D&D 5e Homebrew Rulings

## Game Rules

#### Initiative ties

If two players are tied for initiative, the one with the higher Dexterity modifier goes first. If Dexterity modifiers are also tied, the players either agree on who goes first or roll again between the two of them.

#### Delaying turns

Similar to previous editions of D&D, we allow you to remove yourself from the initiative order at the beginning of your turn before you take any actions and reinsert yourself into the order at the end of any other creature’s turn. Effects that take place at the end of your turn (concentration, spells, status effects) still occur when your turn would have taken place. You cannot delay your turn past initiative order 0.

#### Talking during combat

The rule of cool applies here - if a player decides to use their turn to speak with an ally/enemy, they can have a short conversation. Brief communication is also allowed as a free action, even if the sentence would take longer than 6 seconds.

#### Critical hits

A critical hit will result in double damage dice rolled for the attack, as described in the vanilla rulebook. After the dice are rolled, however, you may choose ANY ONE of the die and change the number rolled to that die's maximum number.

#### Donning/doffing armor

During combat, a shield can be donned/doffed as a bonus action instead of the usual full action required. Other donning/doffing rules still apply.

#### Curses.

Curses in this world are rare and powerful. There are two types of curses: lesser curses and greater curses.

Lesser curses can be dispelled in the usual manner, such as with the Remove Curse or Greater Restoration spells. Greater curses, however, require more work to get rid of, such as performing a specific ritual or casting a more powerful spell.

It is possible to find individuals with great knowledge about these curses who can help you identify the task or spell that will remove the curse. Such individuals may be Divinators, powerful shamans, extremely knowledgeable clerics, etc.

#### Prices

Shops are usually managed by the DMs. Players are also allowed to buy and sell items amongst themselves, although gifting items and gold between your own characters for no reason is highly discouraged. Prices will usually be listed on the shop in the #guild-resources-document. Not all items can be found easily in the world, even if they are listed in official source books, and their rarity and price may differ from that listed in source books.

#### Exhaustion

We play with a homebrew system that divides exhaustion into physical and mental stress. Its mechanics can be found here. TLDR: Physical exhaustion affects physical ability scores, and mental stress affects mental ability scores. Exhaustion can be cured with bedrest and healing, and stress can be cured through roleplay and relaxation. The DM may choose to use normal exhaustion rules instead if they wish.

#### Falling damage

Falling damage is 1d6 per 10 feet fallen, and does not have a cap - damage will scale indefinitely. Falling damage ignores resistances (unless specified as resistance to falling damage) and, based on DM discretion, immunities to bludgeoning damage. This includes a Barbarian’s rage.

#### Short Rests

The first short rest of the adventuring day takes 15 minutes. All subsequent short rests take an hour until the next long rest occurs.

## Class Changes

#### Changes to the Barbarian Class

##### Optional Feature: Violent Quake

9th level Barbarians can replace Brutal Critical with a new ability called Violent Quake. While raging, you strike the ground as an action, creating a burst of primal fury that ripples outward from you. Each creature within 20 feet of you must succeed on a Strength saving throw or take 8d6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The saving throw's DC is calculated as 8 + your proficiency bonus + your strength or dexterity modifier (your choice). A creature that succeeds on its saving throw takes half as much damage and isn’t knocked prone. Solid ground within the radius of the ability becomes difficult terrain for all creatures except for you until the end of your next turn. You can use this feature once between long rests. You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.

#### Changes to the Fighter Class

##### Optional Feature: Furious Flourish

9th level Fighters can replace Indomitable with a new ability called Furious Flourish. As an action, you choose up to a number of creatures equal to your Proficiency Bonus that you can see within 30 feet. You then make a weapon attack against each target with your weapon. You may choose to move immediately to an unoccupied space you can see within 5 feet of one of the targets you hit or missed. Movement taken as a part of this ability does not provoke opportunity attacks and ignores terrain as if you were teleporting to that location. You can use this feature once between long rests. You can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.

#### Changes to the Ranger Class

Rangers begin with 4 known spells instead of 2 when they gain spellcasting at 2nd level, and learn a new spell every level rather than every other level after that. This effectively gives rangers double the options for spellcasting, allowing you to choose spells beyond the absolute essentials to make the class function. Slots per level is unchanged.

#### Changes to the Sorcerer Class

Sorcerer subclasses which do not give additional spells known, like the Psionic Spells feature from the Aberrant Mind subclass or Clockwork Magic feature from the Clockwork Soul subclass, gain additional spells. You can find more details on that here.

#### Changes to the Warlock Class

The Eldritch Invocations “Repelling Blast“ and “Grasp of Hadar”, along with similar spells and abilities that force movement, do not apply to Huge creatures or larger, or things the DM deems too heavy to move despite a smaller size classification.

The following Eldritch Invocations may be used once per long rest without expending a warlock spell slot:

* Bewitching Whispers (compulsion)
* Dreadful Word (confusion)
* Minions of Chaos (conjure elemental)
* Mire Mind (slow)
* Sculptor of Flesh (polymorph)
* Sign of Ill Omen (bestow curse)
* Thief of Five Fates (bane)

## Feats

The following feats and abilities have had changes made to them:

* The “Lucky” feat is banned from use (Halfling luck is still allowed).
* The “Sentinel” feat has been significantly altered.
	+ The aspect of the “Sentinel” feat that reduces the target’s speed to 0 now forces an Acrobatics or Athletics check on the part of the target, against a DC that is 8 + your Proficiency bonus + the ability score modifier used in the attack. On a success, the creature’s speed is not reduced.
	+ The aspect of the “Sentinel” feat that reduces the target’s speed to 0 after a successful opportunity attack can only be used against enemies that are no more than one size larger than you.

## New Character Options

### Homebrew Classes

The following homebrew classes are approved for use:

* This rework of the ranger class
* The Spellblade class: an arcane half-caster who studies both spells and swords!
* The Beastbonded class: a class for those who wish to either command a powerful monster to fight for them or to turn into one!
	+ A summary of beastbonded mutations can be found here

### Homebrew Feats

##### Provoking Stance

At the beginning of your turn, you may choose to enter a defensive stance intended to draw the aggression of an enemy. This stance lasts for one minute and can be ended early as a free action. While in this stance, when you hit a creature with a melee attack on your turn, you may choose to mark them as the focus of your martial interference until the beginning of your next turn. That marked creature has disadvantage on any attack roll that isn't against you, and when the target hits a creature other than you with an attack, that creature has resistance to the damage dealt by the target’s attack. You may only have one creature marked in this way at a time. Once you have entered this stance you must take a short or long rest before you can use it again.