BookTenTiger
He / Him
I had an idea for a house rule to increase some of the deadliness of combat in 5e. I would love some feedback on what you think the effects of it would be!
The house rule is a simple one:
When making a weapon (or natural weapon or unarmed) attack that deals 1d4 or greater damage, any weapon damage dice that roll a maximum result are rolled again, adding to the total damage. Any rerolls that roll maximum are again rerolled, and so on.
Only weapon damage dice (the dice listed as damage in the Equipment List) are rerolled, never additional dice added to damage, such as through Smite or Sneak Attack.
For example, a fighter attacking with a longsword rolls a natural 10 on their damage die, and so rolls another d10 and adds it to their total damage.
A barbarian attacking with a greatsword rolls 2d6, and gets a 3 and a 6. Because of the 6, they roll another d6, and get a 6. They roll yet another d6 and get a 2. Their total weapon damage is 3 + 6 + 6 + 2 + Strength Modifier.
A rogue attacks with a dagger, rolling 1d4 + 2d6 for Sneak Attack. Their damage dice only explode if they roll a natural 4 on the d4, not if they roll any 6's on their Sneak Attacks.
A monk critically hits with an unarmed strike, dealing 1d6 + 1d6 for the crit. They roll 6 and 6, and so roll two more d6's for exploding dice.
Flavor-wise, I suppose this would be a kind of critical hit unique to weapons (and natural attacks). The exploding dice represent weapons doing what they're made to do: puncturing armor, breaking bones, cleaving meat, etc.
I also think this would make d4 weapons a little more interesting, since they would have a higher chance of exploding. I like the idea that a dagger isn't always effective, but when it strikes deep it really hurts!
Okay, what do you think? Would this make combat a little more deadly? Would it be fun? Are there unpredictable results?
The house rule is a simple one:
When making a weapon (or natural weapon or unarmed) attack that deals 1d4 or greater damage, any weapon damage dice that roll a maximum result are rolled again, adding to the total damage. Any rerolls that roll maximum are again rerolled, and so on.
Only weapon damage dice (the dice listed as damage in the Equipment List) are rerolled, never additional dice added to damage, such as through Smite or Sneak Attack.
For example, a fighter attacking with a longsword rolls a natural 10 on their damage die, and so rolls another d10 and adds it to their total damage.
A barbarian attacking with a greatsword rolls 2d6, and gets a 3 and a 6. Because of the 6, they roll another d6, and get a 6. They roll yet another d6 and get a 2. Their total weapon damage is 3 + 6 + 6 + 2 + Strength Modifier.
A rogue attacks with a dagger, rolling 1d4 + 2d6 for Sneak Attack. Their damage dice only explode if they roll a natural 4 on the d4, not if they roll any 6's on their Sneak Attacks.
A monk critically hits with an unarmed strike, dealing 1d6 + 1d6 for the crit. They roll 6 and 6, and so roll two more d6's for exploding dice.
Flavor-wise, I suppose this would be a kind of critical hit unique to weapons (and natural attacks). The exploding dice represent weapons doing what they're made to do: puncturing armor, breaking bones, cleaving meat, etc.
I also think this would make d4 weapons a little more interesting, since they would have a higher chance of exploding. I like the idea that a dagger isn't always effective, but when it strikes deep it really hurts!
Okay, what do you think? Would this make combat a little more deadly? Would it be fun? Are there unpredictable results?
