House Rules

**House rules** are rules which do not adhere to the written rules published by Wizards of the Coast for fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons. These are generally modifications to rules which officially exist, but did not provide the desired play.

## House Rules

### Casting Spells

Normal Rule: You may only cast two spells in one turn if one has a casting time of a bonus action, and the other is a cantrip cast as your action.

Homebrew Rule: If you cast a spell as a bonus action, you may also cast a spell as an action. Only one of them may be above second level.

### Creating Scrolls

Normal Rule: To scribe a spell scroll takes an amount of time and money related to the level of the spell the character wants to scribe, according to the following table:

Any material components listed in the spell’s text must also be supplied as an additional cost. The spell must be prepared by the scriber or among their known spells to scribe a scroll.

Homebrew Rule: To scribe a scroll, you must spend an amount of time and resources commensurate to the complexity of the spell, according to the following table:

The cost represents the special paper and magical inks that must be used in the transcription of the scroll. Any material components listed in the casting of the spell must be present, and costly material components listed in the spell’s text must be supplied as an additional cost. The spell slot is expended upon creating the scroll.

Scribing a scroll is a taxing process that drains some of the user’s power. Once you scribe a scroll, a process that takes one hour per spell level, you cannot attempt to scribe another for a number of days located in the Cooldown column.

### Dying Rules

The Dying Rules were once separate from the Extra Effort rules. For the current rules, see Extra Effort; for the former rules, see Dying Rules (Former).

### Extra Effort

Normal Rule: Nonexistent.

Homebrew Rule: A character can push themselves beyond their limits to accomplish extraordinary feats. A character may take a point of exhaustion to gain one of the following benefits. These options are available to a character of any class.

* **Take an extra action** — On your turn, you can take an additional action.
* **Succeed on a Skill Check or Saving Throw** — You can choose to succeed on any skill check or saving throw at any time.
* **Avoid going unconscious when reduced to 0hp** — If you take an action while at 0hp, you must make an additional death saving throw at disadvantage.

A character may also take a point of exhaustion to gain additional benefit. Players may describe something they wish to do, and the DM will rule whether it is allowed, and how many levels of exhaustion it may take to accomplish. Examples include:

* You gain the benefits of a feat for which you qualify until the start of your next turn.
* You gain the benefits of a warlock invocation you do not posses until the start of your next turn.
* When you would roll an attack roll, you can declare that the attack hits. Roll any weapon damage dice again and add it to the total damage for the attack.
* At any time, you can become immune to damage until the start of your next turn.
* You may cast a spell you don’t have prepared.
* You may cast a spell you know, even if you have no remaining spell slots with which to cast it.

### Javelins

Normal Rule: They have the Thrown property.

Homebrew Rule: They have the Thrown and Finesse properties.

### Instant Death

Normal Rule: Massive damage can kill you instantly. When damage reduces you to 0 Hit Points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum.

Homebrew Rule: This rule is not used.

### Shove

Normal Rule: You can replace an attack with a shove.

House Rule: You can shove as a bonus action.

### Summon Initiative

Normal Rule: Most summons — summoned mounts, familiars, etc. — roll their own initiative.

Homebrew Rule: Summons act on the same turn as their summoner.

### Using Potions

Normal Rule: Potions take an action to take or administer.

Homebrew Rule: Taking a potion for yourself is a bonus action; using a potion on someone else is an action.

### Using Scrolls

Normal Rule: If the spell is on your class’s spell list, you can read the scroll and cast its spell without providing any material Components. If the spell is on your class’s spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make an ability check using your Spellcasting Ability to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect.

Homebrew Rule: If the spell is on your class’s spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make an ability check using your Spellcasting Ability to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect. If the spell is not on your class's spell list, the DC increases by 5.

### Versatile Property

Normal Rule: This weapon can be used with one or two hands. When wielding this weapon in two hands, the damage die is one size larger than normal. If a spell or effect modifies the weapons base damage, the versatile damage is not modified.

Homebrew rule: This weapon can be used with one or two hands. When wielding this weapon in two hands, the damage die is one size larger than normal. If a spell or effect modifies the weapons base damage, the versatile damage is modified as well.

## Former House Rules

### Dying Rules (Former)

If damage reduces you to 0 hit points and fails to kill you, you fall prone and are Dying. You remain prone for as long as you are dying.

At the start of each of your turns while you are Dying, make a death saving throw. Roll a d20, if the roll is 10 or higher, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. A roll of 1 counts as two failures. On a roll of 20, you regain 1 hit point.

On your third success, you stop Dying and become Stable.

On your second failure, you fall Unconscious.

On your third failure, you Die.

On your turn, if you take an action or bonus action, you must make additional death saving throws after the action resolves, with disadvantage.

If you become Stable or restore hit points, you are no longer Dying and your successes and failures reset.

While Stable but with no hit points on your turn, if you take an action, a bonus action, or move more than half your speed, you must succeed on a DC 10 constitution save or resume Dying. The DC increases by 5 with each success, and resets if you regain hit points.

### Extra Effort

There are additional options based on your class:

* Barbarian: At any time, you can become immune to damage until the start of your next turn.
* Bard: When you or a creature would roll a bardic inspiration die, before the die is rolled, you may instead set the die to its highest value.
* Cleric: On your turn, you can use your Channel Divinity ability even if you have no uses left.
* Druid: ???
* Fighter: You gain the benefits of a feat for which you qualify until the start of your next turn.
* Monk: You do not need to expend Ki to activate your monk abilities until the start of your next turn.
* Paladin: While within 10 ft of you, your allies have resistance to all damage until the start of your next turn
* Ranger: When you would roll an attack roll, you can declare that the attack hits. Roll any weapon damage dice again and add it to the total damage for the attack.
* Rogue: You may re-roll any number of your sneak attack dice. You must take the second result.
* Sorcerer: Choose one metamagic ability, you may apply its effects to a spell you cast this turn without paying its cost.
* Warlock: You gain the benefits of a warlock invocation you do not posses until the start of your next turn.
* Wizard: You may cast a spell you don’t have prepared.

### Identifying Magical Items

Normal Rule: At the end of the short rest, the creature gains an intuitive understanding of how to activate any magical properties of the item, including any necessary command words.

Homebrew Rule: A creature may take one hour to attempt to understand the magical nature of an item. They may roll an Intelligence (Arcana) check to identify knowledge of the item in their possession. They may gain an incomplete understanding based on their skill check compared to the DC.