D&D 5E Your Favorite 5e Houserule

[el-remmen]

I have grandfathered some initiative stuff from 3E. It is not only individual initiative (though I sometimes do enemy sub-groups) but characters can either ready (you interrupt the triggering act and do either one movement or one action) or delay (a normal turn but happens after the turn where you declare you want to go). Either way your initiative is changed to that new place.

So ready:

DM: Player A it is your turn.
Player A: I ready my bow to shoot the first person who comes through the door.
[some other stuff happens]
DM: An hobgoblin mercenary appears in the doorway on 10.
Player A: I shoot!
DM: [resolves action] Okay player A, you now go on 10 before the hobgoblin.

And Delay:

DM: Player B it is your turn.
Player B (standing near the center of the room): I want to wait and see if any more foes come into the room so I can maybe cut them off.
[some other stuff happens]
DM: An hobgoblin mercenary appears in the doorway on 10.
Player B: I want to use my delayed action to move over there and attack!
DM: Okay, first I resolve the hobgoblin's action, he readies his shield seeing combat in the room and you noticing him.
Player B: I charge over there swinging at the hobgoblin.
DM: [resolves action] Okay player B, you now go on 10 after the hobgoblin.

Either way this does not effect reactions or opportunity attacks, which still work the same way.

 

[S'mon]

Here's what I have as my 'major changes' note:

Note: The PHB Feat & Multiclass rules modules are not used in this campaign.
Permitted Player Sources: Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide to Everything.

Dungeon Master's Guide Variant Rules in Effect
1 Week Long Rest - Page 267. Overnight rest restores 1 hp/level & 1 Exhaustion level.
Training to Level - Page 131

Major Changes to PHB Rules
Standing from prone provokes Opportunity Attack.
Picking up an object from the ground counts as standing from prone - half move & provokes opp att.
Berserker Barbarian may recover 1 level of Rage exhaustion with a Short Rest.
Eldritch Knight Fighter may Attune to a magic Bonded weapon, and use it as their Spell Focus.
Beastmaster Ranger: a Beast Companion that does not receive a command on the Ranger's turn will act appropriately to its nature - for many beasts this may involve continuing to attack a foe. If feeling outmatched it might alternatively Disengage and flee, or even Dash away.
Maximum AC & Save DC is 30. Skill DCs are not capped (but DC 30 is 'nearly impossible').

 

[el-remmen]

I would have a really hard time playing in a D&D game without multi-classing that was not BECMI (because I see those classes more as "iconic roles" than profession types). I haven't played a non-multi-classed character since 2E days (and even then that was rare and tended to aim for dual-class humans)

 

[Flicker the Flareon]

My favourite is my modified downtime. You have 5 "downtime points" after each adventure. Spend 1 downtime point to say something meaningful happened, such as finding an abandoned hippogriff egg or buying a cape of the mountebank. Or saying you gain X resource from X organization, which you are a part of. It just makes downtime more fun. Sometimes we even just do a "downtime session" just talking about what our characters did in their downtime.

 

[Stalker0]

My new favorites:

1) can concentrate on two spells at once starting at 5th level. A failed concentration check drops both spells. (Did this as a trial and did not break the game as I had feared, works pretty darn well).

2) old school death thresholds. Negative HP is back, you die at negative con score. (Removed a lot of my issue with high level monsters being too easy).

3) counterspell is removed: and good riddance!

 

[overgeeked]

I’ve been thinking of a Last Stand mechanic. Something to solve the you’re fine at 1 hp and dying at 0 hp with no change in combat capacity until you’re dying.

The rough idea is this. Any hit that would take you to zero, short of massive damage instant death, instead drops you to 1 hp and you are half move with disadvantage on checks. This gives you a chance to run away, get one last swing, whatever before you drop, but it also reduces your ability to be effective in combat.

It’s always bugged me that you go from fine and fighting in top form to dead or dying in 1 hp of damage.

 

[fearsomepirate]

1. Multiclassing is limited to two choices...
2. ...neither of which can be Warlock.

 

[Brotton Goodfellow]

1. Just about everything from Runehammers 5E Hardcore Mode.
2. You have to beat the DC/AC number. Ties go to the defender sorta thing.

 

[Gorg]

So far the only things that've come up are:

1. Thieves can use their fast hands ability to drink a potion as a bonus action.

2. Natural 20 on a ranged spell attack like a ray = critical hit. Not sure if it's covered anywhere (I didn't see it), but I decided that it's so at MY table.

 

[overgeeked]

Making casters roll to cast. Magic should never be automatic.