D&D 5E What House Rules Can You NOT Live Without?

[Blue]

I use story based leveling. I don't need THAT specific rule, but you get what you reward and I will not run a system that says combat is the only rewarded method of dealing with a challenge.

I make Inspiration a little more relevant by both upping the power so it has less chance to be wasted, and doing that by changing the trigger so that it's less likely "oh, I forgot I had Inspiration". I just made it a reroll after you see the d20, but before success/failure has been announced.

Technically feats and multiclassing are variant rules. I use both.

I would like to use the variable ability scores for skills rule from the PHB, but one game I run we have a player who just does not grasp it, and another is explicitly a teaching game with minimal house rules.

And while I never mention it as an explicit house rule, if something isn't working for your character and you aren't having fun, let's fix it. Keep continuity as much as we can, but fun comes first. Worst comes to worst, I've orchestrated "radiation accidents" in superhero games and the same concept applies.

 

[Blue]

Hilariously, I feel bad if I roll HIGHER than someone else. If we all randomly roll and I've got the best stats at the table, it actually makes me have a bad game experience and feel really guilty.

I'm with you!

When I was a young gamer we all tried our best to make super powerful characters. And it balanced out and was a lot of fun. When I was joining other groups that didn't I was often way more powerful ... and that wasn't as much fun. And then I started DMing groups like that and it really brought it home. I have the most fun - both as a player and as a DM - when the group is roughly all the same power level. I don't care where it is. But I've de-tuned characters that were too good for the table.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

No rolling for stats. I will only use Point Buy/Standard Array.
Opportunity Attacks when standing up from being prone/picking up dropped a weapon.
Variant version of TCoE's Customize your Origin system.
Free feat at level 1 related to your class/background/race. (VHumans and Custom Lineage characters still get any feat they want along with this.)
Flanking is a +1 to hit for each pair of creatures surrounding the flanked creature, to a maximum of +3 (one set is a +1 bonus for both creatures, two sets is a +2 bonus for all 4 creatures, three sets is a +3 bonus for all 6 creatures).
Concentration is a Constitution skill.
Intelligence and Wisdom can be used for Initiative instead of Dexterity.

 

[Sakuglak]

I use critical successes and failures and bonus action to use a healing potion.

For critical attacks we don't double the dice, we get max damage of one roll, then make a second roll. Give crits more weight.

 

[delph]

we have one nice about death saves and getting unconscious . They are 4 instead of 3. And when you drop under 0, you can choose:

• fall down and get one positive save for free 3:4
• stay standing to the end of your next turn with one automatic fail. In one way - it give chance to drink healing poiton, get healing spell,... in other - you're still target for your enemies and when they hit you, you'll get 2 fails - one by you are tighting your live to stand up, one by hit...

 

[Flamestrike]

• 5 minute short rests (max 2/ long rest)
• Martial Adept grants 2 Superiority dice (I like manoeuvres)
• Rogues can only sneak attack on their Turn.

That's pretty much it.

 

[CleverNickName]

My favorite house rule for every edition of D&D since BECM: when rolling for hit points at level-up, you always reroll a 1.
My favorite 5E house rule: healing potions always heal the maximum, but cost twice as much.

 

[Flamestrike]

My favorite house rule for every edition of D&D since BECM: when rolling for hit points at level-up, you always reroll a 1.
My favorite 5E house rule: healing potions always heal the maximum, but cost twice as much.

I use core (max at 1st and half rounded up after then) for HP and point buy for stats. No arguments and a level playing field.

I do have something available in my own games with healing potions - maximised healing potions that cost twice as much. I'd be tempted to make the default as its just quicker than rolling a bunch of d4s.

 

[pukunui]

I have a few house rules that I use in pretty much every campaign I run but I’m not sure any of them count as “can’t live without”.

The only one that does count is that all dragons encountered in my games have the Alert feat. I will not run a dragon without giving them that feat.

EDIT: Having read everyone else’s posts, I was reminded that I always have players use point buy or the standard array. I too have had unfun experiences with rolling for stats so I don’t ever do that in my games.

 

[CleverNickName]

Lots of folks talking about how they house rule starting stats. Here's how we do it in our 5th Edition Eberron campaign:

• Characters start with a magic item from Table F
• Use the 4d6 method
• Add up all of the modifiers from all six ability scores we rolled.
• If the sum of all modifiers is less than +5: the player can reroll them, or keep them and start with a feat.
• If the sum of all modifiers is greater than +9: the player can reroll them, or keep them and forfeit their magic item