You know the type of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity. Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated. You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
The radius goes up to 90 when you reach level 6, and the barrier restriction drops at level 14.
Barbarian’s Rage
Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then used one of the benefits its grants you, taken damage from or acted against a hostile creature. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.
GM comment: dashing toward your enemies counts as acting against them, and so does readying an action that targets them.
Survival rules
Armors and resting
Resting in full plate is uncomfortable, even for a well trained soldier. Whenever a character finishes a long rest wearing an armor that gives disadvantage to stealth, he doesn’t reduce his exhaustion level by 1 as he would normally do.
Food and beverage
Each character need to eat the equivalent of a ratio/day, and a gallon of water (=full waterskin).
If a character can’t eat enough, he needs to make a Constitution Saving throw against a growing DC of 5 per day without food. Failing that save gets him a level of Exhaustion that cannot be reduced until he gets to eat enough.
Same goes for drink, but the DC is 10 per day without water.
Foraging
Depending on their traveling speed (Slow, Medium, or Fast), characters will attempt to gather food and water on the way.
At the end of the day, each character makes a Wisdom (Survival) skill check against the terrain’s DC. If they succeed, they gather enough food for one person. Unless they are traveling a desert-like terrain, if at least one character succeeds his check, they uncover at least enough water to refill their waterskins.
Encumbrance : Variant (PHB 176)
When you use this variant, ignore the Strength column of the Armor table in chapter 5.
If you carry weight in excess of 5 times your Strength score, you are encumbered, which means your speed drops by 10 feet.
If you carry weight in excess o f 10 times your Strength score, up to your maximum carrying capacity, you are instead heavily encumbered, which means your speed drops by 20 feet and you have disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution.
Other features update
No automatic success
Any feature that states that you can’t get lost, always know your way, and such are toned down to giving you advantage on the appropriate actions.
Outlander’s Wanderer feat
Gives expertise to one survival skill you know (Survival, Nature, or Animal Handling)
When you forage for food or water, you can reroll one die and must use that second roll.
Ranger’s Natural Explorer
While traveling for an hour or more in your favored terrain, you gain the following benefits:
• Difficult terrain doesn’t slow your group’s you as you travel.
• Your group can’t become lost except by magical means has advantage on its Navigation checks while traveling at Normal or Slow pace.
• Even when you are engaged in another activity while traveling (such as foraging, navigating, or tracking), you remain alert to danger.
• If you are traveling alone, you can move stealthily at a Normal pace.
• When you forage, you find twice as much food as you normally would.
• While tracking other creatures, you also learn their exact number, their sizes, and how long ago they passed through the area.
Magical feeding
Create Food and Water and similar spells are toned down to creating enough for one character.
On the other hand, Purify Food and Drink and similar remain unchanged.
Goodberry
A single berry doesn’t provide enough nourishment to sustain a creature for a day. But 6 of them do take care one person’s needs for food.
Heroes’ feast
Powerful, but will remain as written unless it is proved to be problematic.
[Houserules for our survival-oriented game are inspired by the appropriate Angry GM article and my personal experience.]
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Aldrusian
October 21, 2018 7:05 am
Re: Optional, variant and house rules
In the site for Evolved Cantrips there are no listings for three of the cantrips that I selected for my character: Firebolt, Ray of Frost or Acid Splash. Does that mean those three do not evolve?
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Ornux
October 28, 2018 2:23 am
Re: Optional, variant and house rules
Short answer as a functioning Wi-Fi connection appears on my way through Laos : damaging cantrip already scale with levels.
Longer answer : I didn't check your concept yet (too long to do from where I currently am) but you picked 3 damaging/combat-oriented cantrips. While I have no problem with that, I must remind two thing that apply to most spellcasters characters : first, your cantrips choice will define your playstyle as they are the ones you will be casting all day ; second, I'd advice diversity in cantrips selection, with at least one not being combat oriented. You don't get a lot of cantrips, and non-damaging ones can be amazing especially with the additional rules for scaling cantrips.
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Ornux
November 21, 2018 5:29 pm
Re: Optional, variant and house rules
I've edited the original post to add the following change.
Quote:
Sorcerer’s Font of Magic
The class features "Font of Magic" and "Metamagic" now both come at level 2.
It definitely makes level 2 stronger, but it is well needed. The former without the later is just an additional 1st level spellslot. Plus, it makes little sense that the Sorcerer get so much in its level 3: a new tier of spells and a class feature.
It will also favor multiclassing info Sorcerer, which is probably why the two features were split in the original version. But again, Font of Magic alone? Meh.
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McDunno
March 12, 2019 11:18 pm
Re: Optional, variant and house rules
Rules quibble:
You gave Flynn +4 to AC due to the cover provided by the illusion. An illusion cannot provide cover since objects pass through it. It does, however, obscure or hide a target, which means attacks are made at disadvantage.
It's not an official Crawford ruling, but Chris Perkins has weighed in on this.
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Ornux
March 13, 2019 2:00 am
Re: Optional, variant and house rules
I wondered about this as I was writing my answer, wasn't sure if the illusion could provide cover or not. Definitely makes aiming harder, but indeed an imprecise shot would still pass through it and reach its intended targer. If cover's definition is that it make it harder to hit the target (I believe it is), then I agree with your point.
Aion's intent was to provide cover using his illusion, so if it doesn't provide cover then the skeletons would attack at disadvantage. +4 AC being the statistical equivalent to disadvantage at this level, I won't roll the dice again but we'll remember it when it happens again (because I'm fairly confident that it will).
Ruling on cover: Cover is the ability to prevent an attack from hitting its intended target. Hiding a target without impeding the ability for attack to reach it cannot provide partial cover, but it can provide total cover.
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Ornux
April 8, 2019 10:49 pm
Re: Optional, variant and house rules
Hey, in case you read Sage Advices or hear about them, know that I don't agree with all of them. Here are two that wight affect your game experience.
Short/long sleep:
That's one of the most stupid ruling I've read from Crawford. So video-gamey that it actually is disgusting. When characters take a break, they just rest. They don't press a "short rest" or "long rest" button for Pelor's sake!
If they try to sleep through they night and get attacked halfway through, of course they've had a short rest. Several short rests even, if it were to matter.
I know that people could try to exploit that (Warlock/Druid?), but that's why the GM is a person and not a computer program.
Shield master (can't find the right SA thread):
Yes you can Bash, then attack. I'm fine with it. Is it strong? Well yes, but so is a Spell sniper that ignores most covers. I'll make sure that you don't become a one trick pony, but otherwise have fun the way you like it.
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FlyingSucculent
September 18, 2019 9:06 am
Re: Optional, variant and house rules
May i ask a question about carrying capacity of a backpack? Are we following the rule that it can only hold 30 lb.?
And if we do, how much you can strap to it? ...and can you have two backpacks? XD I'm not sure how DnDs in-universe backpacks look, so I don't know if it's possible.
(Packing is hard.)
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Ornux
September 18, 2019 4:49 pm
Re: Optional, variant and house rules
Honestly, for the kind of game we are playing here, carrying capacity don't do much. So as long as you can carry it (as per the rules, STR x15 etc) and don't look like a weapon rack, we'll roll with it.
