Homebrew Setting Variants

This is a world where the typical safety net is missing, and the risk of death is much greater. The world is a grittier world than the standard sword-and-sorcery dnd setting. Magic is less predictable, and combat is fraught with danger. This has a few effects on the game mechanics.

Level cap

There are no high level adventurers or casters within this world, as the power is restricted by the dying Lifeforce and The Weave which is deteriorating. This results in a level cap at level 6. The reason for this is that many classes recieve a major class benefit at this level, but it's not so powerful that death isn't a very real possiblility. It still falls into the early tier 2 of play, but the highest spell slots available to any class are 3rd level spells. Whenever the character would level up after reaching the level cap, the character can choose between either an Ability Score Improvement, a Feat, or (for spell casters) an additional spell slot of a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or one 4th level spell slot. They can have no more than one 4th level spell slot using this addition.

Magic

With the slow deteriation of The Weave magic is less consistent and has areas of low or dead magic. To reflect this within the magic mechanics, an aditional rule is added to all arcane spellcasters. This includes Bards, Sorcerers, Wizards, and Warlocks, as well as subclasses like the Eldritch Knight fighter and Arcane Trickster Rogue. Whenever these classes cast a leveled spell that uses a spell slot, they must roll a d20. On a 1, they have a wild effect similar to a Wild Magic Surge for Wild Magic Sorcerers. Meanwhile, for Wild Magic Sorcerers where magic is already unpredictable, the Wild Magic Surge has an increasing DC. It starts at 5 on a 1d100, the same percentage chance as a nat 1 on a d20. Whenever you successfully cast a spell without a wild magic surge, you add 1 + the spell level to the DC. The DC resets when a wild magic surge triggers.

Lingering Injuries

Falling in combat is often seen as a mild inconvenience rather than the very dramatic and traumatic consequence that it is. To correct this, a homebrewed variation of lingering injuries has been added. When the character takes a critical hit, or falls to 0 hit points but isn't killed outright, that character suffers one exhaustion point. Exhaustion points function as normal:

Exhaustion Points	Effects
1	Disadvantage on Ability Checks
2	Speed halved, plus above effect
3	Disadvantage on Attack rolls and Saving Throws, plus all above effects
4	Hit point maximum halved, plus all above effects
5	Speed reduced to 0, plus all above effects
6	Death

Exhaustion can be removed one point at a time by taking a long rest.

Gritty Rest Variant (homebrewed)

With the Lifeforce and The Weave weakening on the planet, recharging abilities is not as easy as it once was and takes more time to do so than normal. Using this variant of rest, a short rest is increased to 8 hours, and a long rest is increased to 24 hours. However, each day, the first short rest a character takes acts as it normally would, lasting only 1 hour.
A short rest is a period of downtime during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds. Hit Dice can be spent as normal, up to the character’s maximum number of Hit Dice. Spending a hit dice allows the character to heal an amount equal to the dice rolled plus their constitution modifier. The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll. A character regains half of their spent hit dice, rounded down, upon finishing a long rest.
A long rest is a period of extended downtime during which a character rests and recuperates. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity—such as long periods of travel, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity—the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it. At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points, half of their spent hit dice rounded down, and one exhaustion point if they have any. A character must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits.

Death and Resurrection

Resurrection spells are not an easy thing to achieve in this world of weakened magic. Not only are there very few people who can cast such powerful magic, but even those that can cannot guarantee success. When a resurrection spell or spell effect with a casting time longer than one action is cast on a dead creature, a resurrection challenge is started. Three members of the present adventuring party can offer to contribute to the ritual using skill checks. These skill checks are based on the role play scenario they use to ask the soul of the fallen character to return. Their performace of their skill check sets the DC of how impactful the DM feels the contribution was in convincing the soul to return. After all three offerings are made, the DM rolls a final check with no modifiers. The DC is 10 plus the number of times the character has been resurrected. Each successful offering made by the party members decreases the DC by 3, whilst each failure increases it by 1. Upon a successful resurrection check, the soul, should it be willing, returns to the body and the resurrection is a success. Otherwise, the soul doen't return, and the character is lost.
However, resurrection is a very difficult ordeal, and often results in some minor complications or side effects:

1d100	Result
1	The resurrection ritual works, but your body is put into a comatose state for 1d12 days.
2	You return with 1d6-1 points of exhaustion.
3	Another soul latched onto you during the resurrection, and can communicate with you telepathically. The nature and identity of this soul is determined by the DM.
4	You suffer a long term madness effect (page 260, DMG)
5	You encountered many creatures that you had slain in the afterlife. It was an eye-opening experience, for better or for worse
6	You had been sent to your version of hell after you died. After seeing what waits for you beyond, it would be better if you never returned for as long as possible.
7	You suffer from a short term madness effect (page 259, DMG)
8	The next undead you see is someone you recognise from the afterlife when you were dead.
9	Animals react oddly to your presence, often with fear or distrust.
10	Your skin is unnaturally cold and pale.
11	You suffer from a painful wound as a result of your death that never fully heals.
12	You are resurrected with a small brand on the back of your hand that only those who have been resurrected can see, and know that something has claimed you. The identity of this entity is determined by the DM.
13	You feel something is calling to you in the back of your mind, and know it will continue until you find the source.
14	Crypts and grave give strange comfort to you, and make you feel a little tired.
15	Returning to life is like a second chance, and nothing should be taken for granted. You find renewed pleasure in the things life offers.
16	The resurrection ritual works, but your mind is muddled, you can’t focus or think straight. You have disadvantage on wisdom, charisma, and intelligence checks for 1d6+1 days.
17	Undead can sense that you have died, and will ignore you unless you attack them first.
18	You return with a phobia related to how you died, whether that be the monster or the method.
19	You struggle to remember the people who were familiar to you for 1d10 days.
20	Death isn't as scary after you've already died before. This increases recklessness, because death is no longer an unknown.
21	You aren't as in-sync with your body as you once was, and you leave a ghostly trail behind you as you move because of this lag.
22	Part of you still resided in the land of the dead, and every night in your dreams, you go back there. When taking a long rest, roll 1d20. On a 1, you wake up screaming and only get the benefits of a short rest.
23	Your reflection appears to be a rotting corpse. Only those who have been resurrected see this.
24	Everything you eat for 1d10 days has the texture of ash.
25	Being resurrected was the worse pain imaginable. Knowing this, it's hard to stand by and let others experience the same.
26	You was bound to be reincarnated when you was resurrected. This disruption of the cycle causes you to dream of the life you was going to have had you not have been resurrected. The dreams stop when you find the people who were due to be your parents in your new life.
27	You gained insight into your family history from meeting your ancestors, and found out it's not as you thought.
28	Regaining senses after dying is very overwhelming, but alcohol and other intoxicants help to numb that to more reasonable levels.
29	You constantly feel like a shadowy, hooded figure is watching you from your peripheral vision, but is gone when you turn to look. You have a feeling that it is an embodiment of death, coming to collect you.
30	A devil held your soul when you was dead, and you was only allowed to be resurrected after you made a deal with this devil.
31	Everybody that was not directly involved in your resurrection doesn't recognise you, and talks about you as if you are still dead.
32	When a creature dies within 60 feet of you, roll 1d20. On a 1, take 1d4 psychic damage as your soul attempts to follow that creature back to the afterlife. This lasts 1d10 days.
33	When sleeping you appear dead to a casual observer. You barely breath, and your heartbeat cannot be felt.
34	You awaken from death screaming and continues to do so until you pass out. When conciousness is regained no memory remains of why.
35	You no longer cast a shadow.
36	You can no longer see your reflection, but only those who have been resurrected see this.
37	Every night, you dream of how you died over and over, as if on repeat.
38	In death, you met a person who had been murdered but their murder is unresolved. Returning to life, you feel compelled to help solve the murder of the person you met.
39	Your heart no longer beats, or if it does it is undetectabl. Your natural rhythm is affected. You no longer feel alive.
40	You can sense fiends, undead, and celestials from 30 feet away as an action once a day, similar to the Paladin's Divine Sense ability, but they can also sense you.
41	You caught a glimpse of the fabric of time, and learnt of something terrible to come that you shouldn't know yet.
42	You feel paranoid that the demons lurk in the shadows to try and take your soul.
43	The God of Death only released you and let you be resurrected after you paid a terrible price. Someone you knew had to die in your place.
44	Unknown to the cleric, your resurrection was the result of a deal made with a powerful being long ago by either you or one of your ancestors. Now, you are aware that being will be coming to collect their payment.
45	You feel an uncomfortable urge to move away whenever you see your name being written, as if under the Antipathy effects of the Antipathy/Sympathy spell.
46	Your resurrection was accompanied by an odd weather phenomena, which repeats near you on the anniversary of your resurrection.
47	You lose 1 point of constitution due to a greater succeptability to infections or diseases, which can be regained with a greater restoration.
48	Colours appear less vibrant to you than they once were.
49	Crows seem to be attracted to you, and follow you around.
50	Beyond the veil, there is nothing but darkness. Darkness is now either a source of comfort or dread.
51	When you awoke, there was an unfamiliar name stuck in your mind. You know that whoever that person is, you must kill them before you run out of borrowed time, or your soul is forfeit.
52	Any physical offerings made during the resurrection become increadably sentimental, and you cannot willingly give up the items.
53	Your shadow appears to shred and eat the shadows of others, but only those who have been resurrected can see it.
54	You see yourself in the state that you was in at the moment that you died whenever you see your reflection.
55	After spending time in the afterlife, the material plane feels more like a really bad dream than reality.
56	You have no memory of what happened after you died, or even the details of how you died.
57	Worms and maggots appear from below you when you stand on loose soil for too long.
58	Your eyes are sensitive to the sun for 1d4 days. While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, and wisdom (perception) checks that rely on sight.
59	Your eyes appear cloudy and dead to others, though you suffer no ill effect from it.
60	You sometimes forget that you need to breathe, resulting in sudden gasping when you eventually remember.
61	You no longer bleed properly, with your blood resembling a thick sludge rather than blood.
62	Babies cry when approached by you, growing hysterical if you touch them.
63	The air around you grows slightly colder and darker, and feels very ominous.
64	You emit a putrid smell that never seems to go away, no matter how clean you are. Strong perfumes can be used to mask the scent.
65	You lose your ability to reproduce, because death still has a claim to your soul and the dead cannot produce new life.
66	By resurrecting and breaking the natural cycle, you have gained the attention of a powerful being, like a god or a powerful fiend. This being wishes to return you to the afterlife one way or the other.
67	You gain an unusual food craving for 1d4 days after being resurrected.
68	Your skin appears to slowly rot over the course of the day, resetting at dawn.
69	Flowers appear to wilt faster around you, whilst mushrooms and other fungus seem to grow faster and healthier.
70	Dust falls from you more than normal wherever you go.
71	Canines see you as a pile of bones, and often try to "play" with your bones.
72	You often find very the bodies of dead small creatures, like mice or song birds, near you after you sleep.
73	You feel like there are worms crawling under your skin as a result of your resurrection.
74	Your time in the afterlife felt like an eternity. You awaken with a sense of loss, clutching silver ring. The ring dissapates if you put it on.
75	You return with memories from 1d6-1 past lives, and believe them to be your own. Work with your DM to determine the details of these memories.
76	You had been reincarnated briefly as an animal before your resurrection, and now have a deeper understanding of that animal. You're able to communicate and understand that species, and they can understand you. The topics are very simple in nature and related to things of importance to that animal.
77	Your resurrection was a life-changing experience, and it has shaken your faith, for better or worse. Whether you was religious or not, the experience has either enboldened or weakened your faith or lack-there-of. Work with your DM to determine the effects of this experience.
78	You always know the direction of the place where you died, and feel a pull towards it.
79	Your emotions have been dulled from your resurrection, and it takes more to get an emotional reaction from you.
80	Death is the punchline to a life-long joke, and you finally get the joke. Being revived means you can laugh at the joke that no-one else but those who have been revived can get.
81	When you died, you became more in tune with the Lifeforce of the world. You are able to better see the ebb and flow, like very powerful druids and magic beings do. You are able to cast Speak with Plants once a day in areas where the Lifeforce is still strong and vibrant.
82	When you died, you became more in tune with the Lifeforce of the world. You are able to better see the ebb and flow, like very powerful druids and magic beings do. You are able to cast Speak with Animals once a day in areas where the Lifeforce is still strong and vibrant.
83	You can hear the voices of the dead all around you, due to part of you still being attached to their world. Once a day, you can try to learn useful information from them by focusing on the voices for 1 minute.
84	You look exactly the same as you did before, but your family no longer recognizes you.
85	You wake up with sleep paralysis and the feeling of a hand round your neck for a few minutes each morning. You hallucinate a shadowy beast sitting on your chest, and feel paralysed except for your eyes.
86	You have a craving for raw meat, and gain the ability to digest such a meal.
87	You feel a stong bond connection between you and the person who revives you, as if they are your best friend. Protecting them is very important, and their word holds a lot of sway to you.
88	A slight spectral halo, horns, or glow is visible from your head, dependant on your alignment.
89	You wake up every night with tears in your eyes, but don't remember why.
90	Your tears are now made of blood.
91	You always feel like you are slowly fading away and being forgotten, even when presented with evidence to the contrary.
92	You find great pleasure in the small things in life, having a second chance to experience it.
93	When you died, the only regret you had is that you didn't see more of the world. Now that you've been resurrected, your sense of wonderlust is greatly increased.
94	You always feel hungry, no matter how much you eat.
95	When sleeping, your body tends to wander with a mind of it's own if left to it's own devices. Roll 1d4. On a 1, the body moves in a random direction; On a 2, the body moves in a straight line towards the location of where you died; On a 3, the body moves in a straight line towards the location of where you was resurrected; On a 4, the body stands vacantly and doesn't walk around. This can be prevented by simple restraints applied just before sleeping.
96	The magic that allowed your resurrection didn't quite disappear, and spells like Detect Magic can still detect the magic flowing through you. In cases where information is gained by the caster, your resurrection is revealed. The magic within you causes your unarmed strikes to be considered magical. You are also able to touch or restrain incorporeal beings like ghost.
97	Your experience with the afterlife has blurred your ability to differenciate different genders by traditional standards.
98	Things that once brought you pleasure, like food and drink, now pale in comparison to what you have experienced in the afterlife.
99	You had been sent to your version of heaven after you died, without any pain or fear, and surrounded by past loved ones. It's hard returning to a body after that.
00	You suffered no ill effects from the resurrection, this time.