House Rules

House Rules

  1. Critical Failure
  2. Epic Improvisation
  3. Identifiying Magical Items
  4. Resting in Armor
  5. Resurrection Challenges
  6. Shield Bash
  7. Spell Damage
  8. Spell Points
  9. Soaking Damage

Critical Failure:

When 1 is rolled to hit, the next attack against the creature/character that rolled the 1 is done with advantage.

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Epic Improvisation:

Under the right circumstances, for a single moment a PC may uncannily pull off something they were never trained to do. You may use your inspiration to gain proficiency in one weapon, tool, or skill with a +2 bonus for one round.

Rule suggested by The Dread Gazebo

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Identifying Magical Items:

Magical items will be identified this way, outside the identify spell:

With Proficiency in Arcana:

  1. A user that has proficiency in Arcana can make a knowledge check to see if they can generally identify the item, with an increasing difficulty based on the rarity of the item.
  2. If unsuccessful, for each hour they spend studying/experimenting with the item they may make another knowledge check with a +4 bonus.
  3. This study can be repeated every hour till the item is identified with the bonus becoming cumulative.
  4. This will not identify curses.
  5. After an item has been identified it can be attuned.

Without Proficiency in Arcana:

  1. The user must spend at least an hour studying and experimenting with the item.
  2. They may make an unskilled Arcana check, with an increasing difficulty based on the rarity of the item.
  3. If unsuccessful, for each hour they spend studying/experimenting with the item they may make another knowledge check with a +2 bonus.
  4. This study can be repeated every hour till the item is identified with the bonus becoming cumulative.
  5. This will not identify curses.
  6. After an item has been identified it can be attuned.

In some cases the Religion skill may be used instead, or History. This is on a case by case basis as determined by the DM.

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Resting in Armor:

If characters choose to rest in armor the following apply. While one can sleep in armor, particularly if exhausted already. However if someone never takes off their armor they will eventually suffer from bedsores, armor bites, armor chaffing and a very savory aroma. This simulate this, if someone sleeps in their armor, upon awaking the need to make a Con saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion. The Con saving throw is based on the armor type.

  • DC 7 for light armor
  • DC 10 for medium armor
  • DC 13 for heavy armor

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Resurrection Challenge:

All spells that would bring back a departed soul from the realm of Dolurrh will require a Resurrection Challenge.

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Shield Bash:

You can use your shield to strike an opponent as a bonus action. Damage to the shield is 1d4 plus str modifier. Proficiency bonus is granted to hit is the character is proficient with shields. You will lose the benefit of the shield to armor class till the start of your next turn.

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Spell Damage:

A spell may not cause double damage on the same turn that it is created. So if a spell causes damage when it is first created and then at the start of a turn. A creature lower on the initiative would potentially get damage twice in the same turn. This will not be allowed to happen.

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Spell Points:

One way to modify how a class feels is to change how it uses its spells. With this variant system, a character who has the Spellcasting feature uses spell points instead of spell slots to fuel spells. Spell points give a caster more flexibility, at the cost of greater complexity.

After using the spell point system in the Dungeon Master’s Guide I have simplified things further.

Spell Point Cost
Spell Level Spell Point Cost Spell Level Spell Point Cost
 1st  1  6th  6
 2nd  2  7th  7
 3rd  3  8th  8
 4th  4  9th 9
5th 5

 

Spell Points by Caster Type and Level
Class Level Full Caster
Spell Points		 Max Spell Level Half Caster
Spell Points		 Max Spell Level Third Caster
Spell Points		 Max Spell Level
 1st  2  1st  —  —  —  —
 2nd  3  1st  2  1st  —  —
 3rd  8  2nd  3  1st  2 1st
 4th  10  2nd  3  1st  3  1st
 5th  16  3rd  8  2nd  3  1st
 6th  19  3rd  8  2nd  3  1st
 7th  23  4th  10  2nd  8  2nd
 8th  27  4th  10  2nd  8  2nd
 9th  36  5th  16  3rd  8  2nd
 10th  41  5th  16  3rd  10  2nd
 11th  47  6th  19  3rd  10  2nd
 12th  47  6th  19  3rd  10  2nd
 13th  54  7th  23  4th  16  3rd
 14th  54  7th  23  4th  16  3rd
 15th  62  8th  27  4th  16  3rd
 16th  62  8th  27  4th  19  3rd
 17th  71  9th  36  5th  19  3rd
 18th  71  9th  36  5th  19  3rd
 19th  77  9th  41  5th  23  4th
 20th  84  9th  41  5th  23  4th

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Soaking Damage:

Making a soak roll draws upon your character’s inner resolve and determination to persevere, gritting through the pain and allowing them to press on. After taking damage, you may use your inspiration as a reaction in order to roll a single hit die and reduce the amount of damage dealt to you by number rolled, this does not actually expend that hit die. You may also choose to spend additional hit dice, up to half of your current total, although spending additional hit dice in this manner does remove them from your hit die pool as normal.

Rule suggested by The Dread Gazebo

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