D&D 5E What's in YOUR house rule document/collection?
Caliburn101
Explorer
In my gritty campaigns the following apply:
Healing;
Short Rest - no natural HD healing possible
Long Rest - HD healing allowed - but only those HD remaining at the time the LR is begun. HD spent prior to the LR are restored at the end.
Healing Spells - burn healing HD per level of spell applied for full action heals, or one HD for bonus action heals (the healing spell accelerates and amplifies natural healing). HD come from the character healed are used up first, but if there are spell levels still to be paid for and the target has run out, the healer can sacrifice their own HD to make up the difference, or, should they have none left, take HD damage to heal others.
Critical Hits:
Critical Hits also burn one Healing HD from the target due to lingering internal damage from the blow.
Darkvision:
Only Underdark races and totally dark-living monsters have Darkvision - the rest have Low Light Vision, which allows them to see in Dim Light as if it were Bright Light. Races and monsters with extra range Darkvision all have penalties to vision in daylight or very bright light. Those that adapt (like Drizzt) halve their Darkvision range but then drop the daylight/very bright light penalty.
Hit Points:
Characters start with half their Con in HP plus their maximised class HP dice. However, all class HP dice are reduced one step, so Barbarians have d10, Fighters d8, Rogues d6 and Wizards d4 for instance.
Falling Damage:
Static +2 bonus damage applied per 10ft increment - 10ft 1d6+2; 20ft 2d6+4, 30ft 3d6+6 etc. and a Con save required with a DC 8 + 1 / 10ft increment fallen to avoid being Stunned, with the same difficulty save to recover/round. Note that a natural 20 recovers automatically, and falling into water or a soft surface removes the bonus damage and the save starts at DC 4.
Spell Damage:
All spell damages have been reworked to be consistent with the DMG spell design rules.
Cantrip Damage:
All Cantrip damage is increased by one dice step.
Classes:
Due to the overpowered or underpowered nature of a few subclasses, they are banned from gritty games. Beastmaster Ranger, Moon Druid and Bear Totem Barbarian. Berserker Barbarian can recover from self-induced Fatigue with a DC 15 Con save after a 5 minute break.
Downtimes:
Any class can learn one additional Fighting Style with significant downtime effort. A new Fighting technique - 'Spell Slinger' gives the Archer Fighting Technique bonus to ranged attack spells.
Ranged Attacks and Fast Moving Targets:
Any character or monster that takes a double move in it's turn also gets the benefit of the Dodge action against Ranged Attacks until it's next Initiative.
Prone & Disarmed:
Getting up from Prone attracts attacks of opportunity from adjacent enemies within reach - if this is done as part of a Withdrawal, the attack of opportunity has disadvantage. A Disarmed character or monster picking up it's weapon within the reach of enemies attracts attacks of opportunity.
Magic in some campaigns:
Where I run a gritty more 'realistic' campaign I modify the availability and effect of some spells.
The Flight spell is replaced by the Levitation spell which is up-levelled and Teleportation is only available between heavily enchanted circles.
Revivify can only be used for 2+ Con bonus rounds after someone 'dies' and is not a form of resurrection (in fluff terms) but is a power that drags them back from the gates of death. Other forms of resurrection require a relevant Place of Power to be attuned to the caster (this is frequently a High Temple or similar) and takes hours equal to the level of the spell to cast.
Simulacrum - only one of these can exist at a time, and each time one is used to come back from death, the character's Con stat reduces by 2.
Places of Power:
Some places of power give the same benefits as a magical item, but require attunement. For instance, the lair of an ancient Spider boss might (once it is killed) provide the benefits of a Wand of Web and Poison Resistance to someone who attunes to it.
Healing;
Short Rest - no natural HD healing possible
Long Rest - HD healing allowed - but only those HD remaining at the time the LR is begun. HD spent prior to the LR are restored at the end.
Healing Spells - burn healing HD per level of spell applied for full action heals, or one HD for bonus action heals (the healing spell accelerates and amplifies natural healing). HD come from the character healed are used up first, but if there are spell levels still to be paid for and the target has run out, the healer can sacrifice their own HD to make up the difference, or, should they have none left, take HD damage to heal others.
Critical Hits:
Critical Hits also burn one Healing HD from the target due to lingering internal damage from the blow.
Darkvision:
Only Underdark races and totally dark-living monsters have Darkvision - the rest have Low Light Vision, which allows them to see in Dim Light as if it were Bright Light. Races and monsters with extra range Darkvision all have penalties to vision in daylight or very bright light. Those that adapt (like Drizzt) halve their Darkvision range but then drop the daylight/very bright light penalty.
Hit Points:
Characters start with half their Con in HP plus their maximised class HP dice. However, all class HP dice are reduced one step, so Barbarians have d10, Fighters d8, Rogues d6 and Wizards d4 for instance.
Falling Damage:
Static +2 bonus damage applied per 10ft increment - 10ft 1d6+2; 20ft 2d6+4, 30ft 3d6+6 etc. and a Con save required with a DC 8 + 1 / 10ft increment fallen to avoid being Stunned, with the same difficulty save to recover/round. Note that a natural 20 recovers automatically, and falling into water or a soft surface removes the bonus damage and the save starts at DC 4.
Spell Damage:
All spell damages have been reworked to be consistent with the DMG spell design rules.
Cantrip Damage:
All Cantrip damage is increased by one dice step.
Classes:
Due to the overpowered or underpowered nature of a few subclasses, they are banned from gritty games. Beastmaster Ranger, Moon Druid and Bear Totem Barbarian. Berserker Barbarian can recover from self-induced Fatigue with a DC 15 Con save after a 5 minute break.
Downtimes:
Any class can learn one additional Fighting Style with significant downtime effort. A new Fighting technique - 'Spell Slinger' gives the Archer Fighting Technique bonus to ranged attack spells.
Ranged Attacks and Fast Moving Targets:
Any character or monster that takes a double move in it's turn also gets the benefit of the Dodge action against Ranged Attacks until it's next Initiative.
Prone & Disarmed:
Getting up from Prone attracts attacks of opportunity from adjacent enemies within reach - if this is done as part of a Withdrawal, the attack of opportunity has disadvantage. A Disarmed character or monster picking up it's weapon within the reach of enemies attracts attacks of opportunity.
Magic in some campaigns:
Where I run a gritty more 'realistic' campaign I modify the availability and effect of some spells.
The Flight spell is replaced by the Levitation spell which is up-levelled and Teleportation is only available between heavily enchanted circles.
Revivify can only be used for 2+ Con bonus rounds after someone 'dies' and is not a form of resurrection (in fluff terms) but is a power that drags them back from the gates of death. Other forms of resurrection require a relevant Place of Power to be attuned to the caster (this is frequently a High Temple or similar) and takes hours equal to the level of the spell to cast.
Simulacrum - only one of these can exist at a time, and each time one is used to come back from death, the character's Con stat reduces by 2.
Places of Power:
Some places of power give the same benefits as a magical item, but require attunement. For instance, the lair of an ancient Spider boss might (once it is killed) provide the benefits of a Wand of Web and Poison Resistance to someone who attunes to it.
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This is the link to all of my current games House Rules
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15HaSDzNoJ9lQrb_oSeH3mSISQ-qVV1BfEGywrwzy3Uk/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15HaSDzNoJ9lQrb_oSeH3mSISQ-qVV1BfEGywrwzy3Uk/edit?usp=sharing
Here are two excellent variant Human alternatives that I found while creating my own environmental based human variants for my campaign. I haven't decided which of these to use so I didn't add them to my original post. However, after another thread on variant humans, I thought I would share them.
Ultimate Adaptability: Variant Humans for 5th Edition by Rich Howard (Tribality.com). Provides examples for humans by both environment (e.g., arctic, desert) and culture (e.g., mageocracy, martial)
Alternate Humans-Environmental Variants by AeronDrake, a poster at Reddit.com/r/Unearthed Arcana (The link is to homebrewery.naturalcrit.com). This was chosen to by the reddit Unearthed Arcana moderators to be hosted among the best of 5th edition homebrews.
Ultimate Adaptability: Variant Humans for 5th Edition by Rich Howard (Tribality.com). Provides examples for humans by both environment (e.g., arctic, desert) and culture (e.g., mageocracy, martial)
Alternate Humans-Environmental Variants by AeronDrake, a poster at Reddit.com/r/Unearthed Arcana (The link is to homebrewery.naturalcrit.com). This was chosen to by the reddit Unearthed Arcana moderators to be hosted among the best of 5th edition homebrews.
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Here are the ones I decided on for my upcoming game:
Death, Dying, and Recovery
1) There are now 3 classes of rest.
a. Breather: 1 hour
i. You may roll up to 2 hit-dice and heal yourself.
b. Short Rest: 8 hours (elves only 4 hours)
i. All things short rests do now. In addition, you heal 1 fatigue.
c. Long Rest: 7 short rests
i. All things long rests do now.
2) Death Saving Throws
a. Unless something specifically says “applies to a death saving throw”, you do not get a bonus to this save.
b. Failures are recovered after a short rest.
c. Concealed Rolls: A player does not roll death saving throws every round while unconscious. Instead, once the player is tended to, they roll 1 death save for every round they have been unconscious. If the player fails 3 death saves, they die.
d. Roll on a 1: Player gets 2 failed death saves.
e. Roll on a 20: The player removes failed deaths save and they stabilize. It no longer brings them to 1 hp.
3) Unconscious: A player that is knocked unconscious by damage takes 1 fatigue.
4) No resurrection magic
Classes
General
1) Fighting Styles:
a. Dueling, Great Weapon Fighting, and Two Weapon Fighting styles are removed.
b. New Style (Offense): Gain +2 to damage when using melee weapons.
2) Extra Attack (Charge)
a. Any class that has acquired the extra attack ability gains the ability to charge.
b. If you are using your action to dash, you may make 1 attack as a bonus action.
Barbarian
1) Berserker: No longer suffers fatigue from use of frenzy.
2) General: A barbarian may take a bonus action to deal themselves 2 damage (aka 1 damage while raging). (This allows a barbarian to stay in rage when their target is far away like an archer).
Cleric
1) The chance that divine intervention occurs is doubled.
Fighter
1) Champion: Remarkable Athlete bonus applies to death saving throws.
Monk
1) Gain +1 ki
Paladin
1) Divine Smite: Can only be used 1/round.
Sorceror
1) Wild Sorc:
a. Tides of Chaos, the Sorc can choose to do the ability restore after any 1st level sorc spell is cast.
b. Wild Magic Table: The fireball you cast is not centered on yourself.
2) Metamagic Changes:
a. Metamagics can now all be used with each other.
b. Distant Spell: A range of self becomes touch. This cannot be combined with Twin Spell.
c. Extend Spell: The duration is doubled. Further, any roll to dispel or counterspell this spell has disadvantage on the roll.
d. Careful Spell: If a spell does an effect on a successful save, there is no effect.
e. Subtle Spell: This spell cannot be counter spelled (ie it can’t be identified in time to do so)
Weapons
1) Heavy/Versatile: Any weapon with these properties, when wielded in two hands, may take a -2 to attack rolls to gain +4 to damage.
Feats
1) Durable: Add this, gain +2 hit dice. When you take a breather, the number of hit dice you can use increases by 2.
2) Great Weapon Master:
a. Remove the -5/+10 clause.
b. Gain +1 str
c. You no longer need to use a bonus action to make use of this ability (also means you can use it multiple times in a row).
3) Sharpshooter: Remove the -5/+10 clause. Add: On a crit, add an extra weapon die to the damage.
4) Crossbow Expert/Polearm Master: Removed
5) New Feat: Trained
Trained
You may take this feat more than once.
You gain any combination of the following benefits, adding up to 10 points. A single benefit cannot be taken more than 3 times.
- 5 points: Increase one ability score by 1, to a maximum of 20 or learn a cantrip.
- 4 points: Gain proficiency in the next class of armor (Light, Medium, Heavy)
- 3 points: Gain proficiency in shields or the next class of weapons (Simple, Martial)
- 2 points: Gain proficiency in a skill
- 1 point: Gain proficiency in a tool or language
Death, Dying, and Recovery
1) There are now 3 classes of rest.
a. Breather: 1 hour
i. You may roll up to 2 hit-dice and heal yourself.
b. Short Rest: 8 hours (elves only 4 hours)
i. All things short rests do now. In addition, you heal 1 fatigue.
c. Long Rest: 7 short rests
i. All things long rests do now.
2) Death Saving Throws
a. Unless something specifically says “applies to a death saving throw”, you do not get a bonus to this save.
b. Failures are recovered after a short rest.
c. Concealed Rolls: A player does not roll death saving throws every round while unconscious. Instead, once the player is tended to, they roll 1 death save for every round they have been unconscious. If the player fails 3 death saves, they die.
d. Roll on a 1: Player gets 2 failed death saves.
e. Roll on a 20: The player removes failed deaths save and they stabilize. It no longer brings them to 1 hp.
3) Unconscious: A player that is knocked unconscious by damage takes 1 fatigue.
4) No resurrection magic
Classes
General
1) Fighting Styles:
a. Dueling, Great Weapon Fighting, and Two Weapon Fighting styles are removed.
b. New Style (Offense): Gain +2 to damage when using melee weapons.
2) Extra Attack (Charge)
a. Any class that has acquired the extra attack ability gains the ability to charge.
b. If you are using your action to dash, you may make 1 attack as a bonus action.
Barbarian
1) Berserker: No longer suffers fatigue from use of frenzy.
2) General: A barbarian may take a bonus action to deal themselves 2 damage (aka 1 damage while raging). (This allows a barbarian to stay in rage when their target is far away like an archer).
Cleric
1) The chance that divine intervention occurs is doubled.
Fighter
1) Champion: Remarkable Athlete bonus applies to death saving throws.
Monk
1) Gain +1 ki
Paladin
1) Divine Smite: Can only be used 1/round.
Sorceror
1) Wild Sorc:
a. Tides of Chaos, the Sorc can choose to do the ability restore after any 1st level sorc spell is cast.
b. Wild Magic Table: The fireball you cast is not centered on yourself.
2) Metamagic Changes:
a. Metamagics can now all be used with each other.
b. Distant Spell: A range of self becomes touch. This cannot be combined with Twin Spell.
c. Extend Spell: The duration is doubled. Further, any roll to dispel or counterspell this spell has disadvantage on the roll.
d. Careful Spell: If a spell does an effect on a successful save, there is no effect.
e. Subtle Spell: This spell cannot be counter spelled (ie it can’t be identified in time to do so)
Weapons
1) Heavy/Versatile: Any weapon with these properties, when wielded in two hands, may take a -2 to attack rolls to gain +4 to damage.
Feats
1) Durable: Add this, gain +2 hit dice. When you take a breather, the number of hit dice you can use increases by 2.
2) Great Weapon Master:
a. Remove the -5/+10 clause.
b. Gain +1 str
c. You no longer need to use a bonus action to make use of this ability (also means you can use it multiple times in a row).
3) Sharpshooter: Remove the -5/+10 clause. Add: On a crit, add an extra weapon die to the damage.
4) Crossbow Expert/Polearm Master: Removed
5) New Feat: Trained
Trained
You may take this feat more than once.
You gain any combination of the following benefits, adding up to 10 points. A single benefit cannot be taken more than 3 times.
- 5 points: Increase one ability score by 1, to a maximum of 20 or learn a cantrip.
- 4 points: Gain proficiency in the next class of armor (Light, Medium, Heavy)
- 3 points: Gain proficiency in shields or the next class of weapons (Simple, Martial)
- 2 points: Gain proficiency in a skill
- 1 point: Gain proficiency in a tool or language
ArchfiendBobbie
First Post
A couple of new ones:
1) My noncursed magical object version of a lodestone is banned from the table now, thanks to someone using it to choke out an Ancient Red Dragon while only level 5. You know who you are, Mark.
2) Trying to fast talk Acererak into the Bag of Devouring will only work once.
3) Trying to fast talk Acererak into putting his phylactery in the Bag of Devouring won't work if you already fast talked him into the bag.
4) Yes he's a pompous jerk, but no you may not make a special trip to Neverwinter just to kill Lord Neverember.
1) My noncursed magical object version of a lodestone is banned from the table now, thanks to someone using it to choke out an Ancient Red Dragon while only level 5. You know who you are, Mark.
2) Trying to fast talk Acererak into the Bag of Devouring will only work once.
3) Trying to fast talk Acererak into putting his phylactery in the Bag of Devouring won't work if you already fast talked him into the bag.
4) Yes he's a pompous jerk, but no you may not make a special trip to Neverwinter just to kill Lord Neverember.
TwoSix
Dirty, realism-hating munchkin powergamer
Interesting. Do you allow 7 consecutive short rests (so a long rest takes about 2 1/3 days), or do they have to take the full 7 days?
trying to not reference things that are just part of "fitting the setting flavor" kind of changes... here are some i like...
Three Way Skills Dance - In general i adopt the death save three wins or three losses for pretty much any "accumulate towards goal over time" tasks. its just an easy way to represent it with the "time per check" and "cost per check" being 1/4 of the normal requirements - so you can end up ahead or behind schedule and can end up under or over budget - so to speak. This just creates a fairly standard model for most things.
Dead End Disad DED - For the above mentioned 3WS, a failure in a given approach meand you reached a dead end and get disadvantage from then on *until* you change the circumstances. in some meaningful way. So say you are involved in researching some Eldori cult - start in library and get a success and a fail on history checks - now if you just stay in library you get disads to next rolls... but if instead you send someone out to look at one of the places referenced or to interview a local who has knowledge or history with it, those approaches are now different, likely different skills used - and not at disadvantage. (Could even be your teammate.) other options for changing things in a meaningful way could be "lets switch to better quality ingredients (double cost per check) or "lets be more cautious now that we know this ore is less refined than expected (double time per check.) etc etc etc etc.
All Player Rolls APR - Enemy attacks on PCs/allies are resolved by player rolling D20 and adding their AC. Enemy saves against PCs/allies effects are resolve by player rolling D20+Save DC. opposee checks are rolled by another player. Players roll the damage they take. As Gm i literally never touch a die.
Confidence Roll - the die result of a D20 roll is treated as a representation of the character's assessment of how well they did, how confident they are that they did t right. So, it is perfectly fine for a character to come away with results ABC and the feeling that "i am not sure that is conclusive" etc. "I didn't see anything unusual or secret doors or passages but there are gaps and breaks in the mortar and such and breezes and i could not get my fat fingers into those or see much myself."
Multi-effort - unless there are specific reasons not to do so, "I roll too" type of situations are resolved by rolling once with advantage using the PC they players choose among those contributing (usually but not always the most skilled.) No need for four or five cracks at the D20.
Tool/proficiency lacks - I do not usually strictly require a toolkit or proficiency to be present for a given task to be attempted but will instead apply disadvantage to a check for improper tools. There will certainly be cases where having a specific item is needed to get abc, but that is very different from something as broad as toolkit and proficiency type thing where improvizing can be a thing.
Proficiency Auto-pass - As a general rule, for anything that normally requires a check, you must have proficiency to avail yourself of the ten-times or ability-5 auto-pass options. this allows the notion that a big part of trained vs amateur is "consistency."
Three Way Skills Dance - In general i adopt the death save three wins or three losses for pretty much any "accumulate towards goal over time" tasks. its just an easy way to represent it with the "time per check" and "cost per check" being 1/4 of the normal requirements - so you can end up ahead or behind schedule and can end up under or over budget - so to speak. This just creates a fairly standard model for most things.
Dead End Disad DED - For the above mentioned 3WS, a failure in a given approach meand you reached a dead end and get disadvantage from then on *until* you change the circumstances. in some meaningful way. So say you are involved in researching some Eldori cult - start in library and get a success and a fail on history checks - now if you just stay in library you get disads to next rolls... but if instead you send someone out to look at one of the places referenced or to interview a local who has knowledge or history with it, those approaches are now different, likely different skills used - and not at disadvantage. (Could even be your teammate.) other options for changing things in a meaningful way could be "lets switch to better quality ingredients (double cost per check) or "lets be more cautious now that we know this ore is less refined than expected (double time per check.) etc etc etc etc.
All Player Rolls APR - Enemy attacks on PCs/allies are resolved by player rolling D20 and adding their AC. Enemy saves against PCs/allies effects are resolve by player rolling D20+Save DC. opposee checks are rolled by another player. Players roll the damage they take. As Gm i literally never touch a die.
Confidence Roll - the die result of a D20 roll is treated as a representation of the character's assessment of how well they did, how confident they are that they did t right. So, it is perfectly fine for a character to come away with results ABC and the feeling that "i am not sure that is conclusive" etc. "I didn't see anything unusual or secret doors or passages but there are gaps and breaks in the mortar and such and breezes and i could not get my fat fingers into those or see much myself."
Multi-effort - unless there are specific reasons not to do so, "I roll too" type of situations are resolved by rolling once with advantage using the PC they players choose among those contributing (usually but not always the most skilled.) No need for four or five cracks at the D20.
Tool/proficiency lacks - I do not usually strictly require a toolkit or proficiency to be present for a given task to be attempted but will instead apply disadvantage to a check for improper tools. There will certainly be cases where having a specific item is needed to get abc, but that is very different from something as broad as toolkit and proficiency type thing where improvizing can be a thing.
Proficiency Auto-pass - As a general rule, for anything that normally requires a check, you must have proficiency to avail yourself of the ten-times or ability-5 auto-pass options. this allows the notion that a big part of trained vs amateur is "consistency."
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