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Roleplaying vs Rollplaying
Rolling is for when things aren’t obvious or certain.
I am purposefully vague and inconsistent with information. Inquiry is encouraged. This is for plausible deniability.
I will not hesitate to be deadly, but deadly encounters will be forewarned and will not be random.
The world waits for no one. Time has a cost of random encounter rolls and better prepared enemies.
Everything I allow you to do, I allow monsters to do to. Think twice before asking for exceptions.
Simple Camping: A one sheet tool that lets everyone take a role in camping.
Each player gets to contribute to camping each night, with meaningful choices that impact your daytoday.
Weather, terrain, and magic can give bonuses or penalties to comfort. Comfort determines how well you can rest and relax.
A basic tool for giving some meaningful choices when it comes to traveling. It also makes your equipment have some impact on
your ability to travel quickly and cover long distances.
Learn by Looting: A program for underprivileged adventurers.
Rewards are set by the designed difficulty of the encounter, no matter how well or poorly you r espond.
Murder Defeating or disposing of foes, by any means.
Mayhem Completing quests, committing intrigue, and upsetting the order of things.
Merriment You can carouse if you start a session in town. Spend [10sp * # of d6’s * r esult]. Players each
gain that much EXP. Criminals can add/remove one die. 1d6 per town size. Hamlet ( 10), Village(50), Small
Town(100), Town(500), Large Town(1K), Small City ( 5K), City(10K), Large City ( 50K), Metropolis ( 100K),
etc. Save vs. poison: DC10 + # of d6’s, if >⅓ of the party fails, there is a mishap.
Mapping Exploration, delving, and uncovering secrets hidden deeply and far away.
The Nixon Rule: Off the Gold Standard Use the whole
range of coins and make NPC’s richer.
Shift costs down one coin. Stuff that used to cost copper pieces, now costs tenths of copper
pieces. Wages and lifestyle costs stay the same.
Since 5e has no listed wealth, I aim to average out about ½ your EXP total in general loot. I
hide extra loot in secret, tedious, or difficult to reach places.
Appraisal: Stuff sells for ½ its list price. Appraise checks can help you hide a flaw in
something you want to sell (or find someone who isn’t bothered by the flaw) or can help you
find a flaw in something you want to buy, but a flaw you don’t mind. D C 15+”SP Total” price
category . EX: A 300sp crystal would sell of 150sp and fit into level ‘2’ for a DC of 17. Buying
a 13,000 sp bow would fit into level ‘8’ for a DC of 23.
Success nets you a 5% bonus on a sale or a 5% reduction in purchase cost, plus 5% more if you beat the DC by 10 or more.
Failure on this appraise check means you play up the flaw too much or to the seller, and lose 10% of the sale price or it costs 10%
more to buy because you mistakenly point out a feature instead of a flaw. If you fail the DC by 5 or more, those percentages
increase to 20%. It will take 1 day in order to attempt to find another buyer or seller in the same hex for this item.
Example flaws: A trivial curse, garish coloring, tacky design, needs a good cleaning, hard to notice chipping, etc.
Minions:
Unskilled hirelings can aid you in combat when within reach. They give either +1 AC or +1 damage (choose at the start of
combat). They die from any hit and each one gives you a 1 penalty to stealth while exploring. Lantern bearers, porters, trained
dogs, etc. 2sp per day each not including food.
Skilled hirelings cost much more and follow orders independently. 2gp per day per HD 2 not including food.
Morale: minions make morale checks when an adventurer or hireling dies, when they would get a Stress point, when given
dangerous orders, or when a fearsome foe appears. 2d6, subtracting their employers CHA modifier and adding other modifiers like
their treatment, recent hireling deaths, etc. Rolling above their morale value causes them to flee, cower, betray, or rebel. Even if
you catch them later, their morale will be one point lower. Minions that follow through with dangerous orders and have nothing bad
happen to them increase their morale by one point.
Natural 1’s:
Fumbles in melee combat give a free attack of opportunity to enemies in reach. Fumbled ranged attacks risk hitting an enemy in
your cone of fire.
Fumbled skill checks cause catostrophic failure beyond what regular failure would. Fumbled saves make things much worse.
5E D&D House Rules V3 Creative Commons Share Alike
By Alex Welk a
narchydice.com
Better Battle Tactics A simple, flexible, combat option.
You want to attempt a tactical maneuver along with your attack, so roll your attack twice. B oth hit: the tactic works and you hit.
One hits: Either miss entirely or hit, the tactic works, then pick a downside. Neither hits: miss and DM picks a downside.
Attacks based on saving throws instead require the target to save twice: Neither save, One save, or Both save , respectively.
If needed, DC = 5+attack bonus . DM may require a skill check for some tactics. Failure means the tactic doesn’t work.
Examples: Flinging sand to blind, forcing opponent to save or be blinded until they wipe their eyes. Knocking them into a nearby
pedestal to topple it requires a strength check. Jumping on a chandelier and swinging to launch into an attack requires an
acrobatics skill check. Going full Inigo Montoya to intimidate your opponent forces the opponent(s) to make a moral check.
Downsides:
MY PETARD! I AM HOISTED BY IT! The penalty happens to you (unless you make the save).
IT WAS AN ACCIDENT I SWEAR. The penalty happens to an ally within reach (unless they make the save).
WIDE OPEN. One of the targets gets a free attack on you.
LIVE DANGEROUSLY. Take damage equal to your attack bonus.
KARMA. DM gets one d20 they can give back to you before you roll to give you disadvantage on that roll.
PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT. Gain a point of Stress.
Death and Dismemberment
When you drop to 0 hp, you have hit your defensive limit, and attacks will cause you lasting harm or death. At the beginning of
each of your turns, roll a death saving throw as normal, a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. At the beginning of the first turn after
you drop to 0 hp, roll on the injury table then gain 1 temporary hp. On making a successful death saving throw, the temporary hp
becomes a normal hit point. Roll 1d8. You gain that injury and it lasts until the listed number of days passes. Add +1 per injury you
already have. Roll a d4 for body location if applicable.
Arms/Legs 12 Torso 3 Head 4 Fire/Acid/Magic Fall NonLethal Level
12 Disarmed/Prone Dazed 1 r Stunned 1 r Itchy Prone No injury 0th
36 Disabled 1 d Gored 1 d Concussed 1 d Burned 1d Disabled 1 d Dazed 1 r 1st
79 Disabled 2d6 d Gored 2d6 d Concussed 2d6 d Burned 2d6 d Disabled 2d6 d KO’d 1d6 r 2nd
1011 Disabled 2d6 w Gored 2d6 w Concussed 2d6 w KO’d Burned 2d6 w Disabled 2d6 w KO’d 2d6 r 3rd
1d6 r
12 Disabled p or 2d6 w Gored p or 2d6 w Concussed p or 2d6 w Blinded 1 d+ Disabled p or KO’d 1d6 m 4th
Dying KO’d 1d6 m burned 2d6 w 2d6 w
13 Amputated. Dying Crushed Dying Cracked Dying Blinded Burned p Disabled 2d6 w. KO’d 2 d6 m 5th
or 2d6 w Dying
14 Instantly Dead. Describe your death regardless of hit location and give your last words. KO’d 1d4 h 6th
Modified from Goblin Punch
P : Permanent unless a Constitution save, DC 18, is made.
Disabled : You cannot use that limb and drop whatever it was holding. A disabled limb halves its related movement speed.
Burned : 1 maximum hp per HD. Add 1 ongoing damage of the same type as the attack until a death saving throw succeeds.
Gored : Dazed 1 round. 1 maximum hp per HD.
Dazed : Attacks and checks at disadvantage.
Concussed : Stunned 1 round. Spell saves at disadvantage. Initiative halved. 1in6 chance of spell failure.
Cracked : Concussed 2d6 w. Save or lose 1 INT, W IS, or CHA. 50% chance of 2d6 w coma with a 10%/day chance to wake up.
Dying : Roll your death saving throws at disadvantage. It only takes two death saving throw failures for you to perish.
Crushed : Gored 2d6 w. Save or lose 1 STR, DEX, or CHA. 50% chance of 2d6 w paralysis with a 10%/day chance to recover.
Amputated: Permanent loss of the limb.
Overkill: Damage taken beyond 0 hp is totaled up to be added to the next injury roll; divide overkill damage by [CON modifier +
HD], round up, and add it to your injury roll. EX: A 3 hp wizard takes 21 damage, she has +1 CON and 3 HD. [21 dmg3 hp = 18
dmg/(1+3) = 4.5 rounded up to 5] That wizard will roll her next injury roll with a +5, enough to maybe cut off a limb...
Passing Out: You can choose to pass out before rolling an injury to roll the injury with advantage. Alternatively, you can pass out
after rolling an injury to delay the injury until the end of your next turn. You remain unconscious for 1 minute. Each round you are
not dying you can attempt to regain consciousness with a 1 in 20 chance. Rolling a ‘20’ on a death saving throw also restores
consciousness.
Ongoing Damage: W hile dying, ongoing damage that totals to less than or equal to your CON modifier instead acts as a penalty
to death saving throws, and ends when you succeed on a death saving throw. Larger ongoing damage will inflict injuries.
Magical Healing: Each point of magical healing counts as 1 day of recovery for injuries of its level or lower.
5E D&D House Rules V3 Creative Commons Share Alike
By Alex Welk a
narchydice.com
Stress You’ve been wearing your resources and your sanity a bit thin.
Gain Stress when your equipment is majorly damaged, your sanity pushed, an ally dies, you deal with the terrors of the
unknown, push through hostile environments, work against your alignment, or dabble in the horrifying. Make a mental save
(Intelligence, W isdom, or Charisma) when you gain a point of Stress , this choice defines how you cope and how you may lose
part of your sanity. If the result is less than or equal to your number of stress points, you go temporarily insane.
Intelligent creatures try to rationalize and plan around their problems, but their failures result in paranoia and obsessions.
Wise c reatures fall back on instinct, philosophy, and meditation but their madness becomes depression and phobias.
Charismatic creatures use force of will, personality, and social bonds but too much and they turn manic and gain delusions.
Breakdown: Immediately after failing a Stress save, you have a breakdown that lasts until you are free from the cause
of the stress for a full minute. During this time, you are frightened by the source of the Stress. Any natural ‘1’s rolled during the
breakdown result in you breaking or losing whatever item you were using. W hen your breakdown ends, make a new mental saving
throw then halve your Stress points, rounding up to the nearest whole number. If you fail that save, you gain a permanent
madness relating to your mental save used and the trigger for the stress.
Calm Down: Stress decreases through some spells or actions but mostly by spending time in civilized towns, taverns,
or homes. Your lifestyle expenses play a big part. A squalid lifestyle removes one Stress each month (30 days), although the days
need not be consecutive. Each tier higher divides the amount of time: poor (15 days), modest (10 days), comfortable (8 days),
wealthy (6 days), aristocratic (5 days). Comparable conditions while traveling or camping count as half days.
Fight or Flight: Each point of Stress helps hone your instincts and can be used once each day to do one of the following:
Hyperfocused: Add a +1 to a single d20 roll before rolling.
Wild Magic: As a reaction, cast a random known cantrip targeting you or your attacker. [Requires at least one cantrip].
Flighty: Add 5 ft of movement speed to your withdraw action.
Withdrawn: Ignore this Stress point for one Stress save.
Twitchy: Regain your reaction.
5E D&D House Rules V3 Creative Commons Share Alike
By Alex Welk a
narchydice.com