D&D 5E What Is Your "Must-Have" House-Rule (If Any)?

[JiffyPopTart]

When you actively roll the die for a skill you have a passive score in (usually Perception), your result is a minimum of (Passive Score +1).

When you level up, instead of rolling the die for HP you can choose to take the average rounded up as your roll. If you do roll it you must keep it, even if its a 1.

 

[Kolvin]

Healing potions heal max HP. Still an action to use though.

Critical Hit damage is full weapon die + 1d roll + mods. So a longsword would do 8 + 1d8 + mods. Keeps you from having a double 1 critical.

Legacy Longsword for elves. Elves get Finesse with longswords if used one handed.

That's about it!

 

[CubicsRube]

I have a few in a one note folder.

Main ones:

• Players roll defense. Monster damage is fixed at max damage.
• No inspiration. Instead each PITBF can be used to gain advantage on a roll that relates to that PITBF once per day per item

 

[Minigiant]

Intelligence and Skills
You get a bonus skill proficiencies from your class equal to your Intelligence modifier. You get this retroactively but only based on your natural Intelligence.

Mind and Fluency.
The maximum languages you can know is equal the sum of your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma modifier. You are only considered fully fluent in a number of languages equal to half this sum. When speaking a language you are not fully fluent, you must make a Intelligence check DC 10 to recall the right words.

Shields
Shields provide +4 to AC.

Two handed Weapons AC
You have +1 to AC when weilding a weapon two handed weapon or a versatile or reach weapon with two hands.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Prepared casters can prepare additional cantrips. For a wizard you have to scribe it into your spellbook first. If you have a cantrip, prepared you can cast it at will as normal.

Absolutely essential to avoid totally destroying my suspension of disbelief that you can know hundreds if spells all the way up to 9th level, but if you didn't choose light or mage hand as one of your 4-6 cantrips you will never be able to cast it, even though you can cast daylight or telekinesis.

Probably in second place is giving small characters disadvantage when wielding a versatile weapon in one hand.

 

[Charlaquin]

This is debatable whether it’s a house rule or not; I certainly think there’s support for it in the RAW, but it’s definitely a nonstandard way to resolve checks:

DM calls for ability checks, not skill checks, and players can add their proficiency bonus if one of their proficiencies is applicable.

 

[Weiley31]

This is debatable whether it’s a house rule or not; I certainly think there’s support for it in the RAW, but it’s definitely a nonstandard way to resolve checks:

DM calls for ability checks, not skill checks, and players can add their proficiency bonus if one of their proficiencies is applicable.

So basically, you could use STR or CHA for Intimidation?

 

[TwoSix]

So basically, you could use STR or CHA for Intimidation?

I think it's that you can apply your Intimidation to Str or Cha checks if it's relevant.

I've tried, and personally I think it's harder to NOT think in terms of skill checks, so I usually call for a skill check rather than a ability check. But I'm open to using different skill-stat combinations if the player thinks it's warranted.

 

[Ath-kethin]

I use a few I've seen listed above: max PC HP at every level, healing potions always do their max amount, you can't roll below your Passive score on a Perception check, warlocks get their patron spells for free, a couple others.

Others I use:

1) warlocks have proficiency in martial weapons

2) magic circle has the Ritual tag (why in the world didn't it already?)

3) monk way of the shadow is a goblin tradition

4) typically I ban all full casters except warlocks

5) as such, warlocks become prepared casters and are not limited to a list of spells known unless the player wants the character to run that way

6) sometimes I ban all damage dealing cantrips too (they really rub me the wrong way)

7) sometimes I ban all caters and use the spellcasting feat progression that was in one of the playtest packets

8) when I do allow full casters other than warlocks, I generally limit wizards to what I call True Specialization, so wizards from different traditions actually cast different spells from one another

Unlike many, I really like the standard healing and rest rules. I like to run Sword & Sorcery style games, and I don't remember Fahfrd, the Mouser, Conan, or any of the others convalescing for weeks after a battle.

There are more; these are just off the top of my head.

 

[Lanefan]

Body points. Everyone has between 1 and 6 of these (adventurers usually in the 2-5 range), reflective of actual physical damage your body can take. Harder to cure and-or rest back than normal hit points, which are gained by class or hit dice as usual. Con sets a minimum but does not otherwise affect the roll - and it's ALWAYS a roll - so a Human with Con 16 would roll a d5 but if the roll is less than 3 it becomes 3. The BP roll is only ever done once per character and is locked in when done.

The other type of hit points are fatigue points, which are what you gain by level. Thus, a 1st-level Human Fighter with Con 16 might start with 3 BP [roll 2 forced to 3 by Con minimum] and 6 FP [4 on d10+ 2 Con mod] for a total of 9 h.p.

Bigger creatures have more BP on average, smaller have fewer. Leprechauns, for example, have d3 BP (and no minima). Centaurs have d7. Giants might have 2d10.