Homebrew Rules

The Commonborne setting as a whole relies on a set of small "Homebrew" rules adjustments. These are designed with fun and adventure creation in mind, so if you're looking to DM, consider how best to use them for your games.

The Commonborne setting, and much of the homebrew rules, are designed with a simple philosophy;

*"It's more fun to* **have** *the adventure."*

We're here for an epic, swords and sorcery adventure with ludicrous odds, challenges, and rewards. The homebrew rules are constructed with this in mind. All D&D rules are fun problem solving tools, but when they solve the adventure before it begins with a single spell it's boring for everybody. It's better to have to cross a river on the back of a water-dinosaur, taming and befriending it, then simply boop over with a single spell slot.

## Dungeons and Dragons Multiverse

While Commonborne uses the D20 system and the Dungeons and Dragons rulebooks, it does not take place in the D&D Multiverse that Forgotten Realms and other games do. It has it's own cosmology, makeup, and ways of handling deities and other supernatural forces that are unique to it. Consider it as like a Total Conversion mod for a video game- it uses the same engine, but it's lore and setting are different.

If you wish to port something over from the *Forgotten Realms* or another D&D setting as part of your backstory, consult your DM as to how best to do so.

## Character Creation

There are several changes to how Character Creation works. This section is a must read for players when they create a new character, so please pay close attention.

### Races

Although every race from D&D is allowed (With DM permission), the history of those races and their interactions with others have some subtle differences. The handbooks are written with the *Forgotten Realms* setting primarily in mind, whereas Commonborne is it's own setting.

Commonborne takes the *Forgotten Realms* base versions of races as inspiration, but expands a great deal on the cultures and histories of those races for this unique setting.

### Starter Gold

If you start with a Pack (Such as the Adventurer's Pack), the money that comes with it is converted 1-to-1 into Coin. So 10 Gold becomes 10 Coin.

### Alignment

Your character "Alignment", rather than being a moral compass, is closer to how the world and the gods perceive you. When you create a character, consider how the people who know (or knew) them think of them- do they see them as just another person, as a force of good, or as someone cruel and evil?

When you seek a favour from the gods, your alignment will be compared to theirs. If your alignment is too different from theirs, they may refuse or even curse you as they see appropriate. Your alignment will change based on your actions- it's less your character's personal alignhment and more how the world views them.

### Commonborne Feat

The Commonborne Feat is a roleplaying feat that you add to your character, for free, at character creation. This feat adds minor choices to your character, such as where they were born or a noteworthy part of their personality, as well as the benefits (and possible drawbacks) that has. Think of it as a Feat that dictates your character's life to this point.

This feat is available on DnD Beyond.

## Money and Items

*For more information, see the page on Standard Coin and Goods and Trade*

Almost all things related to Money have been rebalanced (Or *actually* balanced) to make sense for the economy of Commonborne.

Instead of the prior system of Gold, Silver, and Copper, there is instead just the one type of Standard Coin, often called a Gold for short. Different denominations exist, but they are not tracked separately. It is up to the player to decide if the 10 Coin they are carrying is one Ten piece, two Five pieces, or ten One pieces.

Use the Gold section to keep track of your Coin.

## Conditions

Commonborne has several Conditions which are unique to it's setting, due to the harsh realities of it's world. It also has

### Drunk

When you are Drunk, you have Disadvantage and Advantage on ability checks and saves. Please see the page for more information.

## Magic

Certain spells have specific changes to their functions, these are noted below.

### Teleportation (All)

For the purpose of obstacles, teleportation magic is a direct line "As the crow flies" from Departure to Destination.

Teleportation is impossible over water or similar substances that have a depth greater than two meters or six feet. Long distance teleportation magic cannot be used if the caster is waist deep in water or a similar substance.

### Counterspell

Counterspell can be cast on a counterspell, however to do so the second Counterspeller must succeed on a Sleight Of Hand check with a DC equal to the level of the first Counterspeller, and a third must pass to the second. This continues ad infinitum.

### Multispell

Multiple spells, even ones that use a Spell Level, can be cast during the same turn. However, this can only be possible with feats, enchanted items, or other difficult-to-acquire rewards. The second spell cast cannot be a higher level than the first, and saves against the effects of both are rolled with Advantage unless there is reason for there not to be.

### Warding

Spell Wards can be cast semi-permanently on locations. Areas such as National Borders are frequently warded such that it is impossible to teleport within from outside, or use magic to fly over them. Border Gates are set up which have a physical opening to allow sky traffic, such as airships, to fly into and out of these wards. For more information, please check the Border Gate article.

### Restoration (Lesser/Greater)

Certain sicknesses cannot be cured through Restoration magic alone, these can be diseases or poisons. Although they are usually rare, it is still possible to come across one over the course of an adventure.

1. Some rare diseases cannot be cured by Restoration. Much like antibiotic-resistant strains of sickness. Curing these diseases will require you to make a potion dedicated to it's curing. Or purchasing one. Or convincing someone to give you one.
2. Using Restoration on these diseases will instead delay the effects by a day, the effects will not progress should a Greater restoration be cast. Granting you enough time to find a cure.

### Banishment

Banishment spells that are capable of being cast by folk are only usable on the mortal realm. Folk have the power of Invitation; if a denizen of another plane is ritualistically "Invited" to the mortal realm, it can only be banished by being incapacitated (Reduced to 0 HP) or the death of the ones who "Invited" them to stay.

### True Strike

You can cast True Strike as a Bonus Action.

## Flight

### Limitations

Standard "Mist-Powered" Airships and flying objects (Broom, Carpet, etc) can fly anywhere where there is uncorrupted Mist, but upon entering an area with thick Miasma soon lose altitude and crash. Non-Standard airships, such as those created with Soul Magic, are capable of flying through Miasma and also using it to fly instead of Mist.

### Over Water

Flying over water for very long periods is incredibly dangerous, and requires a skilled pilot. As Mist is typically thin over large oceans, flying directly over them can cause a vehicle to lose power and rapidly descend beneath the waves. Many skilled pilots have died attempting to cross a large body of water such as an ocean. Airship travel routes are normally heavily over land, and require passage through a Border Gate, usually necessitating a search for smuggled goods and an official signature or other form of permission.

### National Borders

Most national borders are warded by strong magic, which is clearly visible on both airship instrumentation and appears as a faint magical shimmer when you get within a mile. Passing through these borders will "strip" all flying magic from a vehicle. To pass through a nation's borders safely, one must be granted permission to fly through a Border Gate.

## Planeshifting

Years ago, an accord was signed by the Gods and Devils, limiting their interference on the mortal realm. These rules hold as long as the Great Divide stands. All magics that can Planeshift an individual are subject to these rules. Folk are not meant to venture far or long into other realms, so be wary when doing so.

1. Travelling *from* the Material Realm is easy. Returning is much harder. It is wise to have a plan for your return.
2. When you are in another realm or plane, you cannot freely travel to the Material Realm. You must be at a "Planesgate"- a particular physical location within the plane you have arrived in.
3. If you do not have a Return Anchor, you could end up anywhere on the mortal plane once you step through a Planesgate. A Return Anchor is automatically created when you cast a spell to allow interplanar travel, but this is destroyed within a week of it's creation, and can be destroyed by external forces. For longer journeys, you will have to find a way to return safely, or a person in the mortal realm who can guide you back.
4. When you step through a planesgate the things you make physical contact with, such as people and items, will travel with you, allowing you to land together with your equipment. If only one creature passing through has an anchor, the whole group will return to that anchor. If there are multiple anchors, please roll on the Wild Planesgate table on the Planesgate page.
5. If a soul without a vessel steps through a Planesgate it will be returned to the afterlife meant for it. This can be used to free souls that are unfairly taken to the wrong afterlife. To avoid this, it must find a vessel, living or dead, that will willingly take it.

## War

### Wars and Warbands (Homebrew Rules)

In D&D 5e, the combat rules are mostly focused on small conflicts between the Party and a group of adversaries. However, large battle situations are also a key part of Fantasy settings, such as the defense of Helms Deep. How is D&D to manage a huge battlefield?

The Commonborne setting has a quick and easy solution in it's custom-built Wars and Warbands module- Allowing you to run anything from the defence of a city to managing a full mercenary warband of your own.

## Death and Resurrection

### Resurrection (All)

Resurrection magic to fully revive a creature can only be cast if the following prerequisites are met. In certain special circumstances, such as rare magical items or gifts from gods, all but the last prerequisite can be ignored.

1. The deceased is willing to return to their former life. (This becomes trickier with more time passing, or reincarnation)
2. The deceased "Weighs enough in Fate's Scales" to make the return. (Minimum level 10 or DM fiat)
3. The God(s) of the afterlife it is in allows it to return.

Should the spell fail because of the above reasons, the one who cast it will instantly know which reason it was.

When Resurrection magic is cast, those making contact with the body can exchange one-way communication with the deceased, to encourage them to return. A particularly impassioned speech may allow the DM to forgo the above rulings should it motivate the character to return. It is also possible to enter into the afterlife and pull the being's soul back, but if the body isn't alive this will create an Undead.