5e Variant Rules - Optional RAW and Homebrew
This article lists the nonstandard D&D 5e variant rules used in Lidoc, coming from both published books (Optional RAW) and homebrew material. Feedback on all rules is welcome and subject to change to make the game work better for everyone playing.
Luck a is a new ability score used to determine whether external circumstances are in your favour or against you.
Luck rolls may be called for by the Dungeon Master when circumstances external to a character are in question, and also when determining the fickle hand of fate. If, for example, a character wants to know if there is an item lying nearby that they could use as weapon, or if the lantern they have found has any oil left in it, then call for a Luck roll. Note that if a skill is more appropriate to a situation then it should be used rather than Luck. To succeed in a Luck roll, the player must roll equal to or under their current Luck value.
If the Dungeon Master calls for a Group Luck roll, the player whose character has the lowest Luck score (among those present in the scene) should make the roll.
A character cannot benefit from short-term care more than once per long rest.
This optional rule prolongs the amount of time that characters need to recover from their wounds without the benefits of magical healing and works well for grittier, more realistic campaigns.
Ability Scores
Determining Ability Scores
Homebrew, taken and inspired by various internet resources There are a variety of methods available to determine Ability Scores, please see the main article here .Luck
Homebrew, taken from Call of Cthulhu, 7th Edition See the main article for luck and how to use it here.Luck a is a new ability score used to determine whether external circumstances are in your favour or against you.
Luck rolls may be called for by the Dungeon Master when circumstances external to a character are in question, and also when determining the fickle hand of fate. If, for example, a character wants to know if there is an item lying nearby that they could use as weapon, or if the lantern they have found has any oil left in it, then call for a Luck roll. Note that if a skill is more appropriate to a situation then it should be used rather than Luck. To succeed in a Luck roll, the player must roll equal to or under their current Luck value.
If the Dungeon Master calls for a Group Luck roll, the player whose character has the lowest Luck score (among those present in the scene) should make the roll.
Racial Ability Score Modifiers
You may adjust your races ability score modifiers once, by subtracting 1 from one of the positive racial ability score modifiers and adding it to any other standard ability score that doesn't already have a positive racial ability score modifier. For example, if you were to play a High Elf you would normally have +2 Dexterity and +1 Intelligence. You could remove 1 point from either Dexterity or Intelligence and add it to any other of the standard ability scores.Action Options
Climb onto a Bigger Creature
Dungeon Master's Guide, p271 If one creature wants to jump onto another creature, it can do so by grappling. A small or Medium creature has little chance of making a successful grapple against a Huge or Gargantuan creature, however, unless magic has granted the grappler supernatural might. As an alternative, a suitably large opponent can be treated as terrain for the purpose of jumping onto its back or clinging to a limb. After making any ability checks necessary to get into position and onto the larger creature, the smaller creature uses its action to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the target's Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If it wins the contest, the smaller creature successfully moves into the target creature's space, the smaller creature moves with the target and has advantage on attack rolls against it. The smaller creature can move around within the larger creature's space, treating the space as difficult terrain. The larger creature's ability to attack the smaller creature depends on the smaller creature's location, and is left to your discretion. The larger creature can dislodge the smaller creature as an action—knocking it off, scraping it against a wall, or grabbing and throwing it—by making a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the smaller creature's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. The smaller creature chooses which ability to use.Delay
Homebrew, inspired by Dungeons and Dragons, 3.5 By choosing to delay, you take no action and then act normally on whatever initiative count you decide to act. When you delay, you voluntarily reduce your own initiative result for the rest of the combat. When your new, lower initiative count comes up later in the same round, you can act normally. You can specify this new initiative result or just wait until some time later in the round and act then, thus fixing your new initiative count at that point. You never get back the time you spend waiting to see what’s going to happen. You can’t, however, interrupt anyone else’s action (as you can with a readied action). Initiative Consequences of Delaying. Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the delayed action. If you come to your next action and have not yet performed an action, you don’t get to take a delayed action (though you can delay again). If you take a delayed action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your initiative count rises to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your regular action that round. Using your Reaction. When you delay, you will count as not having taken your turn yet. If you had not previously used your reaction then you may still do so, if you had used your reaction already then you cannot use your reaction again until after you decide to act and take your turn.Disarm
Dungeon Master's Guide, p271 A creature can use a weapon attack to knock a weapon or another item from a target's grasp. The attacker makes an attack roll contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) check or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the attacker wins the contest, the attack causes no damage or other ill effect, but the defender drops the item. The attacker has disadvantage on its attack roll if the target is holding the item with two or more hands. The target has advantage on its ability check if it is larger than the attacking creature, or disadvantage if it is smaller.Grapple
Homebrew Attacking in a Grapple. While you are grappling another creature or are subject to the Grappled condition you can attack with a natural weapon or a weapon with the Light property as normal, you have disadvantage if you attack with other weapons, and are incapable of attacking with weapons that have the Heavy property. Automatic Damage in a Grapple. When a creature's attack has an extra effect to attempt start a grapple (ex. constrict, bite, etc.), then on subsequent turns they deal damage for that attack without having to roll the attack. Pinning a Creature. If you are grappling a creature then you can use your action to attempt to pin it by succeeding on an opposed grapple check. If you do, both you and the other creature are restrained until you release the pin or they escape. Escaping a Pin. You attempt to escape a pin the same way as you would to escape a grapple, but if you succeed in escaping the pin you are still grappled. If you succeed on the opposed Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check by more than 10 then you escape the pin AND the grapple.Help - Flanking
Homebrew - Inspired by flanking rules in Dungeon Master's Guide When you are flanking an enemy with an ally (you and your ally are on directly opposite sides of an enemy), you may use the Help action as a bonus action to aid them. You feint, distract the target, or in some other way team up to make your ally’s Attack more effective. If your ally attacks the target before your next turn, the first Attack roll is made with advantage. This decision was made in regards to the optional flanking rules in the Dungeon Master's Guide being deemed too powerful, as well as the flanking rules from Dungeons and Dragons, 3.5, in regards to the bounded accuracy/armor class. This provides some rewards for teamwork and positioning, but is balanced by the amount of benefit it costs as well as at the action economy expense of a bonus action.Overrun
Dungeon Master's Guide, p272 When a creature tries to move through a hostile creature's space, the mover can try to force its way through by overrunning the hostile creature. As an action or a bonus action, the mover makes a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the hostile creature's Strength (Athletics) check. The creature attempting the overrun has advantage on this check if it is larger than the hostile creature, or disadvantage if it is smaller. If the mover wins the contest, it can move through the hostile creature's space once this turn.Shove Aside
Dungeon Master's Guide, p272 With this option, a creature uses the special shove attack from the Player's Handbook to force a target to the side, rather than away. The attacker has disadvantage on its Strength (Athletics) check when it does so. If that check is successful, the attacker moves the target 5 feet to a different space within its reach.Tumble
Dungeon Master's Guide, p272 A creature can try to tumble through a hostile creature's space, ducking and weaving past the opponent. As an action or a bonus action, the tumbler makes a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the hostile creature's Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the tumbler wins the contest, it can move through the hostile creature's space once this turn.Attunement
Option 1 - Testing
Homebrew Instead of being able to attune to 3 items, players have a pool of attunement points equal to double their proficiency bonus. When attuning to an item, they use up a number of attunement points in accordance with their strength and rarity. The combined total of attunement points of all their attuned items cannot exceed their attunement pool. When attempting to do so, a character chooses whether the new attunement fails, or which item they are no longer attuned to.| Rarity | Attunement Points Used |
|---|---|
| Uncommon | 1 |
| Rare | 2 |
| Very Rare | 3 |
| Legendary | 4 |
Option 2 - Testing
Homebrew Instead of being able to attune to 3 items, players may attune to a number of items equal to their proficiency bonus.Crafting
Major changes to base crafting rules to enhance usability (speed of crafting items, especially magic items is far too slow). In interim, speak to DM to work something.Feats
Please see the separate Feats article here.Healing
Short-Term Care
Homebrew A character can forego their benefits on a short rest in order to provide a higher level of care in tending another character's wounds. They must either use a charge from a healer's kit or be proficient with a herbalism kit and have a collection of medicinal herbs on hand, to treat one other character for the duration of the short rest. At the end of the short rest they can attempt a DC 15 medicine check, (with advantage if proficient with an herbalism kit). A success allows the character receiving care to receive the benefit of spending 1 Hit Dice without actually expending it.A character cannot benefit from short-term care more than once per long rest.
Potions of Healing
Homebrew When characters consume potions of healing they always heal for the maximum amount of hit points. As with all potions and oils (see below), if you have a free hand and they are readily accessible then using/applying them only requires a bonus action.Slow Natural Healing
Dungeon Master's Guide, p267 Characters don't regain hit points at the end of a long rest. Instead, a character can spend Hit Dice to heal at the end of a long rest, just as with a short rest.This optional rule prolongs the amount of time that characters need to recover from their wounds without the benefits of magical healing and works well for grittier, more realistic campaigns.
