House Rules

A non-exhaustive list of house rules used in the campaign. We use the 5E rules from the 2014 book unless stated otherwise.

In a few select cases we've updated things to the 2024 rules.

Characters

Character Creation

See House Rules - Character Creation.

Classes

There are a few tweaks to some classes, mostly the deserved nerfs from the 2024 rules, see House Rules - Classes.

Skills

Players get to choose one extra skill proficiency more than normal and there are a number of new skills, see House Rules - Skills.

Feats

Some feats have been changed and a number of feats from other books are allowed, see House Rules - Feats.

Spells & Spellcasting

A few small changes and some spells have been tweaked, see House Rules - Spellcasting.

Fate Points

Added for a little more survivability and roleplay fun. These can be spent to re-roll a player rolled die or to change something in a scene; "the bouncer is an old friend of mine", "there's a chandelier on this ceiling and it comes off easily". Players start with 3 Fate Points and gain one every time they level.

Obsession

Every adventurer has an obsession of one kind or the other. This can't be something too broad ("I want to get super rich", "I want to be the best spell caster I can be") but it should also not be super narrow. Decide what would fit your character well; this might take a few sessions. Also make sure to read Interesting and Flawed Characters.

When you do something that is clearly not to the benefit of your character or the party but feeds your Obsession you gain an Advantage Die.

This is a d20 that works just like the regular rule of Advantage but you can roll this die after rolling your regular d20 and seeing the result. You can never have more than one Advantage Die. The DM can use your Obsession to make your character take a certain action that might not be in its best interest but fits the Obsession. When the DM does so, you gain an Advantage Die if you don't already have one.

Leveling Up

Hit Points; on level up you get the fixed value shown in your class entry, which is the average result of the die roll (rounded up).

Training is required for gaining feats, and ability increases. You will need to find a trainer/teacher or something similar.

Combat

Initiative

Both sides roll just one d20 for initiative, adding the best modifier from among their group. The winning side then selects one of their characters to act first, then the other side selects one of their characters to act. This continues until one side has used all it's characters and then the remaining side uses its remaining characters. For the next round of combat Initiative is rolled again. This allows for more flexibility and tactics and prevents alpha striking.

Flanking

The flanking rule from the DMG (p251) is only used when using miniatures and with one change; you only get advantage when not flanked yourself.

Diagonal Movement

For some reason I thought that this rule was removed from 5E but it turns out it was in the 2014 DMG all the time:

When measuring range or moving diagonally on a grid, the first diagonal square counts as 5 feet, but the second diagonal square counts as 10 feet. This pattern of 5 feet and then 10 feet continues whenever you're counting diagonally, even if you move horizontally or vertically between different bits of diagonal movement.

Equipment

Weapons

Changed the following weapon properties to the 2024 versions as they are just plain better and/or clearer.

Heavy

You have Disadvantage on attack rolls with a Heavy weapon if it's a Melee weapon and your Strength score isn't at least 13 or if it's a Ranged weapon and your Dexterity score isn't at least 13.

Thrown

If a weapon has the Thrown property, you can throw the weapon to make a ranged attack, and you can draw that weapon as part of the attack. If the weapon is a Melee weapon, use the same ability modifier for the attack and damage rolls that you use for a melee attack with that weapon.

Mundane Items

Healer’s Kit

This item now also heals hp equal to Medicine check / 10 (rounded down). We'll assume every player character always carries one.

Throwing Items

Acid, Alchemist's Fire, Holy Water (does 2d8 damage now), Net (no longer considered a weapon), and Oil use the 2024 rules. This means replacing one of your normal attacks to throw and imposing a save on the target; Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 plus your Dexterity modifier and Proficiency Bonus).

Magic Items

Custom Magic Item

Every character will start with or gain a magic item suited to them that increases in power as they level.

Cyphers

These are magical one-shot items which need harmonization before use, this takes 5 minutes. You can have harmonization with two items at most.

Potions

All potions use the same identify rules as regular items.

Healing Potions from the DMG have been replaced by Healing (1d10+level), Greater Healing (2d10+level), Stupendous Healing (3d10+level).

Scrolls

Spells in spellbooks can be used as scrolls, following all regular rules. The spell will disappear from the spellbook after use.

Rules Glossary

D20 Test

The term D20 Test will come up in a few places (in this Glossary and under Feats and Magic Items). This is the 2024 term for the three different d20 rolls:

D20 Tests encompass the three main d20 rolls of the game: ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws. If something in the game affects D20 Tests, it affects all three of these rolls.

Exhaustion

Changed to the 2024 version but with an addition of a penalty on spell DC's. So this is what it ends up as:

• When you make a D20 Test the roll is reduced by 2 times your Exhaustion level.
• The Save DC of your spells is reduced by 2 times your Exhaustion level.
• Your Speed is reduced by a number of feet equal to 5 times your Exhaustion level.

Grappling

The 2024 version is a lot better but would require looking up every time. My strong preference is to just avoid grapple as much as possible; players not taking grapple feats/abilities/spells, and the DM doing the same, and using monsters with grapple sparingly.

Incapacitated

Adding two things from 2024:

• Your Concentration is broken. [This is already true in the 2014 rules but was not referenced there.]
• You can't speak.

Long Rest

These rules, most from the 2024 version, are added to the Long Rest:

• If you rested at least 1 hour before the interruption you gain the benefits of a Short Rest.
• During sleep, you have the Unconscious condition.
• You can resume a Long Rest immediately after an interruption. If you do so, the rest requires 1 additional hour per interruption to finish.
• Sleeping in Armor; sleeping in medium armor or heavy armor gives a level of Exhaustion (pressure ulcers are no fun!).

Magic Action

Another term from the 2024 rules that appears in a few places:

When you take the Magic action, you cast a spell that has a casting time of an action or use a feature or magic item that requires a Magic action to be activated.

Players Exploiting the Rules

This from page 19 of the 2024 DMG is certainly a good reminder:

• Rules Aren't Physics The rules of the game are meant to provide a fun game experience, not to describe the laws of physics in the worlds of D&D, let alone the real world. Don't let players argue that a bucket brigade of ordinary people can accelerate a spear to light speed by all using the Ready action to pass the spear to the next person in line. The Ready action facilitates heroic action; it doesn't define the physical limitations of what can happen in a 6-second combat round.
• The Game Is Not an Economy The rules of the game aren't intended to model a realistic economy, and players who look for loopholes that let them generate infinite wealth using combinations of spells are exploiting the rules.
• Combat Is for Enemies Some rules apply only during combat or while a character is acting in Initiative order. Don't let players attack each other or helpless creatures to activate those rules.
• Rules Rely on Good-Faith Interpretation The rules assume that everyone reading and interpreting the rules has the interests of the group's fun at heart and is reading the rules in that light.