User:Zhenra-Khal/House Rules

Game Mechanics

Minor Advantage And Disadvantage

Some mechanics, such as illumination and new status effects, mention Minor Advantage or Minor Disadvantage. These are penalties or bonuses for situations in which normal advantage and disadvantage - Henceforth known as Major Advantage and Major Disadvantage - Are ordinarily considered too extreme, but a specific numeric penalty is too specific.

When you make a d20 roll, and you have Minor Advantage on the roll, you roll 1d4 before rolling the d20, and then you add the d4 result to the result of the d20 roll; If you have Minor Advantage on a skill check, your passive score for that skill is increased by +2. Effects that already grant Minor Advantage within the 5e game include spells like Guidance and Bless.

Likewise, when making a d20 roll with Minor Disadvantage, you roll 1d4 before rolling the d20, this time subtracting the d4 result from the d20 roll. Minor Disadvantage on a skill also imposes a -2 penalty on the skill's passive score. An effect in the base game that already imposes Minor Disadvantage would be the Bane spell.

Minor and Major Advantage and Disadvantage interact in the following ways.

• If you have Minor Advantage and Minor Disadvantage on a roll, the roll is made as a normal d20 roll, as the two cancel each other out.
• If you have Minor Disadvantage and Major Advantage on a roll, you instead make the roll with Minor Advantage, as the Minor Disadvantage isn't strong enough to cancel out the Major Advantage completely.
• Likewise, if you have Minor Advantage and Major Disadvantage on a roll, you instead make the roll with Minor Disadvantage, as the Minor Advantage isn't strong enough to cancel out the Major Disadvantage completely.

Resting

Breather

I use the Breather rest variant rule.

As a run-down, a Breathe is a short 5-minute rest, at the end of which a creature can expend a single Hit Die to regain hit points. Once a creature benefits from a Breather, they cannot do so again until they take a Short, Long or Full Rest.

Gritty Rests

Each individual creature can benefit from 2 Short Rests per Long Rest, and can still only benefit from one Long Rest in any 24hr period.

In order to benefit from expending more than one Hit Dice, a creature must expend a use of a Healer's Kit on you, or make a DC 13 Medicine check or Herbalism Kit check; If they succeed, you may expend up to two Hit Dice. For every three points that their check exceeds this DC, you may expend one additional Hit Dice, up to the limit allowed by the type of rest you're taking; Thus, if someone used their Medicine skill to help you out during a rest and rolled a total of 19, then you could expend up to four Hit Dice for that rest, provided the type of rest you're taking allows you to expend that many, and that you have the Hit Dice to spend. If this Medicine or Herbalism check is a natural 20, then you may roll 1d4 - You can expend that number of additional Hit Dice, and these additional Hit Dice are not limited by the type of rest you're taking.

Short Rests

Short Rests are still 1hr long. At the beginning of the Short Rest, you may expend your Hit Dice.

When you expend Hit Dice to regain hit points during a Short Rest, you can only expend a number of Hit Dice per rest equal to or less than half your Proficiency Bonus, rounded down. This is one Hit Dice from levels 1-8, two hit Dice from levels 9-16, and three Hit Dice at level 17+. At the end of a Short Rest, you regain one expended Hit Die.

At the end of the Short Rest, creatures regain all of their Short Rest cooldowns, and then regain one expended Hit Die.

Long Rests

Long Rests are divided into two 4hr blocks - During one block, a creature must sleep, eat, drink, or tend to wounds (Called the Recovery Block), and during the other block (Called the Watch Block), the character may stand watch, talk, read, or perform other light activity. Each creature chooses which of the two blocks will be their Recovery Block and which will be their Watch Block, but regardless of the order of the types of blocks, the following effects are the same.

At the end of the first block, creatures regain all of their Short Rest cooldowns, and may expend their Hit Dice. When you take a Long Rest, you do not regain expended hit points - In order to regain hit points, you must expend Hit Dice. When you do so, you may expend a number of Hit Dice up to your Proficiency Bonus, before regaining lost Hit Dice.

At the end of the second block, creatures regain their Long Rest cooldowns, and regain expended Hit Dice equal to half of their maximum Hit Dice.

Creatures that only need 4hrs of rest - Such as Elves and Reborn - Can perform light activity within their Recovery Block, and have no limitation on the types of activity they can perform during their Watch Block.

Full Rest

Full Rests are longer rests that can only occur within a safe, comfortable location, such as a city, where characters can freely recover without limited time, resources or medical attention, and without worry about danger. This type of rest is mostly roleplay, with few mechanical restrictions, as it is intended to be taken in a location and situation where there are very few to no risks.

Full rests take a full 24hrs, during which characters may perform non-strenuous activities or light activity. At the end of the Full Rest, a creature regains lost hit points equal to half of their maximum hit points, may expend remaining Hit Dice to recover more hit points, and subsequently recovers all of their expended Hit Dice. Additionally, once a character has finished a Full Rest, they regain all of their Short Rest and Long Rest cooldowns.

Health, Life, and Death

Injury Levels

Some abilities and effects change based on how many hit points the target or user is missing. This is measured in the creature's Injury level. There are four Injury Levels, defined as follows. Maximum Hit Points for the purposes of determining Injury Level are not affected by reductions to your maximum hit points.

Uninjured

A creature is Uninjured when it's current hit points are equal to its maximum hit points.

Bloodied

A creature is Bloodied when it's current hit points are less than its hit point maximum. Bloodied replaces Uninjured.

Wounded

A creature is Wounded when it's current hit points are equal to or less than one-half of it maximum hit points. Wounded replaces Bloodied.

Critical

A creature is Critical when it's current hit points are equal to or less than its number of Hit Dice, plus it's Constitution modifier. Critical replaces Wounded.

Lingering Injuries

Some attacks are especially devastating, resulting in Lingering Injuries. This is not the same as the variant rule of the same name on this site, but rather my own rule.

Several attacks can inflict injuries. These are:

• Damage dealt by a Critical Hit;
• Damage that places you under the Wounded or Critical Injury Level (An individual creature cannot wound you in this way more than once per Injury Level per combat);
• Damage that reduces you to 0hp;
• Damage dealt to you while below 0hp.

When an instance of damage has the potential to inflict a lingering injury, you must roll 1d20 and add your Proficiency bonus; This is called an Injury Saving throw, and no ability modifier is added to the save (However, other bonuses, as well as advantage and disadvantage, still apply. The DC for this is 10, + twice the Proficiency Bonus of the creature that caused the injury. If an instance of damage does not originate from a creature, the DC for the corresponding should be an opposed d20 roll made by the DM, using the exact some bonuses and advantage/disadvantage as the roll made by the player.

If your Injury Saving Throw is successful, you do not suffer a Lingering Injury. If your Injury Save fails, you must roll a d10, and consult the table below in order to determine the severity of that wound. You suffer consequences based on the severity of the wound, and the type of damage that inflicted it, as shown below.

Dd10 Result	Injury Severity
7-10	Superficial
4-6	Minor
2-3	Moderate
1	Major

Superficial Injuries

Superficial injuries typically don't have much of a mechanical impact - They are purely roleplay-oriented, be they scars, trauma, or other mechanically-negligible negative impacts.

Minor Injuries

Minor Injuries reduce your maximum hit points by an amount equal to the amount of damage dealt until you finish a Long Rest or a Greater Restoration spell is cast on them, in addition to the effects of a Superficial Injury.

Moderate Injuries

In addition to reducing your maximum hit points and leaving a scar as a Superficial and Minor Injury would, you suffer an additional effect, based on the type of damage that caused the injury, until you finish a Long Rest or have the Greater Restoration spell is cast on you.

Acid

The target and their equipment suffer debilitating caustic burns; The target is Exposed.

Bludgeoning

One or more of the target's bones are broken. They are Battered.

Cold

The target suffers frostbite. They experience Torpor.

Fire

The target suffers painful burns; They suffer Agony, as if Fire damage was the triggering damage type.

Force

The target's physical being is out of phase, jittering in place as they are disconnected from reality. The target is Phased.

Lightning

The target's nerves are damaged and slow to react. The creature is Shocked.

Necrotic

The target's flesh withers. They are Decayed.

Piercing

The target suffers from internal bleeding. They are Perforated.

Poison

The target is Sickened as their body reels from the toxins.

Psychic

The target's mind is scrambled, making it difficult to think straight or understand what is going on. The target is Disoriented.

Radiant

The target's sight is blurred with halos and glare. They are Dazzled.

Slashing

The target suffers a wound that hits an artery. They begin Bleeding.

Thunder

The target's hearing is damaged, causing them to suffer Tinnitus.

Major Injuries

In addition to leaving a minor roleplay impact, reducing your maximum hit points, and inflicting a temporary effect based on the damage type, a Major Injury inflicts a severe effect upon the target based on the type of damage that inflicted the injury. Unlike the lesser grades of injury, Major Injuries have the potential to leave a permanent negative impact on your character; Each time you finish a Long Rest after suffering a Major injury, make a Constitution saving throw against the Injury Save DC of that injury, and record how many successes and how many failures are rolled; Much like death saving throws, successes and failure need not be successive, and an outcome is only determined once three of a kind have been rolled.

After three successes, the effects of the injury fade and are removed completely. After three failures, however, the detriments associated with the corresponding Moderate Injury become permanent (Thus, failing three Injury Saves against a Major Radiant injury leaves you permanently Dazzled). A Major Injury can be remedied by a Regeneration spell cast on you.

Lightning

The target suffers disadvantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws.

Poison

The target is Poisoned

Radiant

The target is Blinded.

Thunder

The target is Deafened. Before the injury is removed or becomes permanent, the target also suffers disadvantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws.

Combat

Conditions

The following new conditions are added.

Hit Dice Erosion

Some effects may cause you to "lose" a specified number of Hit Dice. When a Hit Dice is Eroded, it cannot be expended. At the end of a Long or Full Rest, when a creature regains expended Hit Dice, any Eroded Hit Dice they may have are returned to them and once more available to expend.

Decay

Decay results from foul magic or necrosis, withering flesh. While Decayed, when a creature regains hit points from a source other than resting, the amount of hit points regained are reduced by half.

Enervation

Like Decay, Enervation results from necrotic effects. While Enervated, a creature cannot regain hit points from any source other than resting.

Exposed

Exposure typically results from effects that negatively impact armor, skin, and reaction time, such as acidic attacks. While Exposed, a creature's AC is reduced by 2.

Shocked

Shock results from effects that damage nerves and muscles, typically electrical attacks. While Shocked, a creature suffers Minor Disadvantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws, and when they attempt to take a Reaction, they must make a Dexterity saving throw. If no other save DC is specified, the DC for this saving throw is equal to 12 + the Shocked creature's Proficiency bonus. On a failed save, the Reaction is wasted without effect.

Agony

Agony results from especially painful effects, and those that increase a target's sensitivity to pain. While Agonized, a creature suffers intense pain; Each time they take damage, this damage is increased by 1d4, or by 1d8 if the damage in question is of the same type as the effect that inflicted this condition upon them.

Torpor

Torpor results from effects that slow and fatigue muscles, such as extreme cold. While suffering from Torpor, a creature's movement speeds are reduced by 10ft, to a minimum of 5ft.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a sensory illusion in the form of a constant distracting sound, typically resulting from hearing loss due to an abrupt loud sound. While suffering from Tinnitus, a creature suffers Minor Disadvantage on ability checks that rely on hearing, on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws, and on Constitution saving throws made to cast or concentrate on spells.

Sickened

Sickness is a general unease of the body, typically resulting from bacteria, disease, toxins or simply an upset stomach. A Sickened creature suffers Minor Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Disoriented

Disorientation results from effects that scramble the mind, making it difficult to think straight. While Disoriented, a creature suffers Minor Disadvantage on Intelligence and Wisdom ability checks, and on Constitution saving throws made to cast or concentrate on spells.

Dazzled

Dazzling results from attacks the hinder visual perception, used to represent visual impairment short of actual blindness. A Dazzled creature suffers Minor Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks that rely on sight, and attack rolls made against them gain Minor Advantage.

Bleeding

A Bleeding creature suffers from loss of blood that can be worsened by adrenaline and movement. Any time a Bleeding creature moves more than half their speed in a turn, or takes an Action or Reaction, they must make a Constitution saving throw. If no other save DC is specified, the DC for this saving throw is equal to 12 + the Bleeding creature's Proficiency bonus. On a failure, one of their Hit Dice is Eroded; If they have no remaining Hit Dice that are not Eroded, they instead take 1d4 points of Slashing damage.

Battered

Battering represents severe bruises, broken bones, and other blunt force trauma injuries that can be made worse by moving. A Battered creature suffers Minor Disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity ability checks. Any time a Battered creature moves more than half their speed in a turn, or takes an Action or Reaction, they must make a Constitution saving throw. If no other save DC is specified, the DC for this saving throw is equal to 12 + the Bleeding creature's Proficiency bonus. On a failure, they take 1d4 points of Bludgeoning damage.

Perforated

Perforation represents deep wounds and internal bleeding that can be aggravated by physical strain. Any time a Perforated creature moves more than half their speed in a turn, or takes an Action or Reaction, they must make a Constitution saving throw. If no other save DC is specified, the DC for this saving throw is equal to 12 + the Perforated creature's Proficiency bonus. On a failure, they take 1d4 points of Slashing damage, and their Maximum Hit Points are reduced by an equal amount.

Phased

Phasing results from particularly devastating teleportation failures or force-type attacks that banish or move a creature, causing all of their movement to overshoot or angle in an unexpected way. While Phased, a creature suffers Minor Disadvantage on saving throws against effects that would knock them prone or move them against their will, and when an effect moves them against their will, the distance they are moved is increased by 10ft.

Environment

Illumination

The normal light rules (Bright, dim, darkness) in 5e don't make a lot of sense. Instead, I have a different system, making use of Illumination Levels (IL).

Each effect that sheds light creates a specific Illumination Level within a specified area; In ordinary 5e, a Torch sheds Bright light in a 20ft radius, and Dim light for 20ft beyond that. However, in this system, illumination has seven levels, and each creature's sight is typically adapted to one level of light.

Illumination Levels

The seven illumination levels are as follows.

Illumination Level 1 - Darkness: At IL1, it is pitch black, with only tiny faint bits of light, such as the stars.

Illumination Level 2 - Shadow: At IL2, there is very little light, such as the light of a full moon or the embers of a fire.

Illumination Level 3 - Dim Light: Dim light represents light that is darker than full illumination, but still palatable, such as a room lit only by a campfire or torch, or the sun poking over the horizon at dusk or dawn.

Illumination Level 4 - Normal Light: Normal light is that of an ordinary sunny day, a room illuminated by daylight coming through windows, and the like.

Illumination Level 5 - Bright Light: Bright Light is that of a very sunny day or the area of an open flame - A little bright for the human eye, but still tolerable.

Illumination Level 6 - Glare: Glare represents some of the brightest natural light, such as sunlight reflecting off of a wide area of snow or sand.

Illumination Level 7 - Brilliance: Brilliance is incredibly bright light, such as a celestial's light, staring directly into a bullseye lantern, or gazing at the sun.

Darkvision and Brightvision

With this variant rule, Darkvision works a little bit differently, and a counterpart, Brightvision, is also added.

Darkvision has a rating of 1, 2, or 3, indicating a creature whose sight is specifically adapted for Dim Light, Shadow, or Darkness, respectively. Because your eyes are better adjusted for seeing in the dark, your eyes struggle when it comes to seeing in bright conditions.

Brightvision also has a rating of 1, 2 or 3, indicating a creature whose sight is specifically adapted for Bright Light, Glare or Brilliance, respectively. Because your eyes are better adjusted for seeing in bright light, your eyes struggle when it comes to seeing in dark conditions.

A creature with both Darkvision and Brightvision gains both benefits, and fewer detriments, as their eyes are designed to see in a wider variety of light conditions, while not gaining the extreme benefits of specializing in one or the other. A creature with both types of vision sees normally in Normal Light, Dim Light, and Bright Light. Other light levels vary based on the levels of their Darkvision and Brightvision.

• If their Darkvision rating is 2, they may also see in Shadow as if it were Dim Light.
• If their Darkvision rating is 3, they may further see in Darkness as if it were Shadow.
• If their Brightvision rating is 2, they may also see in Glare as if it were Bright Light.
• If their Brightvision rating is 3, they may also see in Brilliant Light as if it were Glare.

For convenience, a set of tables has been provided for quick reference.