Rulings and House Rules
Rulings
There are a few areas of the rules that I want to go over, so you know how I’m going to handle them. These aren’t house rules per-se, but more my own methods and views on how to handle existing rules. I want to be transparent with how I’m handling them so that everyone’s on the same page when it comes to the rules.
Stealth
I’m going to be handling stealth a little differently from it’s normally handled in games. One of my goals with these interpretations of the rules is to make as many checks meaningful and interesting as I can - in other words, I’m trying to stay away from “make a check - okay” and then nothing happens.
To that end, I will only call for stealth checks when it matters. If you want to sneak somewhere, just tell me that’s what you’re doing: no roll required. When you come across a room of goblins who might have a chance of spotting you, then I’ll call for a check. If you succeed, they don’t spot you - if you fail, they do. Either way you’ll get an immediate response. This also keeps me from having to come up with ways to hide information or make rolls behind the scenes.
If the whole party is moving as a group, you only make ONE check for the whole party - make sure it’s the character with the highest chance of success! Basically, I’m assuming that the most knowledgeable character is helping everyone else out - something like “Okay, step only where I step, move only when I move. Here, stuff this cloth between your armor plates. And for the gods’ sakes, keep your mouths shut!”
Note that you cannot aid another on this check (he’s already helping the party,) and any source of disadvantage, for instance from heavy armor, will apply to this check.
TLDR: Stealth doesn’t matter until it does.Perception
Perception checks are for spotting hidden things. I’m never going to make you roll for a check to see something that you would obviously notice if you were looking for it. By the same token, I’m never going to allow you to roll for a check to see something that you would obviously notice if you were looking for it. If you tell me “I search the room” I’m going to assume that you stand there, peering into the depths of the shadows and under desks looking for hidden baddies. If there’s a desk in the room and you want to know what’s in its drawers, just go look in them.
This is how I actually write up rooms and encounters in which you might want to search for things:
- Posh noble’s room
- Bed
- Unlocked coffer under bed
- 100 gold coins
- Wardrobe
- Chest of drawers
- Fine dagger
- Desk with chair
- “Adjusted” ledger of accounts
- Hidden compartment
- Will
- True ledger of accounts
- Rug
- Key to the manor
- Body of nobleman
- Pocket with a note
- Hidden garrote in boot
I’ll pretty much work out the descriptions ad-hoc when I’m describing the scene. The important thing to note here is the hierarchy. At first glance into the room I’ll describe all the first level things - the bed, the wardrobe, the chest, the desk and chair, the rug and the body. Searching the room will reveal nothing hidden - on success or failure, because there’s actually nothing there. If you check under the bed you’ll easily see the coffer - it’s not hidden. Checking the desk might reveal drawers with a ledger of accounts and some other odds and ends, maybe an inkwell and a small knife for cutting quills. “Searching” the desk with a successful check will find the hidden compartment with another ledger and a will inside.
If there’s a corpse in the room with a note in its pocket, looking at the room will reveal the corpse. Looking at the corpse will reveal that it has pockets, and looking in the pockets will reveal that there’s a note inside. No checks needed. On the other hand, if the pocket is hidden in some way, a secret pocket, then you’ll have to make a check to find it. Telling me that you search the corpse will be enough.
Finally, I will never solicit a perception check from you for spotting hidden things. That’s something you request of me. Searching things, looking for traps, scanning a room for hidden enemies, you ask, make a check, and I’ll let you know if you find anything. You don’t even need to wait for me to ask for the roll, just making the roll is a pretty clear indication of your intent. A poor roll doesn’t mean you didn’t find the hidden thing - there might not be one! You’ll have to be the judge. At the same time, an excellent roll won’t reveal a hidden compartment in the desk if you’re searching the body - or even if you’re searching the room. And please use this information in character. If you roll poorly, maybe the character is as uncertain as the player. If you roll well, your character is probably pretty certain he’s found all there is to find.
So how often do you get to make a perception check? ONCE. For the entire party. Please use your highest Wisdom character to make the check, and remember that two sets of eyes are better than one - you can always aid another on a check.
As stated, perception checks are largely the players’ responsibility. However I will call for a check in the circumstance that you fail to spot - or fail to look for - an ambusher. As with stealth checks, this is an immediate effect. If you succeed, you’ll get a chance to act before your ambusher is upon you - if you fail, you don’t. Everyone in the party makes the check to see if he gets to act in the surprise round. You might be able to spot an ambusher before it even comes to this point if you scan a suspicious clearing, checking for an ambush and make a good roll, but if you don’t, I’ll always give you one last chance not to get skewered without a fight.
TLDR: Perception checks are for spotting hidden things, not un-hidden things.Social Rolls
I’m actually going to be enforcing the rules-as-written for social checks, with a couple tweaks to fit my style of describing NPCs in my write-ups. Conversations with NPCs will be handled in-character. You act out the conversation with the NPC, attempting to convince him, cajole information, deceive him or just try to get him to like you. After you’re done roleplaying it out, I’ll call for a Charisma check to see how successful you are.
The important thing here is that the check is a modifier to your interaction, not the determiner. If you handle the conversation well and play into the NPC’s desires and beliefs, your interaction will be successful no matter how poorly you rolled. However, a good roll can smooth over a mistake or social faux pas and get you a success anyway. The Charisma check also serves to modify future interactions with the NPC. It determines how he views the interaction overall, and will serve to change his attitude toward you. Even here though, your actions bear the greater weight. If you help out the NPC, if you serve to further his beliefs, then he’ll like you more even if he does think you’re an uncouth asshole.
Please note that deception follows the same rules as persuasion here. If you tell a convincing lie, a poor Charisma check won’t necessarily mean the NPC doesn’t believe you - and even if he doesn’t, there might not be an acceptable social means for him to try to reveal your lie for what it is. However, an obvious lie won’t be believed no matter how well you roll. Tell the guard you’re just an innocent peasant bystander while wearing armor, strapped with weapons and have blood dripping from your hands and he’s not going to believe you no matter what you roll.
There’s one other kind of roll that might come up during interaction with an NPC: sense motive checks. These work largely like perception checks. You ask if you notice anything odd going on in the conversation, make a Wisdom check - to determine emotional state or to notice subtle clues - or Intelligence - to reveal inconsistencies with his story - and you’ll get some more information. There will be no “reveal lie” button, but you can get more information about how shifty the character is being, or if his eyes keep darting to a particular person in the room and the like. If you’re not sure if an NPC is being on the level, you can ask for a check to give you new information - or to confirm what you already suspect.
TLDR: Talk and actions are more important than dice.Knowledge
You can make a knowledge check at any time. Just ask if you know about something, and roll the dice. If it’s common knowledge, I’ll just tell you what you know. If it’s not common information and you fail the check, you might get wrong information! But I’ll never just tell you “you don’t know anything”. The result of your die will help to determine how much you know about the given subject, but primarily it determines how confident your character is in the information he has. A low roll means your character’s recalled information is hazy, incomplete or he just isn’t sure. A high check means your character is confident in his knowledge. Note that even a low roll might give correct information, and even a high roll (given an equally high DC) might give false information! You will have to use your own judgement to determine just how accurate the information you recall is.
Just like perception checks, the party gets to make ONE knowledge check for any given subject you’re trying to get information on. If you think you might want to see if you know some tidbit that’ll help in a given situation, you should have your character ask the character in the party with the best odds of knowing what you want to know. Note that if your character has a good sense for the information as well, you can always aid his check!
TLDR: You can roll to know things, but I might lie to you.House Rules
Character Creation
Characters are created using the normal rules in the PHB. We’ll be using standard array, meaning you get 15 14 13 12 10 8 for your ability scores, arranged how you wish.
For humans we’ll be using the variant human rules, meaning you get to pick two ability scores to increase by 1, proficiency in a skill and pick one feat of your choice.
I won’t be allowing multiclassing. If you really want to have a hybrid-style character and can’t find an archetype that fits, get with me and we’ll make a hybrid archetype for your class.
You can pick any background that you like, or talk to me if you want to make up one of your own. I’m open to just about any idea, and I’ll help you work out your own background power if one of the ones in the book doesn’t fit your idea.
Don’t worry about picking an alignment. I will usually only use alignment when dealing with extraplanar beings who might be heavily aligned to a planar force or concept. Your character should be generally on the side of good, civilized folk, but isn’t bound by or associated with any supernatural forces.
Filling Out Your Character Concept
Besides the mechanical stuff, there’s a few more things I’m going to require as part of the character creation process. A couple traits that need to be selected, and some questions that need to be answered. If you need help or ideas for any of this don’t hesitate to ask.
Ideal, Bond and FlawWe’re going to be using the ideals, bonds and flaws system from the PHB, so you’ll need to choose one for each of these. They can be something from the book, or something that you made up. You can roll for the traits, either from your chosen background or from any of the charts, pick one from any chart, or make up your own. As long as you choose an ideal, bond and flaw for your character. There will be mechanical advantages for these, so you’ll want to make sure you pick traits that are in line with how you want to play your character!
Character QuestionsPlease fill out the following questions about your character. Other than the normal what’s your race and class stuff, these will help you get a better feel for who you’re playing, and it’ll also give me something to work with so I can customize the story to you. You don’t have to go super in depth with these if you don’t want to, just writing a quick sentence will be enough, although you can certainly write paragraphs here if you want to.
- Where were you born?
- Who are your parents? Are they still alive?
- What were you doing before becoming and adventurer?
- Why did you leave?
- What did you leave behind when you set out for adventure?
- What do you want to achieve?
Combat Changes
We’ll be using a modified version of side-based combat. This means that all of the PCs will act at once, and all of the monsters will act at once. Generally, the PCs will get to go first. I’ll usually initiate combat by describing the monsters’ intent, for instance “The goblins charge you with weapons drawn, screaming with bloodlust.” Then the PCs get to go, and then the monsters get to actually act. All members of a side will move at once, and you can decide who’s actions to resolve in what order. I encourage you to coordinate your actions, because the monsters will be coordinating theirs.
If the situation warrants it, monsters may get to go first. This usually happens if the party is ambushed. I’ll be handling surprise rounds by allowing the monsters to have their round first, with advantage to attacks. If the PCs surprise monsters, they’ll get to go first as normal but will have advantage to their attacks.
Carry Weight and Tracking Items
Instead of tracking carry weight in pounds, we’ll be tracking number of items. A character can carry his strength score in items. For these purposes an “item” is anything that can be carried in one hand. If it requires two hands (to carry, not to wield) it counts as two items, and larger items will simply make you encumbered. Coins and coin-size objects (such as gems) count as one item per 25. Worn clothing does not count as an item, but equipped weapons and worn armor counts as one apiece.
If you carry more than your strength, up to twice your score, in items you become encumbered as per the PHB, meaning you lose 10ft of movement. If you carry more than twice your Strength, up to three times, you are heavily encumbered as per the PHB meaning you lose 20ft of movement, and gain disadvantage on ability checks, attacks, and saves that use Strength, Dexterity or Constitution. It takes one action to equip or drop a pack. This simulates both the weight and bulk of items in a simplified, easy to track way.
Rather than track number of shots fired using ammunition, each “set” of ammunition has a die associated with it, usually starting as a d8. At the end of combat you’ll roll that die, and if you roll a 1 or a 2, it is reduced to the next lowest die. If the die is a d4 then you run out of ammunition. The set will count as one item for purposes of encumbrance. This simulates using ammunition, recovering used unbroken ammunition after a fight and restocking ammunition from supplies. If you choose to refill a set while in town you’ll get a discount based on your remaining ammunition. Other usable items may use this system as well, possibly rolling each use, rather than after combat depending on how the item is used.
Inspiration
PCs can gain inspiration by taking risks in acts of heroism and by acting in accordance with the character’s ideal, bond and flaw. Characters start play with inspiration. A PC either has inspiration or he doesn’t - you can’t save it up. It can be spent on one of the following effects:
True StrikeYou can choose to take a 20 on any attack, ability check or save. This counts as a critical hit for attacks!
If used for an attack, deal maximum damage for that attack.
You can instead choose to deal maximum damage on a spell, or cause the spell’s target to fail its save. Beware creatures with legendary saves, they can still choose to succeed!
Plot ArmorYou can save any one creature from death. This can be your character, a fellow PC or any NPC. This protection will save them from dying immediately and will alter the story to remove the character from immediate danger if necessary, though depending on the circumstances they may still be in hot water, as it were.
Blessed SerendipityYou can dictate something that happens in the story. Maybe you find a secret door in a dungeon room, or you happen to have a needed item in your pack. Maybe you are rescued from imprisonment by another adventuring party who happens to be exploring the dungeon.
You don’t decide the details of how it happens, and you can’t conjure critical story elements, such as important NPCs or artifacts. The thing you dictate must be within the bounds of the story and setting - even if extremely unlikely. Anything else is fair game.
How to get Inspired
If you perform a heroic action that puts your character at risk, you are awarded inspiration. This is in reference to individual actions, and does not include completing quests or plans, heroic though they may be. If you heroically throw yourself in front of charging goblins, risking your life to save the lives of a few villagers, you’ll gain inspiration. If you mow down weak, unmatched goblins to save the lives of a few villagers, you don’t gain inspiration, as you were never at risk. If you heroically throw yourself in front of charging goblins to hold them back while your party throws spells at them you don’t gain inspiration, as you were just doing your job. Heroic inspiration requires personal action at personal risk for selfless reasons.
If you take an action that aligns with your character’s ideal but which puts his goals at risk, you get awarded inspiration if you succeed - meaning, you fulfilled your ideal and didn’t end up compromising your goals. You’ve validated your ideal and shown that it is in alignment with the way the world works.
If you give in to your character’s bond or flaw, putting your goals at risk, you get awarded inspiration if you fail - meaning, you acted in accordance with your bond or flaw, but ended up compromising your goals because of it. You gave up long-term plans to fulfill short-term needs.
Absent Players
Due to the nature of our game, it’s likely that we’ll have absent players pretty often. As you explore the wilds you’ll likely have a troupe of NPC travelers, or at least a guide. They’ll want to stay outside when you head into ancient ruins and dangerous areas. You’ll also want a place to store your ill-gotten goods and animals to carry all your loot. So, as you travel you’ll have a camp. Absent players will stay in camp, and if they end up absent while in a dangerous location, we’ll assume they went back to camp, or that they came in looking for the party if they were in camp, but are now present. We’ll probably have to wag this a bit if circumstances make going back and forth from camp unlikely.
I will not do anything to harm the PCs of absent players, and I will try to make sure they are always readily available for play the next session. However I won’t guarantee that the camp itself will always be safe. Largely it will, I think, but not always. If you’re really concerned about it you might want to hire guards.
I will adjust set encounters to make up for the varying size of the party. However not all encounters will be tailored fights, and I won’t be adjusting encounters which are not set. In fact, you probably won’t be able to fight and kill your way through everything in your path even with a full party. If there are thirty goblins in a lair, and you somehow alert all thirty goblins to your presence, you probably aren’t going to want to stay and fight that. Some encounters are meant to be thought through and carefully bypassed, though if you do manage to fight your way through it you’ll still get credit of course. It’s up to you to decide how you’ll work to achieve your goals, and you should keep your current party size in mind for that. But if it’s written into the story that you’ll fight such and such a boss monster, or we end a session at the start of a fight and suddenly you have half the number of people next session, I’ll adjust for that so you won’t just get slaughtered, and also so that you won’t just crush the guy if you suddenly have more people.
Experience
I’m not going to be giving away experience for killing monsters. Instead, I’m going to be giving experience for achieving goals. If you complete a story milestone or a side quest that was given to you, you’ll get experience. If you find a lair of goblins, head in, and take their treasure hoard, I’ll give you experience for that. Note that you don’t have to kill any goblins here - though that certainly is an option. You’ll also get experience for completing personal character goals.
In a way this is kind of like milestone leveling. Reaching a story milestone will certainly give you enough experience to gain a level, but you’ll also be able to get levels by completing side quests and personal goals, and you’ll be able to get stronger by taking the time to explore areas, getting treasure and saving random people. This also de-emphasizes killing monsters as a path for leveling. You’ll have more options to weigh risk vs reward, rather than the default option just being to kill everything you come across.
NPCs and Henchmen
NPCs can have levels and classes, like PCs do. If this is the case, they are treated exactly like PCs. However, the vast majority of NPCs are just regular people. As such, they do not have the resiliency that PCs do, and tend not to have special powers. Even those who delve into magic are limited in their personal reserves of power, and tend to have a narrow, specific access to spells.
Henchmen can be hired by PCs, and these are normal, regular people which must be protected by the party - if they had classes, levels and special powers, they’d be full party members, not henchmen. So why hire a general liability to an adventuring party? Usually, it’s because henchmen have special skills which the party lacks, or to haul their stuff. Soldiers and mercenaries can help fill out a party’s numbers, and can be quite useful in taking out hordes of lesser enemies if well equipped and well trained.
NPCs are Characters
NPCs can do all of the normal things a PC character can do: they can take actions, they can use items, and they can fight. They have opinions, desires and fears of their own. Henchmen may have willingly signed up to go into dangerous dungeons, but they also depend on the party to protect them. If they feel the danger is too real they’re likely to leave, contract or no.
Ability Checks and Saves
NPCs do not normally add bonuses to ability checks or saves. They just roll a d20 and take the result.
Special Abilities
NPCs have an ability listed in their stats which determines the focus of their skills. This can be the ability to cast spells, combat training or a set of expert skills. The details of the ability will be given in the statistics of the particular NPC.
Henchmen NPCs who have been through a lot of adventuring can gain an additional ability if the henchman survives an adventure, story arc or module. If he does so again, he can gain an additional ability or become promoted to a full retainer, at the DM’s option.
NPCs can be hired with greater abilities, but are much more costly.
Combat
Unless they are soldiers, mercenaries or toughs, NPCs tend to avoid combat (as any sane person would.) If forced to fight, the NPC can make an attack each round with damage based on the weapon he is wielding. NPCs receive no bonuses to the attack or damage.
Health
NPCs are not protected by years of experience or the luck of the gods. They do not have HP. When an NPC is attacked, if the the attack is successful, he gains the dying state as if he had been reduced to zero HP. If the NPC receives healing, he regains consciousness and can fight again. If the NPC receives greater than 10 damage from a single source he dies instantly. Instead of rolling each round when in the dying state, make one death saving throw at the end of combat to see whether the NPC lives or dies.
Spells which deal damage will deal half its total rolled damage on a failed save by the NPC (for determining if he dies instantly.) The NPC will take no damage on a success. NPCs always count as having 0 HP for spells that base their effects on remaining HP. High level spells, spells which deal damage without save such as magic missile and many area effect spells such as sleep are particularly effective against regular NPCs.
Armor Class
NPCs have a generic category of armor they wear, rather than having to keep track of each piece of gear. This system is an abstraction. An NPC might carry a shield, for instance, but it is not tracked separately from that NPC’s armor category. NPCs can be given different equipment, and the DM can either determine the new armor category, or can apply an appropriate AC bonus as normal. Note that even if using armor categories, the bonus from any magic items the NPC might be wearing is applied.
No Armor: AC10
Lightly Armored: AC13
Medium Armor: AC15
Heavy Armor: AC18
Morale
Unlike PCs, NPCs have a healthy sense of self preservation. Particularly fearsome monsters, powerful attacks, magic spells of third level or higher or the loss of their leader or half of their number will cause NPCs to suffer a morale check. The check is made either using their leader’s Charisma, or with no bonuses if they have no leader, against a DC of 13. Failure means the NPC is frightened, and will likely flee from the combat.
A leader can rally NPCs by making Charisma check DC of 15 as an action. If the check fails, the NPCs cannot be rallied again and will continue to flee.
Equipment
NPCs have normal equipment appropriate for their type. They can be given better equipment by the PCs. NPCs can carry items as if they had a Strength score of 10.
Magic
NPCs can equip magic items, and can use any effects of items which they would normally be able to use. Magic weapons provide their normal bonuses to attack and damage, and magic armor provides its magic bonus to the NPC’s AC, for instance, if the NPC is wearing +1 leather armor, that would be considered light armor with an AC of 13, but the magic provides a +1 bonus for a total AC of 14.
NPCs who can cast spells, are granted spells by some means, or use special abilities with a save use DC 13 as their save DC.
NPC Abilities
Combat Training
- Gain +2 to attacks, damage and saves.
- +2 to AC
- Each additional time an NPC takes this ability, increase the bonuses by 1.
Expertise
- Choose an area of expertise, such as wilderness survival, blacksmithing or burglary. When making checks that deal with the NPC’s area of expertise, gain +5 to that check.
- Each additional time an NPC takes this ability, increase the bonuses by 1 or choose a different area of expertise.
Spell Casting
- Choose a spell casting class. Choose three spells up to level 2 from that spell list. May cast any spell he knows twice per day, but only once per encounter.
- Each additional time an NPC takes this ability, increase the available level by 1 and choose another three spells.
Porter
- Can carry items as a Strength score of 16.
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