Well, I am currently running a tyranny of dragons campaign that has gone "off the rails". We are gonna stick with the basic concept, but I expect the specifics of how they try to stop the cult are going to end up very different then in the book. (I tend to improv a lot anyways, so it's no bigee). Anyways, the players have two sets of characters who were both recruited to stop the cult, and they have been swapping back and forth between them. The Harpers have just put out a call for heroes, and I am allowing the players to remake characters (long time rpgers, first time on 5E). Will likely stick with a multiparty format, having different groups sent off to accomplish different missions to try and stop the cult.
ANYWAYS, now that I've got that out of the way, I wanted to know what people might think about some house rules I am implementing. Any feedback welcome. So, here goes.
So I decided to post what alternate rules we are using for the sake of brevity. Here goes.
Narrative Rests: The time required for a short rest or long rest will fluctuate based on the speed of plot. If we are doing a dungeon crawl, finding 45 minutes for a short rest will be good. Long rest will likely mean finding somewhere to hole up and take a day off to recuperate. When tracking through a jungle where nothing notable happens for days at a time, a short rest might be one good night's sleep, whereas a long rest might require finding somewhere to hole up for several days, repair equipment, forage for supplies, etc. Along with narrative speed their will be another guiding principle on rests. Has the party made an effort and created an opportunity to rest. Discovering a secret room during a dungeon crawl and heading back their to hole up? Short rest no problem. Finding a rarely used area and taking a breather there? Sure, short rest, though you may have to pretend to blend in or swap to a different area partway through (making the short rest take longer to complete). Killing an important priest and staying in their room while having the party's disguise expert pretend to mimic his voice and demand to be left alone. Sounds fun, short rest. (Though missing evening devotions, that could require some tapdancing on the party's part).In other words, be asking questions and making preparations that let me know that you are figuring out where and how to take a rest.
Fate Points: These will be replacing inspiration. Each game session everyone will get one fate point. Additional fate points occasionally be given out, generally for playing a character in an interesting, story inspired way that improves the game session for all involved. Uses for fate points follow.
-Reroll a d20: Simple, straight forward. Also, you may have another creature directly effecting you with an attack or ability, or being affected by one of your abilities, reroll a d20 instead. So you can make sure your character doesn't die to the third crit of the random hobgoblin, or force in the boss to reroll their saving throw for a dramatic hail mary.
-Declarations: You may declare a previously unspecified fact about the world to be true, provided the DM and other party members agree. Facts that tie into your character's background and make the game more fun will be very likely to get an enthusiastic okay. Declaring you win dnd will get you a virtual Gibbs smack to the back of the head. Some examples include: As we search the chamber for signs of the missing cultist I find the king's signet ring laying behind a bookcase. A member of a local mages guild recognizes me by the robes I inherited from my master. They ask for help recovering a trinket from an unscrupulous collector. My underground contacts inform me that a secretive auction of a magical weapon and other valuables is going to occur in two nights time. The buy in is 1,000gp. While in the middle of trying to solve the puzzle that would allow us entrance, we are attacked by an incredibly large orc wearing a helmet shaped like a ram's head.
-Pushing the limits: You may use a fate point to attempt something that may not normally be possible, or to use your abilities in a unique way. For example: Spend a fate point to make an arcana check to see if you can attune yourmagic to the gem in the golems forehead and ignore his magic resistance. Recognize that the huntsman will be swayed by those who share his interests, and use survival in place of pursuasion to get his help. Throw your sword to cut the ropes holding up a chandelier and drop it on a group of charging orcs.
DMG combat options: The following options from the dmg (page 271-272) will be allowed for characters AND monsters.
-Shove Aside: You can knock people to the left or right with a successful shove attempt, instead of just backwards or down.
-Overrun: You can attempt to push past someone blocking your way. Use an action or bonus action to make a strength athletics check opposed by the target's. You have advantage if larger, disadvantage if smaller. If you succeed you may move through the target's space once this turn.
-Tumble: As overrun, except you dodge around instead of push past and it uses dexterity acrobatics.
-Disarm: In place of an attack you may make a disarm attempt. Make an attack roll opposed by the target's strength athletics or dexterity acrobatics. You have disadvantage if they are holding it with both hands, and they have disadvantage if smaller than you or advantage if larger. If you succeed you knock the weapon or other item out of their grasp. NOTE: You may use your once per turn free "use an object" action to pick the dropped item up or kick it to the side (or if you want to be fancy say you knocked it away with a flourish as part of the disarm, you glory hound)
-Climb Aboard (Toot Toot!): You may use an action to make a strength athletics or dexterity acrobatics check to jump on top of a huge or gargantuan creature. (assuming you are normal sized. No polymorphing into gargantuan dragons and climbing atop huge creatures, you sexual deviants. Now turning into a spider and climbing atop a human, that's amusing. OH GOD IT'S IN MY HAIR!!!) If successful you you enter the targets space. You may move within the target's area, treating it as difficult terrain, and automatically move with the target when it does. You also have advantage on attack rolls against the target. Creatures that have been "boarded" may have a limited ability to attack you, but they will be able to try and shake you off, slam you into walls, and the like.
-Cleave Through: When you deal enough damage with a single melee attack to kill an undamaged creature, you may follow through and apply that attack roll to another creature within your reach, dealing any excess damage to it. If that creature was undamaged and you kill it outright, you may repeat this process. Note that this is only possible with melee weapons, and each creature cleaved to must be within your reach, you may not move between these cleaving attacks.
Customizing Characters: The following rules will be in place to allow for more varied creation of characters. Note that the DM may veto anything he finds to be patently ridiculous or gambebreaking.
-Ignore all multiclassing requirements.
-When you first gain the ability to cast spells, choose charisma, intelligence, or wisdom. That will be the score you cast all spells with, regardless of how many different classes your spells come from. Some effort should be made to describe how this works. A paladin casting off of wisdom is fairly simple, he is aware of the divine and follows it's guidance. But a wizard casting off charisma? Not impossible, but needs explanation. Perhaps his "spellbook" is actually a collection of pacts he has made with minor spirits that allow him to draw off some of their power to use as specific spells.
-Adjusting other ability scores. In general, other scores may be swapped out as well. If a paladin switches to wisdom for casting his spells, than his other abilities, like his aura of ridiculous saving throws, will follow suit. If a monk wants to use intelligence instead of wisdom for for AC and special abilities, that's fine too. The same general guidelines as spellcasting apply here.
-Customizing spell lists. This will be addressed on a case by case basis. In essence, a character may swap access to one sphere of spellcasting ability for another. This requires a critical eye however, and the player and dm will have to collaborate heavily beforehand. Some examples follow:
A wizard gets access to almost every style of magical effect in the book. The only thing he is noticeable missing is healing. If a player wants a transmuter that can use healing magic, than they would have to give up something else. Perhaps forfeit all their multitarget damage effects, or debuff effects. However, then an agreement would have to be made concerning at-will healing with the wizard's 18th level class feature (in this case, probably just saying you can't use it for healing spells).
A paladin has lay on hands and smite as class abilities. As such giving up smite spells doesn't amount to much of a loss, and neither does giving up healing magic. A very careful look would have to be taken at the spell list to see what could be changed.
I think that pretty much covers it for now. I will be posting links to additional material, such as unearthed arcana articles and homebrew subclasses, soon.
ANYWAYS, now that I've got that out of the way, I wanted to know what people might think about some house rules I am implementing. Any feedback welcome. So, here goes.
So I decided to post what alternate rules we are using for the sake of brevity. Here goes.
Narrative Rests: The time required for a short rest or long rest will fluctuate based on the speed of plot. If we are doing a dungeon crawl, finding 45 minutes for a short rest will be good. Long rest will likely mean finding somewhere to hole up and take a day off to recuperate. When tracking through a jungle where nothing notable happens for days at a time, a short rest might be one good night's sleep, whereas a long rest might require finding somewhere to hole up for several days, repair equipment, forage for supplies, etc. Along with narrative speed their will be another guiding principle on rests. Has the party made an effort and created an opportunity to rest. Discovering a secret room during a dungeon crawl and heading back their to hole up? Short rest no problem. Finding a rarely used area and taking a breather there? Sure, short rest, though you may have to pretend to blend in or swap to a different area partway through (making the short rest take longer to complete). Killing an important priest and staying in their room while having the party's disguise expert pretend to mimic his voice and demand to be left alone. Sounds fun, short rest. (Though missing evening devotions, that could require some tapdancing on the party's part).In other words, be asking questions and making preparations that let me know that you are figuring out where and how to take a rest.
Fate Points: These will be replacing inspiration. Each game session everyone will get one fate point. Additional fate points occasionally be given out, generally for playing a character in an interesting, story inspired way that improves the game session for all involved. Uses for fate points follow.
-Reroll a d20: Simple, straight forward. Also, you may have another creature directly effecting you with an attack or ability, or being affected by one of your abilities, reroll a d20 instead. So you can make sure your character doesn't die to the third crit of the random hobgoblin, or force in the boss to reroll their saving throw for a dramatic hail mary.
-Declarations: You may declare a previously unspecified fact about the world to be true, provided the DM and other party members agree. Facts that tie into your character's background and make the game more fun will be very likely to get an enthusiastic okay. Declaring you win dnd will get you a virtual Gibbs smack to the back of the head. Some examples include: As we search the chamber for signs of the missing cultist I find the king's signet ring laying behind a bookcase. A member of a local mages guild recognizes me by the robes I inherited from my master. They ask for help recovering a trinket from an unscrupulous collector. My underground contacts inform me that a secretive auction of a magical weapon and other valuables is going to occur in two nights time. The buy in is 1,000gp. While in the middle of trying to solve the puzzle that would allow us entrance, we are attacked by an incredibly large orc wearing a helmet shaped like a ram's head.
-Pushing the limits: You may use a fate point to attempt something that may not normally be possible, or to use your abilities in a unique way. For example: Spend a fate point to make an arcana check to see if you can attune yourmagic to the gem in the golems forehead and ignore his magic resistance. Recognize that the huntsman will be swayed by those who share his interests, and use survival in place of pursuasion to get his help. Throw your sword to cut the ropes holding up a chandelier and drop it on a group of charging orcs.
DMG combat options: The following options from the dmg (page 271-272) will be allowed for characters AND monsters.
-Shove Aside: You can knock people to the left or right with a successful shove attempt, instead of just backwards or down.
-Overrun: You can attempt to push past someone blocking your way. Use an action or bonus action to make a strength athletics check opposed by the target's. You have advantage if larger, disadvantage if smaller. If you succeed you may move through the target's space once this turn.
-Tumble: As overrun, except you dodge around instead of push past and it uses dexterity acrobatics.
-Disarm: In place of an attack you may make a disarm attempt. Make an attack roll opposed by the target's strength athletics or dexterity acrobatics. You have disadvantage if they are holding it with both hands, and they have disadvantage if smaller than you or advantage if larger. If you succeed you knock the weapon or other item out of their grasp. NOTE: You may use your once per turn free "use an object" action to pick the dropped item up or kick it to the side (or if you want to be fancy say you knocked it away with a flourish as part of the disarm, you glory hound)
-Climb Aboard (Toot Toot!): You may use an action to make a strength athletics or dexterity acrobatics check to jump on top of a huge or gargantuan creature. (assuming you are normal sized. No polymorphing into gargantuan dragons and climbing atop huge creatures, you sexual deviants. Now turning into a spider and climbing atop a human, that's amusing. OH GOD IT'S IN MY HAIR!!!) If successful you you enter the targets space. You may move within the target's area, treating it as difficult terrain, and automatically move with the target when it does. You also have advantage on attack rolls against the target. Creatures that have been "boarded" may have a limited ability to attack you, but they will be able to try and shake you off, slam you into walls, and the like.
-Cleave Through: When you deal enough damage with a single melee attack to kill an undamaged creature, you may follow through and apply that attack roll to another creature within your reach, dealing any excess damage to it. If that creature was undamaged and you kill it outright, you may repeat this process. Note that this is only possible with melee weapons, and each creature cleaved to must be within your reach, you may not move between these cleaving attacks.
Customizing Characters: The following rules will be in place to allow for more varied creation of characters. Note that the DM may veto anything he finds to be patently ridiculous or gambebreaking.
-Ignore all multiclassing requirements.
-When you first gain the ability to cast spells, choose charisma, intelligence, or wisdom. That will be the score you cast all spells with, regardless of how many different classes your spells come from. Some effort should be made to describe how this works. A paladin casting off of wisdom is fairly simple, he is aware of the divine and follows it's guidance. But a wizard casting off charisma? Not impossible, but needs explanation. Perhaps his "spellbook" is actually a collection of pacts he has made with minor spirits that allow him to draw off some of their power to use as specific spells.
-Adjusting other ability scores. In general, other scores may be swapped out as well. If a paladin switches to wisdom for casting his spells, than his other abilities, like his aura of ridiculous saving throws, will follow suit. If a monk wants to use intelligence instead of wisdom for for AC and special abilities, that's fine too. The same general guidelines as spellcasting apply here.
-Customizing spell lists. This will be addressed on a case by case basis. In essence, a character may swap access to one sphere of spellcasting ability for another. This requires a critical eye however, and the player and dm will have to collaborate heavily beforehand. Some examples follow:
A wizard gets access to almost every style of magical effect in the book. The only thing he is noticeable missing is healing. If a player wants a transmuter that can use healing magic, than they would have to give up something else. Perhaps forfeit all their multitarget damage effects, or debuff effects. However, then an agreement would have to be made concerning at-will healing with the wizard's 18th level class feature (in this case, probably just saying you can't use it for healing spells).
A paladin has lay on hands and smite as class abilities. As such giving up smite spells doesn't amount to much of a loss, and neither does giving up healing magic. A very careful look would have to be taken at the spell list to see what could be changed.
I think that pretty much covers it for now. I will be posting links to additional material, such as unearthed arcana articles and homebrew subclasses, soon.
