Rule changes

Ability Scores Intelligence - For each point of modifier a character has they may choose a specialization of a skill they have proficiency in. Rolls for a specific specialization gain a +1 bonus. A single skill can only have 2 specializations in it. Circumstances where multiple specializations apply do not grant cumulative bonuses.
Alignment Unaligned - creatures count as True Neutral in all ways, save that their alignment can never change. Only Constructs, Oozes, Plants, Beasts, and Mindless or Intellectually stunted creatures can be unaligned
Classes Clerics and Paladins Alignment matching with your divine patron (if you have one) is not required. Choose any deity and manipulate their tenants to match your character's world views or alignment.
Rouges Rogues may only sneak attack constructs, undead, oozes, and aberrations if they are carrying a Vulnerability component pouch. The pouch comes in any thieves tools kit. It contains items like red clay, grave dust, blessed salt in essence of wolfbane oil, whetstones with flakes of silver and gold, a red powder, and crystal dust.

Wizard and Druids Wizards and Druids may not use Foci to replace the use of Spell Components from a Spell component pouch. Spell component pouches only contain the components for spells they know until they pay to restock them. Archwizards and Archdruids (lvl 15 or higher) may use their tome/piece of nature, respectively, as a focus to replace components. Non-costly Spell components for specific spells may be exchanged if they're learned as a result of leveling. (And not found or copied, in the wizard's case)
[Spells with Component information](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KSibOeWub0_f79GYSnMu7om8kWwog1ob8dRY9LLoDAE/edit#gid=0)
Damage/Death
Critical Hits When you roll a Critical Hit you may choose between dealing the additional dice for higher damage, or in place of damage, may choose to try and inflict a negative status effect on them as determined by the type of damage you deal, the amount of damage and health they have left, and the DM's choice.
Possible effects include broken arms, continual bleeding, maiming of nerve clusters, or other painful and traumatizing harm.

Falling Damage Falling damage is taken according to the height fallen from, and requires a save to determine how the falling creature is affected. Refer to the table below:

Height (ft)	Check/Save	Save DC	Failure Effect	Success Effect
10-30	Acrobatics/Athletics	10 + 2/10ft	1d6 damage/10ft	No damage
40-50	Acrobatics/Athletics	20	Unconscious (-1 Death Save)	3d6 damage
50+	Constitution	20	Dead	1d6 damage/10ft (max 20d6)
200+	Constitution	25	Dead	Dying(-1 Death Save)
1000+	Constitution	30	Dead	Dying(-2 Death Save)

Massive Damage
In addition to the normal rules for instant death (neg. max hp), whenever a Critical Hit would knock you unconscious you must make a Massive Damage CON save DC 15. Failure indicates you die instantly. Regardless if you save or fail you have a difficult to heal scar that represents this wound.
If you would inflict 50% of an enemy's HP, or inflict Massive Damage onto an enemy that is Immune to that damage type you still stun them for 1 round.
If you are instantly killed from massive damage there is a 5% chance you are only revivable by a Divine Intervention, True Resurrection, or a Wish
Encumbrance We will be using the Encumbrance tier variant rules as described in the *Player's Handbook* and used in Immanuel's campaign.
Healing There are no healing potions in this campaign. Although wands that grant healing abilities may exist they are rare or hidden away by those in power that may have use of them, or are lost in the darker places in the world.   Most people also only have 2 death saving throws and take 8 hour "short rests" to use Hit die, and 1 week "long rests" to heal 50% of their HP and regain Hit Die. There is a losable way around this that will be covered in game.
Initiative You use the lower of Dexterity or Wisdom when rolling for initiative.
Resurrection and Revival Resurrection spells, such as Raise Dead, are more involved. There is a chance of failure modified by 3 *sacrifices* presented during the casting of the spell. The DM then rolls. The base DC is 10, successful sacrifices subtract a minimum of 2 from this - although the DM can increase the number- and each death the creature has suffered through increases the DC by 1 or more. The DC also increases based on events leading up to death and the character's mental state. If successful the caster then must roll a check (1d20+Proficiency+Casting Modifier+Spell Level of resurrecting spell) against a DC 25. If it is a Failure the resurrected creature remembers vividly every detail of their death and every cold and dark moment between mortality and eternity. The resurrected character must make a Save (Deteremined by the Mental Score they have proficiency in) against a DC 20 (-1 for every previous failure), or develop trauma from these memories.
The Revivify spell does not require a ritual, however the resurrected only has a move action on their turns until they pass a DC 15 Mental Score save.
True Resurrection and Reincarnation cannot fail. True Resurrection still requires a Caster Check to avoid trauma. Reincarnation does not.
Special Actions
Grapple You can attempt to grapple creatures 2 category sizes larger than you if you have > 20 Strength/Dexterity, although you are at Disadvantage.
For prolonged grapples, where both members wish to pin the other but there has not been an obvious victor after 10 rounds, both combatants must start making Constitution saves to continue
Opportunity attacks You may only take an opportunity attack if the target leaves a 5ft increment of your attack reach. So a Large creature with a reach of 10 could not attack a creature within 5ft circling around it, but if that creature tried to flee he could take his attack when the creature left 5ft or 10ft.
Spells
Positive /Negative Energy Cure wounds spells are Positive Energy and hurt the undead, and Inflict wounds spells are Negative Energy and heal them. Otherwise spells that deal Radiant or Necrotic damage are left the same unless someone requests a ruling on a specific spell.
Communing Commune spells are never answered directly by your deity but instead take some result through coincidental remarks from someone nearby, or strange courier services, or some other method. You get your answer but its always a tad unclear to anyone but you if it was really divine
Identifying Spells such as Identify or Legend Lore when cast on specific objects, creatures, or locations may inflict temporary madness.
Weapons and Armors
Magic Magical weapons and armor are intended to be incredibly rare and valuable in this setting. Something that extraordinarily powerful Rulers or their courtiers might use and lose with their eventual death. I intend to eventually present you with some - but don't plan you character expecting them. (I don't expect this, honestly, but I'm being cautious)
Crafting Materials Gold, Silver, Obsidian, Greenweave, and Mourningsteel are the most common of the below materials and they tend to be bogarted by the rich, knowledgeable, or powerful. Mentions of location and rarity of material in the linked file's descriptions are incorrect, or lies told to manipulate the innocent or foolish.

**Silver** weapons can bypass Damage Reduction on some creatures. For example: Therianthropes, Devils, and certain undead (Wraiths, Vampires)

**Gold** weapons bypass Damage Reduction on some creatures and deal double damage (2x dice) to them, but uses a damage dice 1 smaller than standard. For example: Shapeshifters (non-therianthrope), certain undead (Vampires).

**Cold Iron** is meteoric or deep earth pure iron that is beaten into bands and then shaped into weapons or armor through folding or rolling the thinned sheets. Weapons bypass Fey, Demon, and some Aberration Damage Reduction as if it were Magical. When you Crit on a creature affected by Cold Iron they take max dice damage. Cold Iron armor grants you Advantage to resist effects, magical or mundane, that would Deceive or Charm you. Actually making it magical by design is a rare feat usually requiring vast investment of resources.

[These Materials](https://imgur.com/a/OYYW5), included at the end of this document, with the following caveats:

**Adamantine** weapons: Ignore resistance against non-magical piercing/slashing/bludgeoning damage.

**Hoodoo Loam:** Weapons created from the material absorb elements of slain creatures spirits, increasing the difficulty of their revival unless the caster obtains the material with the spirit stored. Armor will trap elements of the spirit of the wearer. If a caster has the Hoodoo loam, however, all checks made relating to resurrection are done with advantage. It has similar benefits for activities requiring the capture, containment, and consumption of souls.

**Mourningsteel armor:** If swallowed the creature must make a DC 13 Constitution check or vomit you up at the beginning of its of its turns, separate from damage, due to an unusual prickling sensation from the edges of armor.

**Obsidian** weapons: Require a Dexterity check DC 13 or break on a Critical miss. On a fail they deal their base weapon damage to you from shattering shards. On a Critical Hit the weapon deals a Die of damage one smaller than the weapon’s base at the start of the affected foe’s turn until a Medicine(Wisdom) check is made or magical healing is applied.(Example - A longsword crits and deals 1d6 damage at the beginning of the enemy creature’s following turn until its healed)

**Stormphrax:** Doesn’t possess the stunning effect, instead grants Disadvantage on the next Dexterity or Strength check/save

**Skybough Amber** is not available