House Rules

The following West Marches House Rules represent modifications, inclusions, and clarifications of the rules of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. The West Marches DMs have decided to use these House Rules to provide a more fun and engaging game for all of the players.

## Basic Rules, Ch. 5: Equipment

### Lifestyle Expenses

Rules as written (RAW): Represents the cost per day of maintaining a particular lifestyle in town. Each lifestyle has its own benefits or detriments.

WM: Between adventures, characters are assumed to maintain a Modest Lifestyle, and do not pay the associated cost. Players can choose a higher lifestyle, but must pay to do so.

Reason: Lifestyle expenses would be a pain to track and would feel like a tax on the players.

### Starting Equipment

RAW: If you roll for starting gold, you do not receive the equipment granted by your background.

WM: Regardless of whether you roll for starting gold or take standard starting equipment, you receive the equipment granted by your background.

Reason: Mechanically, even before factoring in background equipment, taking standard starting equipment is significantly better than rolling for gold in most cases. This rule makes things more balanced. Additionally, receiving background equipment is an expectation most people have and therefore causes less confusion, and background equipment often comes with backstory flavor items that aren't purchasable, which adds to the dynamic of a character.

## Basic Rules, Ch. 7: Using Ability Scores

### Variant: Skills with Different Abilities

RAW: The DM might ask for a check using an unusual combination of ability and skill, or you might ask the DM if you can apply proficiency to a different check. Example: Charisma (Stealth) check to blend into a crowd.

WM: Use at DM's discretion.

Reason: Certain situations may call for unusual checks. This also allows for player creativity in unusual situations.

## Basic Rules, Ch. 8: Adventuring

### Special Types of Movement: Swimming

RAW: Armor has no effect on swimming.

WM: If a set of armor gives the character disadvantage on stealth checks, they also have disadvantage on any checks to swim. This does not apply to characters with a swim speed.

Reason: This disadvantage represents the weight and encumbrance of certain types of armor and how it would affect a character's movement.

## Basic Rules, Ch. 9: Combat

### Initiative

RAW: If a tie occurs, the DM decides the order among tied DM-controlled creatures and the players decide the order among their tied characters. The DM can decide the order if the tie is between a monster and a player character. Optionally, the DM can have the tied characters and monsters each roll a d20 to determine the order, highest roll going first.

WM: Follows RAW.

Reason: Many people in the P&PGA solve initiative ties based on a character's Dexterity modifier as a shorthand. This isn't a bad shorthand, but it should be noted it isn't RAW.

## Dungeon Master's Guide, Ch. 8: Running the Game

### Combat: Optional Rule: Flanking

RAW: Creatures' attack rolls gain advantage if there is an enemy of their target on the opposite side of the target from them (in melee). A creature can't flank an enemy that it can't see. A creature can't flank while incapacitated. A Large or larger creature is flanking as long as at least one square or hex of its space qualifies for flanking.

WM: Use at DM's discretion. As a default, it isn't included.

Reason: Flanking tends to overpower larger groups but can also reward players for teamwork/tactics/risky maneuvers.

## General House Rules

### Re-Learned Proficiencies: Skills, Languages, & Tools

WM: If a race, class feature, or multiclassing would grant a character proficiency in a skill, language, or tool that the character is already proficient in, they may choose proficiency in another of the same type (skill/language/tool).

* If there is a choice of multiple skills, languages, or tools, they may not choose another proficiency unless they are proficient in all items of that list.
* If the race, class feature, or multiclassing that would grant the proficiency is removed, the original proficiency that would have been granted is removed.
* If the race, class feature, or multiclassing that grants the proficiency would grant an extra benefit with that proficiency (such as a Knowledge Domain Cleric's Blessings of Knowledge), that benefit must be applied to the proficiency that would be originally granted.

Reason: Certain fun thematic builds (such as a Dragonborn Draconic Sorcerer) grant proficiency to the same skills, languages, and tools multiple times and was a detriment to players.

### Downtime

*Main article: Downtime*

WM: Players may choose one of five goals (favor, rank, skill, treasure, or wealth) for their character to have spent their time pursuing over each quarter.

Reason: Due to running in approximately real time, characters in WM have a lot of time to do things other than adventuring. Downtime represents the results of that, and allows for further customization of builds, impact on the world, etc. while still keeping things simple (only occurring twice a year between quarters).

### Archipelagic Sign Language

WM: If players choose, they may take Archipelagic Sign Language (ASL) as one of their languages granted by any character features. This language mechanically functions identically to any other language.

### Non-Magical Pets

WM: If pricing already exists for an animal, use that. Otherwise:

* Pet, Mundane: min. costs 1cp (tiny, pest animal); 1sp (tiny, non-pest animal); 1gp (small). Average 5gp for a healthy animal. It cannot do tasks or obey you.
* Pet, Exotic: 10+gp, availability may vary. Working animal that can do tasks related to its specific purpose. 10gp medium, 50gp large, 250gp huge.
* Combat-Capable Animal: price of the working animal +300gp.

Notes

* Any player who buys a pet should contact a DM for approval. Some pets may be vetoed.
* With the exception of the warhorse, no animal for purchase in the PHB is considered combat-trained.

Reasoning: Many players are interested in having non-magical pets. Having a set pricing table streamlines the process.

### Magic Item Attunement Slots: Player-Controlled Companions

WM: For characters who have companions (such as a familiar or summoned steed), the attunement slots of those characters are shared with their companions. That is, the total items they are attuned to as a group cannot exceed three, unless the character has features which grant them additional attunement slots.

### Familiars and Equipment

WM: When a familiar is temporarily dismissed, it can take with it items that are worn or carried, up to its Carrying Capacity (Strength score \* 15 / 2 for a size Tiny creature), which reappear with the familiar when it reappears. The familiar cannot interact with any items while dismissed.

* If the familiar dies, any items that are worn or carried fall to the ground in its space.
* If the familiar was summoned with any equipment (e.g. a sprite's statblock has equipment listed), those items disappear when the familiar dies.

### RP Channel Abilities: Lasting Mechanical Effects

WM: Players wishing to receive a lasting mechanical benefit from consistent use of an ability over the interim week between games should talk to a DM. These mechanical benefits may be adapted to an adequate downtime. If no downtime is appropriate, or the intended action does not otherwise fit, the player will likely be told that they can receive no mechanical benefit for that action.

Reason: Discord RP and the interim weeks are intended to be benign to canon. Downtime is our way of mechanically representing actions taken during that time (as well as being a balancing mechanic amongst players), and thus all mechanical benefits should be received through that.

### Travel Between Cities

WM: When traveling between cities for adventures, travel fare is assumed to be paid by the Adventurers' Guild. When traveling between cities for personal reasons, travel fare must be covered by the character. Contact a DM to resolve the travel fare and time.

### *Reincarnate*: Possible Races Table

WM: Every allowed race in West Marches has an approximately equal chance of being rolled when the *Reincarnate* spell is cast. If a race has subraces, the player may choose which subrace they would like. The table is as follows: