House Rules

Some additional ruling that extends the works of Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide and Xanathar's Guide to Everything.

• Player's Handbook
  • Chapter 9: Combat
    • Damage and Healing
      • Critical Hits Extended
      • Dropping to 0 Hit Points
        • In Death's Cold Embrace
        • Dire Straits
        • No Life for free
        • Bleeding Fields
      • Bandaging the Brave
    • Actions in Combat
      • The New Delay Action
    • Actions outside of Combat
      • Aiding and Abetting
• Dungeon Master's Guide
  • Chapter 8: Running the Game
    • Madness (p. 259)
  • Chapter 9: Dungeon Master's Workshop
    • Ability Options (p. 263)
      • Hero Points (p. 264)
      • Honor (p. 264)
      • Sanity (p. 264)
• Additions
  • Always max out Healing Potions
  • Flanking / Outnumbering

Resources

Critical Hits

WotC Ruling:

• Player's Handbook p. 194, Attack Rolls -> Rolling 1 or 20

  Sometimes fate blesses or curses a combatant, causing the novice to hit and the veteran to miss.
  If the d20 roll for an attack is a 20, the attack hits regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC. In addition, the attack is a critical hit, as explained later in this chapter.
  If the d20 roll for an attack is a 1, the attack misses regardless of any modifiers or the target’s AC.

• Player's Handbook p. 196, Damage and Healing -> Critical Hits

  When you score a critical hit, you get to roll extra dice for the attack’s damage against the target. Roll all of the attack’s damage dice twice and add them together. Then add any relevant modifiers as normal. To speed up play, you can roll all the damage dice at once.
  For example, if you score a critical hit with a dagger, roll 2d4 for the damage, rather than 1d4, and then add your relevant ability modifier. If the attack involves other damage dice, such as from the rogue’s Sneak Attack feature, you roll those dice twice as well.

  Formulae:
  • Normal Damage: 1D+MOD
  • Critical Damage: 2D+MOD

House Rule:

The house rule gives you three options for a critical hit. Double Damage is the default crit rule.
If you wish to use Relentless Critical or Crit Chaining, explicitly state it after your critical attack roll, but before your damage roll.

1. Double Damage
   When you score a critical hit, your attack causes extra damage against the target. Roll all of the attack’s damage dice and add them together. Then add any relevant modifiers, too. Then double the result. To speed up play, you can roll all the damage dice at once.
   For example, if you score a critical hit with a dagger, roll 1d4 for the damage. If the attack involves other damage dice, such as from the rogue’s Sneak Attack feature, you include those dice as well. Then add your relevant ability modifiers. Finally, double the result.
   Formulae:
   • Normal Damage: 1D+MOD
   • Critical Damage: (1D+MOD) * 2
   
   
2. Relentless Critical
   When you score a critical hit, your attack causes extra damage against the target. Roll all of the attack’s damage dice twice and add them together. Then add any relevant modifiers twice, too. To speed up play, you can roll all the damage dice at once.
   For example, if you score a critical hit with a dagger, roll 2d4 for the damage, rather than 1d4, and then add your relevant ability modifiers twice. If the attack involves other damage dice, such as from the rogue’s Sneak Attack feature, you roll those dice twice as well.
   Formulae:
   • Normal Damage: 1D+MOD
   • Critical Damage: 1D+MOD + 1D+MOD = 2D + 2*MOD
   
   
3. Crit Chaining
   When you score a critical hit, this is considered the Initial Attack.
   1. Calculate the damage as normal. This is your Damage Pool.
   2. Second, you get to Cut Deeper. Finish the sequence of Cut Deepers, increasing the Damage Pool.
   3. Finally, apply all the Damage Pool as one damage to the target(s) of the Initial Attack.
   Cut Deeper: Re-roll the attack, with the same attack and damage modifiers as on the Initial Attack.
   • If you miss, you deal no extra damage.
   • If you hit, you increase the Initial Attack's Damage Pool.
   • If you hit critically, you increase the Initial Attack's Damage Pool. Then, you get to Cut Deeper once more.
   Limitations: Cut Deeper is an effect that increases the Initial Attack damage, and thus
   • does not cause or repeat other statuses that are already caused by the Initial Attack.
   • does not count towards actions, bonus actions or reactions.
   • does not increase the amount of actions, especially in regard to sources for damage reduction
   Formulae:
   • Normal Damage: 1D+MOD
   • Critical Damage: 1D+MOD + 1D+MOD + 1D+MOD ... = xD + x*MOD

Additional Crit Rules:

• Savage Axe: Each time you deal extra critical damage with a Greataxe (two-handed, heavy), you deal an additional d12 damage.

Examples:

Balragh, a level 3 Orc fighter bearing a greataxe, critically hits his opponent, a shriveld and dirty gnome.
On his Initial Attack, he deals 1d12+4 damage, rolling a 7 on the d12, dealing 7+4=11 initial damage.
He now chooses how he wants deal the extra damage of the critical hit:

• Double Damage:
  • He does the same amount of damage again that he did with the Initial Attack.
  • Savage Axe: Bearing a Greataxe, he rolls the d12 one more time, showing a 1.
  • So he deals an additional 11+1=12 damage.
  His attack totals out at (11 initial)+(12) = 23 points.
• Relentless Critical:
  • He rolls his d12 again, this time showing a 3, causing 3+4=7 damage.
  • Savage Axe: Bearing a Greataxe, he rolls the d12 one more time, showing a 1.
  • So he deals an additional 3+4=7 + 1 = 8 damage.
  So he deals total attack damage of (11 initial)+(8) = 19 points.
• Crit Chaining:
  Balragh rolls his Cut Deeper with the following result:
  • He misses. So he deals no extra damage with this attack. His attack totals at 11+0=11 points.
  • He hits non-critically:
    • He rolls his d12 again, this time showing a 3.
    • Savage Axe: Bearing a Greataxe, he rolls the d12 one more time, showing a 1.
    • So he deals an additional 3+4=7 + 1 = 8 damage.
    His attack totals out at (11 initial)+(8 cut-deeper 1) = 19 points.
  • He hits critically again on a natural 20:
    • He rolls his d12 again, this time showing a 3.
    • Savage Axe: Bearing a Greataxe, he rolls the d12 one more time, showing a 1.
    • So he deals an additional (3+4=7)+1=8 damage on his first Cut Deeper.
    • He does his second Cut Deeper and hits normally
      • He rolls his d12 again, this time showing a 7.
      • Savage Axe: Bearing a Greataxe, he rolls the d12 one more time, showing a 9.
      • So he deals an additional (7+4=11)+9=20 damage on his second Cut Deeper.
    His attack damage totals out at (11 initial) + (8 cut-deeper 1) + (20 cut-deeper 2) = 11+8+20 = 39 points.

Critical Excess Damage

• Is within striking distance of the original attack.
• Whose AC can be hit by the original attack roll.

Autocleave

• Is within striking distance of the original attack.
• Whose AC+5 can be hit by the original attack roll.

Better Criticals

• Any hit is a critical hit when it hits the enemy AC + 10.

Delay Action

Immediately before the start of your turn, if you are able to take actions, and you're not fully mind-controlled, you can choose to delay your turn in the initiative order. You can do so as often as you like.
You have to state where in the initiative order you want to take your turn: before or after another creature in the initiative order or a certain event.

• You can never ascend in the initiative order; only descend to a later place.
• Still, you can descend so far as to skip into the next round, where you can start anywhere in the initiative order, but not later than you current initiative.

• Your actions during your turn will not be limited in any way
• You will keep your place in the new initiative order, until you chooses the Delay Action again.

• If you cause an ongoing spell or effect or are afflicted by such, the duration of the spell or effect will not be influenced by the Delay Action, but rather trigger at the old initiative.
  Once you end your turn, event triggers and your new initiative align.
  This is meant to prevent players from dragging powerful short-timed spells and effects through multiple rounds, prolonging their effects. This also cancels the possibility of evading death-saving throws.

In Death's Cold Embrace (Ysarion Special Rule)

And now: the true test... hold fast, or expire?

Death is a mighty foe. Mightier than you ever could imaginge. So mighty, that nothing in your world could have prepared you for this. When His cold grip tightens around your throat, it is a fight between you and Him alone. Now, no one can help you but yourself. The moment of ultimate truth.

• Death saving throws are no saving throws, but a mechanic of their own
• No abilities, spells, conditions or any other effect can influence the outcome. Here is a non-exhaustive list of examples that, despite their descriptions, will not influence Death Saving Throws:
  • The Paladin's Aura of Protection will not grant you any bonus
  • The Monk's Diamond Soul will not Grant you Proficiency
  • Even though you are affected by Exhaustion Level 3, you will NOT have Disadvantage on Death Saving Throws
  • The Bless Spell has no power here
  • The Halfling's Lucky Trait will not let you reroll the throw
• Death saving fails will not vanish once you get stabilized or healed any amount of hit points
• Instead, they will only be reset once you finish a long rest
• Death saving successes, however, will vanish once you are stabilized or healed any amount of hit points

Dire Straits

And now: the true test... hold fast, or expire?

Injury is not to be taken lightly. When you suffer a severe injury, your body will remember.

• you get critically hit
• or are reduced to 0 HP
• or either (choose one of the two rules for your campaign):
  • critically fail a death saving throw
  • fail a death saving throw by more than 5

No Life for free

Oh hell, he will stay down for a while.

Regaining life - but at what cost!? Minor healing will not just magically remove severe wounds, but make it an effort to pull you from the fringe of death, and throw you back into the heat of battle.

Instead of 'falling unconscious' and staying at 0 HP, you keep track of your negative Hit Points.

• When taking damage, you will not automatically fail a Death Saving Throw, but instead further decrease your Hit Points.
• Receiving healing:
  • will not automatically set your Hit Points to 0, but simply increase them, possibly altering your condition.
  • will also make you stable.
• Death Saving Throws will be reset whenever you become fighting or recovering.
• Rules, Spells, Abilities and Items that normally target the "0 HP", will now target any negative HP instead. Examples are the Disintegrate Spell, Rage Beyond Death, and many more.

Bleeding Fields

That hurt, didn't it!? But, alas, I see you are still standing.

Escaping Death is not so easy when you're all on your own. Fight the Last Fight!

• Instead of 'falling unconscious' and staying at 0 HP, you keep track of your Negative Hit Points.
• Also, you do not keep track of Death Saving Throws that you pass or fail.
• Negative Hit Points (NHP):
  • While you're at 0 HP, you are stable and cannot make any more Death Saving Throws. You will recover to +1 HP after 1d4 hours.
  • While you're at -1 to your negative Constitution Score, you stay conscious and can act, but have to roll a Death Saving Throw at the end of each of your (regular initiative) turns (reaction turns excluded).
  • If your HP drop below your negative Constitution Score, you fall unconscious, but have to keep rolling Death Saving Throws.
  • If you drop below half your Negative Hit Points , you will die exactly one round after you have sustained that damage, unless you receive magical healing.
  • Receiving damage while you have 0 HP or less will reduce your HP further.
  • Receiving healing will not automatically set your HP to 0, but simply remove NHP.
• Death DC (DDC): The DC to your DST is 10 plus half your NHP (if you're at -8 HP, the save DC is 10+4 = 14)
• Death Saving Throws (DST): As long as you have Negative Hit Points, roll a DST
  • Taking no actions lets you roll with Advantage.
  • Taking Reactions or Bonus Actions will remove any Advantage.
  • If you take an Action or a Move Action, you will roll with Disadvantage.
  • You still reveice any boni you would reveice for a normal DST.
  • As an Action, allies can aid you, rolling their Medicine Skill
    • Each try triggers Resurrection or Dismay.
    • Each participant can try on his own, as an Action,
    • or collectively:
      • Each participant uses the Delay Action. If their Concentration is lost, so is their contribution.
      • The effect takes place on the turn of the last participant.
      • Choose one participant to roll the primary roll.
      • Each other participant can choose to grant Advantage/Disadvantage or a bonus/malus to the roll. See Aiding and Abetting
    • Everyone participating grants Attacks of Opportunity to adjacent creatures until the start of his next turn.
• Resurrection or Dismay: When you roll a DST, or your allies the Medicine Skill, note the difference between the result and the DDC
  • Failing the DST, you will lose that amount of HP.
  • Succeeding will restore that amount of HPs to you.
  • HPs restored this way can not restore you to 0 HP, but not above. The rest is lost.

Bandaging the Brave

Weeping Wounds, Sainted Saviours

Patch up your comrades so they stand strong once more.

Gathering Resources

• Bandages
  • You can buy bandages in towns and homesteads: 10 cost 1 gp and weight 1 lb.
  • You can create your own bandages by simply cooking a piece of cloth and then dry it. This process is a ritual of one hour per 10 pieces.
  • You can create bandages without special knowledge.
• Salves can be either bought or made.
  • You can buy salves in towns and homesteads: 10 cost 1 gp and weight 1 lb.
  • You can create your own salves by gathering herbs and grinding and cooking them into salves. This process is a ritual of one hour per 10 pieces.
  • You need to be versatile in the Medicine skill, i.e. be proficient or have spent points in it.

Bandaging Score

• Roll a Medicine check per each creature you want to bandage. This includes modifiers of proficiency, good luck and pure supremacy.
• If you do not use properly processed bandages, you get -5 to the result. If you instead apply random pieces of cloth, you only get -3 to the result.
• If you do not use adequate salves, you get another -5 to the result.
• If you have to treat yourself,you gain another -3 to the result.
• You can apply one use of a Healer's Kit to forego the use of either Bandages or Salves. Two uses will replace both Salves and Bandages, and grant you Advantage. If you have the Healer Feat, its boni will also apply RAW, but not overstack.
• Examples:
  • Treating someone without bandages or salves will result in a (-5 -5 =)-10 modifier
  • Patching up yourself with only random cloth will grant you a (-3 -5 -3 =) -11 modifier
  • Using two charges from the Healer's Kit, you will get Advantage on your Medicine check.
  • Having the Healer Feat and using two charges from the Healer's Kit, you will get Advantage, plus heal the target Hit Points equal to 1d6+4 + the creature's maximum number of Hit Dice

Effects

Benefits

Limitations

• A creature can only be bandaged once per long rest. Even though the first try may have failed horribly, you trust the beauty of the dressing and leave it at that.
• You cannot stack benefits across persons, neither can you utilize leftover Benefits from previous Bandagings

Aiding and Abetting

Helpers' Helpers: You do not fight alone; you do not survive alone. Your teammates gather up around you and support you in a tedious and difficult task.

Limitations

• You can only try to assist in a certain action once, and only one at a time.
• Whoever undertakes the ritual or action cannot aid and abet himself.

Lockpickery

Fumble while stressed.

Shoutout to Bob World Builder!

Setup: Die Size

• Select a Die Size for difficulty: Base die is d2.
• For each DEX point, increase the Die Size by 1.
• If you have Thieves' Tools available, increase the Die Size by 2.
• If you have a hammer, nails, a fire, 10 minutes time, and Proficiency in Smith's Tools, you can create simple pins with which you can increase the Die Size by 1.

DEX base	Die Size	Replacement Dice
	/	impossible
0	d2	d4/2↑
+1	d3	d6/2↑
+2	d4	d4
+3	d5	d10/2↑
+4	d6	d6
+5	d8	d8
+6	d10	d10
+7	d12	d12
+8	d20	d20

Examples

DEX 0, no tools	d2
DEX 2, tools	d5
DEX 3, tools, expertise	d10
DEX 3, no tools, expertise	d8

Rules

• You need to beat the required Lockpick Rolls.
• Roll 2d6 per round, or outside of combat roll all at the same time.
• On a 1, the lock resets.
• You can reroll 1s according to the skill table.
• Failures lead to scratch marks.
• Rolling two 1s may damage your tools or jam the lock.

Difficulty

Rerolls

Die Replacement

Roll more for less.

Quick Encounter Monsters

Smash more, kill more.

Shoutout to Runehammer's 5e Hardcore Mode!

Objects

Roll more for less.