5e Campaign House Rules
House Rules I am using:
DMG Optional Flanking, Climb onto a bigger Creature, Disarm, Mark, Overrun, Shove Aside, Tumble, and Hitting Cover rules are being used.
Also Acrobatics Checks can be used in place of Athletics checks for Shove to knockdown.
Revised Ranger document rules are being used, with one addendum/clarification: Animal Companions cannot use barding, instead, they get an innate +1 to AC which increases to +2 at Level 7 and to +3 at Level 14. If another class gets an animal companion that follows these rules, then that companion also gets this bonus which increases at the same levels. This AC bonus will apply to all class companions.
Attacks vs Save DCs and Advantage/Disadvantage:
1. If for some reason all your attacks have Advantage, then anyone making a Save DC due to your actions have Disadvantage on that save.
2. If for some reason all your attacks have Disadvantage, then anyone making a Save DC due to your actions have Advantage on that save.
The same is true if something is causing all your Save DCs to have Advantage/Disadvantage, then the corresponding counterpart (Disadvantage/Advantage) is applied to your attack rolls.
Crafting: Replace the crafting rate of 5gp/day with 5*(Proficiency Bonus)gp per hour. This change does not change the amount of raw materials required which is half the market price of items being made. Also in an average situation where you are trying to sell what you make the average amount of items you’ll sell in a day is still 5gp, although various factors can increase or decrease this amount. (Amount of competition, number of customers, demand for items, etc…) Reason: It makes no sense for it to take 10 days to craft items like a single Alchemist Fire or Healing Potion. Also it shouldn’t take over 10 years to craft a single gem that is worth 20,000gp. Also historical evidence shows that skilled Bowyers could use simple carpentry tools to make an English Longbow in 2 hours, this becomes supported by the rules if the ‘skilled bowyers’ are considered to have a proficiency bonus of +5 (5prof bonus*5gp*2hours=50gp of progress in 2 hours, enough to complete the Longbow.)
Crafting or Harvesting Poisons: The DC to craft a poison is equal to the DC of the saving throw a victim makes to resist the poison. The DC to harvest a poison from a dead or incapacitated monster is equal to 5 + the Monster's CR rating. This replaces the 'unrealistic blanket DC 20' to craft or harvest a poison. The Knowledge (Nature) skill may be used in place of proficiency with poisoner's kit to harvest poison from a monster.
Creating Magic Items: Instead of 25gp/day of effort crafting rate will be 25*proficiency modifier in gp/day (Consumables cost half the amount of non-consumables for same rarity if they don’t fall under the scroll/potion table below.) People can still collaborate/assist to speed up item and magic item creation
Grappler Feat: Replace the sentence ‘Creatures that are one size larger than you don’t automatically succeed on checks to escape your grapple’ with ‘Creatures that are two sizes larger than you don’t automatically succeed on checks to escape your grapple.’ As normally you are limited to grappling creatures up to one size larger than your.
Weapon Changes:
Thrown items like Alchemist's Fire, Flask of Holy Water, Vial of Acid, Flask of Oil, etc... These items weight 0.1lbs each instead of 1 pound each as the flasks and vials are considered negligible when empty and the liquids are not that heavy. Plus these intentionally breakable flasks are not as durable as metal flasks (that won't break on being dropped or thrown) that weigh 1 pound.
Pike: This weapon can be used in underwater combat like spears and tridents without disadvantage for individuals without a swim speed. Pikes can also be used with the Polearm Mastery feat.
Trident: This weapon can be used to shove an enemy to either push back or knock prone, and when successful in doing so the target takes half damage from a Trident attack. (Reason: Otherwise this weapon is identical to the Spear despite being a martial weapon.)
Morningstar: This weapon does both Bludgeoning and Piercing damage, whichever is more advantageous for the wielder. (Reason: otherwise this weapon is inferior to other Martial weapons due to weight and cost in regards to what it can do, plus this weapon had both damage types in earlier versions of D&D)
Gunpowder and related items from the DMG have not yet been discovered in Faerun, although some Tinker Gnomes have been trying to develop a substance like gunpowder but haven't accomplished anything more than making fools of themselves when something blows up when they didn't mean it to. However, these Tinker gnomes have created one item that has kept them researching as they have discovered a means of creating fireworks. These fireworks were created using 'cantrip level' magic and alchemy. These Gnomish Fireworks won't inflict damage but can be used for spectacular festival displays or as colorful signal flares that can be seen for miles in the night sky. Gunpowder does not work in Faerun due to intervention by deities, but magical smoke powder can mimic its effects.
New Ammunition:
‘Glass Tube Arrows’ (Non-magical, common) These specially designed arrows cost 4gp each, although the special glass tube like vial/flask with fragmenting cap that costs an additional 1gp so a new glass tube arrow typically costs 5gp (including an empty and unsealed glass tube). It takes an action to remove or insert a loaded glass tube into a Glass Tube Arrow, assuming the glass tube is already sealed. Filling and sealing a glass tube also requires an action if it is not done beforehand and must be done before the tube can be inserted into a Glass Tube Arrow. (The arrowhead for a glass tube arrow is just the cutting edge of a normal arrow with the majority of the arrowhead cut away leaving just enough to support the shape and stability of the arrowhead to ensure that the fragmenting cap of the glass tube is exposed so it shatters on hit.) The glass tube is typically filled with a ‘dose’ of injury or contact poison, a vial of acid, a flask of holy water, or a flask of alchemical fire before it is sealed when it is inserted into the hollow shaft of the arrow and plugged up with a special glass cap that fragments as part of the metal arrowhead after the arrow is fired. When fired, the plug for the glass tube shatters spilling its contents on whatever target is hit or the location where the arrow lands which always includes the arrow itself. Thus the contents of the tube can often destroy the arrow if the ‘glass tube’ is filled with something like acid, oil that is ignited, or alchemical fire. Glass Tube Arrows filled with most poisons or Holy Water are not damaged by the Holy Water and can be retrieved as normal, but a new glass tube with its own fragmenting cap must be filled and inserted into the retrieved arrow before that arrow can be fired again as without the glass tube the arrow would be off balance and not fly properly. Due to the weight of a ‘filled’ Glass Tube Arrow being 0.15lbs instead of 0.05lbs when 'empty', its flight range is reduced by 20% compared to a normal arrow. Glass Tube Arrows can be silvered, made from adamantine, or enchanted for the normal additional costs. (Adamantine Glass Tube Arrows can always be recovered so long as the arrow can be reached. Adamantine Glass Tube Arrows may not be destroyed if they fall into lava, but good luck retrieving it safely.)
Glass Tube Arrows can be purchased individually for 4gp +1gp for a glass tube with a fragmenting cap. Additional glass tubes, each including a fragmenting cap, can be purchased for 1gp.
Silvered Glass Tube Arrows are typically sold in packs of ten costing 140gp + 10gp for the ten glass tubes with their fragmenting caps.
Adamantine Glass Tube Arrows are typically also sold in packs of ten costing 540gp + 10gp for the ten glass tubes with their fragmenting caps.
Glass Tube Bolts exist for Crossbows, and javelins can also be made to use Glass Tubes, these Glass Tube Javelins cost 3gp plus the cost of the glass tubes and have the normal weight and throwing ranges as they are rebalanced to accommodate a filled glass tube.
Custom Magic Items, or changes to existing items:
Daern's Instant Fortress (Wonderous item, Very Rare)
You can use an action to place this 1-inch stone cube on the ground and speak its command word. The cube rapidly grows into a fortress that remains until you use an action to speed the command word that dismisses it, which only works if the fortress is empty.
The fortress is a square tower, 20 feet on a side and 30 feet high, with arrow slits on all sides and a battlement atop it. Its interior is divided into two floors, with a ladder running along one wall to connect them. The latter ends at a trapdoor leading to the roof. When activated, the tower has a small door on the side facing you. The door opens only at your command, which you can speak as a bonus action. It is immune to the knock spell and similar magic, such as that of a chime of opening. It is also immune to divination spells as are creatures and objects inside it when the spell is cast. Furthermore, the tower is also immune to spells or spell-like effects that would alter its form except for the command to deploy from a cube or to revert to a cube.
The tower can only be deployed on the ground in areas with room for the tower to fit with at least 10 feet of clearance around it from other permanent structures. Any creature or object in the area that the tower will occupy is pushed to the nearest unoccupied space outside but next to the fortress without being harmed. Like a normal fortified stone tower, this fortress has a Damage Threshold of 20 and its sections have 100hp. For each day that the fortress is stored as a cube, each damaged section is magically repaired by 5 hit points. It also has resistance to damage caused by spells or spell-like effects and cannot be tipped over. If destroyed, the tower crumbles down into its cube form and cannot be utilized for 20 days after which it can be deployed with each section being fully repaired.
Ring of Mind Shielding These rings remain uncommon but will not require attunement. Additionally, they will not do anything with a person's soul when that person dies. The ring will provide the wearer with immunity to the Charmed and Frightened conditions.
Banned Magic Items:
Chaos Inducing Items like Wand of Wonder, Bag of Beans, and Deck of Many Things due to how disruptive they can be and more often than not screw over the individual using them.
Stat boosting items are currently banned in their DMG forms due to them allowing people to turn a dump stat into a stat that can outdo a primary stat. Items that give a bonus to a stat will be revised to do something else. We will be changing stat-boosting items to have different effects that do not change an ability score but is tied to the corresponding ability score in some way, and until a decision is reached those items won't be encountered and can be considered banned.
The Set a stat to 19 items like Gauntlets of Ogre Power will grant the following instead of changing an attuned wearer's stat:
1) Granting Proficiency on all skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws for that ability score.
2) The attuned wearer gains advantage on all skill checks, ability checks, and saving throws for that ability score.
3) Gauntlets of Ogre power specifically lets you ignore the strength requirements of heavy armor and increase your carrying capacity by 60lbs.
Belts of Giant Strength will now increase an attuned wearer's effective lifting and pull/push/drag capacity as if they had a strength score of 21 for Hill Giant, 23 for Stone or Frost Giant, 25 for Fire Giant, 27 for Cloud Giant, and 29 for Storm Giant. This will allow an attuned wearer to wear heavy armor without penalty as if they actually have a strength score over 13/15 depending on the type of armor. While attuned the Wearer is able to speak and read Giant and the wearer's carrying/lifting capacity is doubled.
Additionally, these belts grant an attuned wearer the spend their action to throw a boulder like a giant as a ranged weapon attack they are proficient in with a range of 60/240. The damage dealt by these boulders depends on the level of the attuned wearer. For levels 1-4 the boulders do 1d10+strength modifier, for levels 5-10 they do 2d10+strength modifier, for levels 11-16 they do 3d10+strength modifier, and for levels 17-20 the boulders do 4d10+strength modifier.
Finally, these belts have an additional feature dependant on the type of belt:
Hill Giant grants Squash. The attuned wearer can as an action instead of making a weapon attack make a squash attack with proficiency against a medium or smaller foe adjacent to them. On a hit, the target takes Xd6 + strength bonus where X equals 1/3 the attuned wearer's character level (minimum 1) and lands prone in the target's space with the target being grappled. Until this grapple ends the target is prone. The grapple ends if the attuned wearer stands up.
Stone Giant grants a Rock catching reaction in which as a reaction action the wearer can with a successful DC 10 Dexterity saving throw catch the rock or similar object and take no bludgeoning damage from it.
Frost Giant grants Cold Resistance
Fire Giant grants Fire Resistance
Cloud Giant grants Wind Aura. A magical aura of wind surrounds the attuned wearer. The aura is a 10-foot-radius sphere that is activated as a bonus action and lasts for as long as the wearer maintains concentration on it (as if concentrating on a spell). While the aura is in effect, the attuned wearer gains a +2 bonus to its AC against ranged weapon attacks, and all open flames within the aura are extinguished unless they are magical.
Storm Giant grants Lightning Resistance, Thunder Resistance, and the thrown boulder damage increases to use d12s instead of d10s.
Crafting & Pricing for Spell Scrolls and Consumables: To create a Spell Scroll or consumable, you must be able to cast the spell, either having it in your spellbook or as a Spell Known/Readied in the individual’s spell list. The base cost to create a Spell Scroll or consumable is shown on the table below. If a spell has a material component with a listed cost then that cost must be added to the base cost of the Spell Scroll or consumable for that spell. In order to successfully use a Spell Scroll for a spell not on your class spell list at a level you could cast, you must succeed on the Spellcasting stat-based Check, with a proficiency bonus if you are at least a first-level spellcaster, listed in the table. If the spell on a Spell Scroll is BOTH not on your class list AND not of a level you can cast, then the skill check is made with disadvantage. A failed check results in the scroll being consuming its magic with no other effect. Reading a Spell Scroll is an Action. Any risks or penalties the caster would normally take, the user of the scroll takes.
Also, magic item creation formulas are valued to be at least 100% of the price of the magical, however researching a magic item creation formula for a magical item (consumable or not) that you already have a copy of reduces the cost of the formula to 50% of the magical item, otherwise the cost to research a new magical item formula is 100% of the base cost.
Use the below table for Potions and consumable magic items. Either uses the spell level of the spell used by the consumable item or base it on the rarity of the consumed item if there is no equivalent/required spell. Base Cost is the base cost to create, not the market value.
(*) Crafting time assumes 8 Hours per Day are spent crafting.
(**) Crafting/Average Prices do not include the cost of any costly material components and such values must be added to the prices. In general, the market price is 25% higher than the crafting price before fixed price costly components for required spells
Spell Save Attack Casting Craft Crafting Average Market Rarity
Level DC Bonus DC Time* Cost** Price**
Cantrip 13 +5 10 ½ Day 15gp 25gp Common
1st 13 +5 11 1 Days 25gp 50gp Common
2nd 13 +5 12 2 Days 75gp 150gp Uncommon
3rd 15 +7 13 4 Days 125gp 250gp Uncommon
4th 15 +7 14 7 Days 325gp 650gp Rare
5th 17 +9 15 14 Days 625gp 1,250gp Rare
6th 17 +9 16 28 Days 1,575gp 3,150gp Very Rare
7th 18 +10 17 56 Days 3,125gp 6,250gp Very Rare
8th 18 +10 18 112 Days 5,000gp 10,000gp Very Rare
9th 19 +11 19 224 Days 12,500gp 25,000gp Legendary
Upper limit Pricing for 'basic/stock' non-consumable magic items by rarity (And upper limit when combining multiple properties.) (I will be using pricing in Xanathar's Guide to Everything with crafting costs being 87.5% of crafting price in X.G.t.E.)
Common 100gp (And up to 499gp if having multiple properties)
Uncommon 500gp (And up to 2,499gp if having multiple properties)
Rare 2,500gp (And up to 12,499gp if having multiple properties)
Very Rare 12,500gp (And up to 49,999gp if having multiple properties)
Legendary 50,000gp (And anything above this is still Legendary)
Enchanting an item with multiple properties is calculated by adding up the costs independently while Multiplying lower item[s] (sub)cost[s] by 1.5 so it will be a total cost of 2 uncommon items could cost as much as 500+500*1.5=1250 needing 750 as 500gp has already been ‘paid’ to enchant it so far. If this would bump an item into the price range of a higher category, then the rarity of the item shifts to the new category. If any of the ‘sub items’ require attunement then the combined item requires attunement. If multiple items requiring attunement are combined then the cost of the lower items requiring attunement is multiplied by 2 instead of 1.5. Thus two Uncommon items that require attunement would be 500+500*2=1500gp. Note that if an item is comprised of sub-items that require attunement and other sub-items that do not require attunement, when the item is not attuned, the sub-items that do not require attunement still function, but those that require attunement will not.
Generic Custom Items
Bags of Holding, versions identified by 'rarity': (Description for all versions remains the same except the apparent weight of the bag.)
500lb /64 cubic feet limit version weighs 15lbs and is uncommon
1000lb /150 cubic feet limit version weighs 25lbs and is rare
1500lb /325 cubic feet limit version weighs 35lbs and is very rare
2000lb /540 cubic feet limit version weighs 45lbs and is legendary
Adamantine weapons: ‘Nonmagical, but uncommon like Adamantine armor’: These weapons can inflict a critical hit upon people wearing adamantine armor, or otherwise immune to critical hits, although these weapons do not increase the likelihood of inflicting a critical hit. Additionally, the weapon is unbreakable (as per the minor magical property and can harm creatures that are normally resistant or immune to standard non-magical weapons as if it was a +0 magical weapon. Adamantine ammunition is never broken upon use (hit or miss) but can still be lost if the ammunition would otherwise be unrecoverable due to where the ammunition ends up, whether it hits the target or misses it. Adamantine ammunition that is enchanted loses any enchantment placed on it after a successful hit excluding the properties it has due to being Adamantine, just like any other enchanted ammunition. Adamantine Weapons, or a set of ten pieces of adamantine ammunition, cost an extra 500gp over the price of the weapon.
Handy Haversack: Common (Valued at 100gp and are as easy to buy/sell as Potions of Healing in large cities)
Helm of the Awakened Mind: Uncommon, and requires attunement. While attuned to this helm, you can use an action to cast Detect Thoughts (save DC 13) from it. This helmet increases the range of the wearer's Telepathy by 30ft, and if the wearer does not have Telepathy, it grants the wearer the Awakened Mind ability identical to Warlocks with the Great Old One Pack. In order for such an individual to carry on a telepathic conversation with someone, they would need to be concentrating on that individual with the helmet's Detect Thoughts power. (Unlike with a Helmet of Telepathy, neither individual would have to spend bonus actions to send or receive messages.) A Warlock with the Great Old One Pact has his, or her, Awakened Mind ability is augmented into 60ft Telepathy even when the Detect Thoughts power is not being utilized.
As long as you maintain concentration on the spell, you can send a telepathic message to a creature you are focused on within 30ft.
(Lesser & Greater) Quickdraw Belt: This item is a leather belt with four pouches on it weighing one pound that allows its wearer to draw, store, or sheathe an additional item whenever the person would normally be allowed to do so for at least a single item. There are two versions of this item; the lesser version is a common item with four non-magical pouches on the belt that can each hold up to 6 pounds of gear that still encumbers the wearer, and the greater version which has an uncommon rarity, in which those four pouches are enchanted to each be able to hold 20 pounds of gear, or a volume of 2 cubic feet without anything in those pouches encumbering the wearer of the belt. For both versions of the belt, weapons that will fit within the pouches can be stored in these pouches without damaging the pouch. Drawing an item from one of these pouches takes no longer than from a normal pouch.
Quiver of Arrow Recovering: Uncommon rarity wondrous item. Each of the three ammunition compartments of this quiver can hold up to 10 arrows or bolts. However, no matter how many arrows or bolts are put into the quiver it only weighs a single pound. However whenever a quiver or arrow is drawn from this quiver and fired it will be teleported back into the quiver the moment it misses its target without harming the ammunition or losing its magic. If the ammunition hits the target and is not destroyed in the process, then the undamaged ammunition is teleported back once the arrow or bolt is removed from the wound or the target is reduced to zero hit points, whichever comes first. However magic ammunition will still lose is magic and be returned to the quiver as non-magical ammunition after a successful hit, although properties gained from the materials ammunition is made of is not lost. An arrow or bolt removed from this quiver and not fired within a round of doing so will not be teleported back into the compartment it came from in the quiver. When found each of the three compartments in the quiver contains 2d6-2 arrows or bolts depending on what type of ammunition the previous owner used. Note that for Glass Tube Arrows, the shattered glass tube is not teleported back after a successful hit, but the rest of the arrow is but a new glass tube would have to be inserted into the arrow to replace the expended one.
Staffs and Wands While you normally have to be attuned to use a staff or a wand, you do not need to have the spells on your class spell list in order to cast the spells within the staff or wand. Also if a spell within a wand or staff has a normal casting time other than one action, the casting time when used from a wand or staff is the same. Healing word and Shield are two examples of such spells. However, if you do not have the capability of casting at least a single first-level spell, then you must succeed on an Arcana check as if you were using a scroll each time you attempt to use a spell within a staff or wand. On a failed check, the charges are consumed but the spell is not cast. Thief archetype Rogues with the 'Use Magic Device' class features automatically pass these checks.
Class changes:
Barbarian: After each long rest, you gain a number of stamina points equal to half your Constitution modifier rounded up (minimum 1). After a short rest, you can spend a number of stamina points to regain an equal number of spent rages. After gaining Barbarian level 12 after a long rest you gain a number of stamina points equal to your full Constitution modifier (minimum 1). At level 20, after a short or long rest, you can spend a stamina point to remove a level of exhaustion.
Warlock: A warlock will automatically know and be able to cast their patron-specific extended spell list spells since every other class with extended or bonus spells gets them for free.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:47, Mon 06 Feb 2023.
