Jaelommiss
First Post
I'm designing a set of houserules for a new campaign. The purpose is to 1) create create player characters that are incredibly flexible for their level, 2) encourage caution by reducing rate of resource recovery, 3) implement long lasting consequences for falling in combat and providing characters with the means to avoid it, 4) reduce hit point bloat without limiting players to basic characters, 5) eliminate delays to main class progression from multiclassing.
The rules I am considering would considerably increase a character's mechanical complexity. The game will be run for a maximum of four players with solid system mastery and DM experience. Some of the rules have been playtested in other campaigns. Others have been inspired by published rules in other editions and games. Under these rules Hit Points are used to reflect a character's capability to avoid a potentially lethal wound. Severe physical injuries are tracked separately.
I have been working on these rules for a while with occasional assistance from other DMs. I am now looking for feedback from a broader community. DMs, let me know whether you would feel comfortable running a game with these rules. What would you change or remove or tweak? Does anything stand out as potentially problematic? Players, do you see any character combinations that these rules open up that could be significantly more powerful than a hypothetical average character would be? Would these rules prompt you to craft a character that would otherwise be impractical under the default rules? How would you feel playing in a game with these rules?
[sblock=Houserules]All player characters have two simultaneously leveling paths. Each path is created as an independent multiclassed character using the same background, and their features and resources are combined afterwards. Spell slots from one path may be used for spells and abilities from the other path, but are tracked separately. Classes taken in one path may not be taken in the other. Path one, or the primary path, is used to determine saving throw proficiencies, hit points, and proficiency bonus. Weapon, armour, and tool proficiencies are added together from both paths. The player may choose the skill proficiencies from either path at first level, but not both. Although it does not contribute to the character’s hit point total, hit dice from both paths are combined into a single pool. The primary path may not multiclass as it gains levels. When the secondary path gains an ability score improvement, it may be used to gain a feat or to improve an ability score other than the one improved by the primary path at that level. Bonus ability score improvements for fighters and rogues are exempt from this restriction.
Almost all healing requires the expenditure of at least one hit die in order to gain its benefit. The expended hit die is rolled, added to the character’s Constitution modifier, and added to the number of hit points regained. The player being healed chooses how many hit dice to expend, up to a maximum number equal to the spell’s level or one for effects other than spells. Effects that restore an exact number of hit points (Life Cleric’s Preserve Life, Paladin’s Lay on Hands, etc.) do not require or allow the expenditure of hit dice. The Fighter’s Second Wind also does not require the expenditure of hit dice. If a character has no hit dice remaining, the effect is wasted with no effect.
When you complete a long rest, one path gains the benefits of a long rest while the other gains the benefits of a short rest. You may choose which path gains which benefit. A character regains half of the expended hit dice in their hit dice pool (rounded down, minimum one) at the end of a long rest.
When damage reduces a character to zero hit points and there is damage remaining, the character’s constitution is reduced by an amount equal to the damage remaining. The character then gains a level of exhaustion (edit: see below for changes to exhaustion), falls unconscious, and starts dying. A dying creature makes a DC 10 death saving throw at the starts of its turn. On a failure the creature’s constitution decreases by one. After three successes a creature stabilizes and will reawaken at one hit point in 1d12 x 20 minutes. On a natural twenty the character regains one hit point and becomes conscious. A character dies if reduced to zero constitution. A character’s constitution modifier changes as their constitution is lost. This affects modifiers to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, save DCs, hit points, healing, and all other aspects of the game where their Constitution modifier is used. A character’s natural constitution score must be recorded somewhere on their character sheet and increases with ability score improvements spent on constitution. Default dying rules are removed.
For each level of exhaustion a character gains they suffer a stacking -1 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, saving throws, and its saving throw DCs. For every two levels (rounded down) its movement speed is reduced by one quarter. A character recovers from one level of exhaustion at the end of a long rest. Default exhaustion rules are removed.
In order to recover lost points of constitution, a character must spend at least one hour per day per point of missing constitution (maximum ten hours) tending to their wounds and resting. Time spent resting in this fashion does not count towards a long or short rest. This activity may be broken up across the day. One charge of a healer’s kit must be expended each day. The character must also make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success the creature regains one point of constitution at the end of its next long rest. Another character may assist if they spend at least half the required time tending to the injured character. In this case, the Wisdom (Medicine) check is made using the highest modifier of the two characters. An assisting character may tend to multiple characters in a single day. A character’s constitution may not be restored beyond its natural score.
When a player character is reduced to zero hit points, they may use their reaction to fight on. The character loses points of constitution from remaining damage and gains a level of exhaustion as usual. Instead of falling unconscious, the character spends a number of hit dice equal to their proficiency bonus, rolling them adding their (possibly reduced) constitution modifier to each of them. The character regains that many hit points. A character who does not have enough hit dice remaining may not take this reaction.
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I can supply the rationale behind specific aspects of the rules if it would help. Sample characters can be provided to clarify any ambiguity. Let me know if anything was unclear and I'll try to explain to the best of my abilities.
The rules I am considering would considerably increase a character's mechanical complexity. The game will be run for a maximum of four players with solid system mastery and DM experience. Some of the rules have been playtested in other campaigns. Others have been inspired by published rules in other editions and games. Under these rules Hit Points are used to reflect a character's capability to avoid a potentially lethal wound. Severe physical injuries are tracked separately.
I have been working on these rules for a while with occasional assistance from other DMs. I am now looking for feedback from a broader community. DMs, let me know whether you would feel comfortable running a game with these rules. What would you change or remove or tweak? Does anything stand out as potentially problematic? Players, do you see any character combinations that these rules open up that could be significantly more powerful than a hypothetical average character would be? Would these rules prompt you to craft a character that would otherwise be impractical under the default rules? How would you feel playing in a game with these rules?
[sblock=Houserules]All player characters have two simultaneously leveling paths. Each path is created as an independent multiclassed character using the same background, and their features and resources are combined afterwards. Spell slots from one path may be used for spells and abilities from the other path, but are tracked separately. Classes taken in one path may not be taken in the other. Path one, or the primary path, is used to determine saving throw proficiencies, hit points, and proficiency bonus. Weapon, armour, and tool proficiencies are added together from both paths. The player may choose the skill proficiencies from either path at first level, but not both. Although it does not contribute to the character’s hit point total, hit dice from both paths are combined into a single pool. The primary path may not multiclass as it gains levels. When the secondary path gains an ability score improvement, it may be used to gain a feat or to improve an ability score other than the one improved by the primary path at that level. Bonus ability score improvements for fighters and rogues are exempt from this restriction.
Almost all healing requires the expenditure of at least one hit die in order to gain its benefit. The expended hit die is rolled, added to the character’s Constitution modifier, and added to the number of hit points regained. The player being healed chooses how many hit dice to expend, up to a maximum number equal to the spell’s level or one for effects other than spells. Effects that restore an exact number of hit points (Life Cleric’s Preserve Life, Paladin’s Lay on Hands, etc.) do not require or allow the expenditure of hit dice. The Fighter’s Second Wind also does not require the expenditure of hit dice. If a character has no hit dice remaining, the effect is wasted with no effect.
When you complete a long rest, one path gains the benefits of a long rest while the other gains the benefits of a short rest. You may choose which path gains which benefit. A character regains half of the expended hit dice in their hit dice pool (rounded down, minimum one) at the end of a long rest.
When damage reduces a character to zero hit points and there is damage remaining, the character’s constitution is reduced by an amount equal to the damage remaining. The character then gains a level of exhaustion (edit: see below for changes to exhaustion), falls unconscious, and starts dying. A dying creature makes a DC 10 death saving throw at the starts of its turn. On a failure the creature’s constitution decreases by one. After three successes a creature stabilizes and will reawaken at one hit point in 1d12 x 20 minutes. On a natural twenty the character regains one hit point and becomes conscious. A character dies if reduced to zero constitution. A character’s constitution modifier changes as their constitution is lost. This affects modifiers to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, save DCs, hit points, healing, and all other aspects of the game where their Constitution modifier is used. A character’s natural constitution score must be recorded somewhere on their character sheet and increases with ability score improvements spent on constitution. Default dying rules are removed.
For each level of exhaustion a character gains they suffer a stacking -1 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, saving throws, and its saving throw DCs. For every two levels (rounded down) its movement speed is reduced by one quarter. A character recovers from one level of exhaustion at the end of a long rest. Default exhaustion rules are removed.
In order to recover lost points of constitution, a character must spend at least one hour per day per point of missing constitution (maximum ten hours) tending to their wounds and resting. Time spent resting in this fashion does not count towards a long or short rest. This activity may be broken up across the day. One charge of a healer’s kit must be expended each day. The character must also make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. On a success the creature regains one point of constitution at the end of its next long rest. Another character may assist if they spend at least half the required time tending to the injured character. In this case, the Wisdom (Medicine) check is made using the highest modifier of the two characters. An assisting character may tend to multiple characters in a single day. A character’s constitution may not be restored beyond its natural score.
When a player character is reduced to zero hit points, they may use their reaction to fight on. The character loses points of constitution from remaining damage and gains a level of exhaustion as usual. Instead of falling unconscious, the character spends a number of hit dice equal to their proficiency bonus, rolling them adding their (possibly reduced) constitution modifier to each of them. The character regains that many hit points. A character who does not have enough hit dice remaining may not take this reaction.
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I can supply the rationale behind specific aspects of the rules if it would help. Sample characters can be provided to clarify any ambiguity. Let me know if anything was unclear and I'll try to explain to the best of my abilities.
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