House Rules in Sylvania | World Anvil
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House Rules

 

General

Dice Rolling

Rolling in roll20 is optional. Feel free to roll with your favorite physical dice.

Character Sheets

Tracking your character in roll20 is optional. You can use whichever method your prefer, just keep it possible to send me a copy when asked. Photos of paper sheets are fine.

Inspiration

You may spend your inspiration on any ability check, saving throw, or attack roll for any character, so long as you declare it before the roll. Inspiration belongs to players, not characters, so you may use it regardless of if your character understands the situation or is even present.

Inspiration can be used for some meta purposes, such as requesting a hint for a puzzle or tricky situation.

Adventuring

Long Rests

Upon completing a long rest, you may regain all spent hit dice.

Moonlight Brightness

On any night on Sylvania where the moon's phase is after the first quarter (◗) and before the third quarter (◖), unobstructed moonlight provides dim light. Otherwise, it is considered darkness.

Equipment

Ammo Tracking

Most of the time, don’t bother tracking basic arrows and other ammo. Assume you buy/recover enough basic ammo to get through a typical adventure. However, any ammo that’s worth more than 5cp (1gp per 20 ammo) each still to be tracked.

Sleeping in Armor

Upon completing a long rest where you slept in armor weighing over 20lbs, you do not recover any levels of exhaustion.

Tools

Any time you wish to use a tool, you may need to roll a skill check. If you are proficient in both the skill and the tool, you may roll with advantage and include your proficiency bonus (use twice your proficiency bonus if you have expertise in either).

Mithril Armor

Nonmagical armor made of mithril carries the same properties as the base armor, but with the following adjustments.

  • The armor does not provide disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks
  • For medium armor, the maximum Dexterity bonus increases by 1
  • For heavy armor, the required Strength score decreases by 1
  • The cost is multiplied by 4
  • The weight is divided by 4
  • For effects that treat magical armor differently than non-magical, this armor is considered magical

Identifying Magic Items

Even without using the Identify spell, you may still be able to learn some information about magic items.

After spending one hour experimenting with the item, which may be part of a short or long rest, make an Intelligence (Arcana) check. If you are attuned to the item, you have advantage on the check. You may identify a number of properties for the item based on the result of your check. Refer to the tables below for example properties and the DC needed to identify them. If you fail a DC, you are aware that there are more properties to identify (not including curses).

You must complete a long rest before you can try identifying the same item again.

Properties Base DC
Minor
  • Rarity
  • Requires attunement
  • Consumes/regains charges
  • Applies flat bonus to attack/damage rolls
5
Major
  • Cast one or more spells
  • Increases an ability score
  • Always adds extra dice to damage rolls
  • Requires conditional attunement
10
Unique
  • Conditionally adds extra dice to damage rolls
  • Causes status effects on failed saving throws
  • Provides damage resistances/immunities
  • Creates effects not possible with spells
15
Curse
  • Bestows a curse upon using or attuning
20
Rarity DC Modifier
Common +0
Uncommon +5
Rare +10
Very Rare +15
Legendary +20
Artifact Impossible

Identifying Potions

A simple taste is enough to learn how a potion might work, with the exception of poisons.

Identifying Spell Scrolls

You know the name of the spell on a spell scroll if

  • The spell is on your class's spell list
  • Or you are proficient in Arcana and succeed a passive Intelligence (Arcana) check. The DC equals 12 + the spell's level

You know how to cast the spell on a spell scroll if

  • The spell is on your class's spell list for your level in that class
  • Or you spend one hour learning from a creature who knows how to cast the spell
  • Or at the time of casting, you succeed on an Intelligence (Arcana) check. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. If you fail, the scroll becomes unusable

Combat

Critical Hit Damage

Damage from critical hits are calculated using the roll+max method, meaning you roll normally then add the maximum value of all your normal damage dice. For example, if the normal damage is 2d6+5, then the critical damage is 2d6+5(+12). Any abilities that add dice to critical damage (e.g. Savage Attacks) are rolled normally.

Extra Attack and Readied Actions

If available, you may use an Extra Attack or Multiattack feature when it's not your turn if you specifically hold it as a readied action. Enemies may do the same.

Estimating Distance with Elevation

To measure distance between points of different elevations, find the floor distance and the elevation difference, then take the larger distance and add half the smaller distance. Examples:

  • If the floor distance is 60 ft. and the elevation difference is 20ft., the total distance is 60 + (20/2) = 70 ft.
  • If the floor distance is 30 ft. and the elevation difference is 40ft., the total distance is 40 + (30/2) = 55 ft.

Identifying Spells

You know a spell is being cast and may identify it if

  • You can perceive at least one of the spell's component
  • Or you can sense the presense of magic around the spellcaster, such as with the Detect Magic spell

You know the name of a spell if

  • The spell is on your class's spell list for your level in that class
  • Or you succeed a passive Intelligence (Arcana/Religion) check. The DC equals 12 + the spell's level

You know the slot level and any metamagic of a spell if

  • You succeed a passive Intelligence (Arcana/Religion) check. The DC equals 13 + the level of the spell slot used to cast the spell

Drinking Potions

You may spend an action or bonus action to drink a potion. It still requires an action to feed a potion to someone else.

Feat Rulings

Shield Master

Replace the first bulleted sentence with "When you take an Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to try to shove a creature within 5 feet of you with your shield. You can use this benefit at any time during the Attack action."

Reason: reduces ambiguity for when the benefit can trigger

Spell Rulings

Healing Spirit

Immediately after the healing effect triggers 10 times, the spell ends.

Reason: balances the amount of healing this spell can do in-combat vs. out-of-combat

Protection form Evil and Good

Change the material component to "25gp worth of holy water or powdered silver and iron, which the spell does not consume".

Reason: The spell by RAW consumes either holy water or powered silver, so you cannot use a spellcasting focus or component pouch. Since it doesn't specify how much is consumed per casting, it's unclear how much you need to buy. My adjustment just requires you have a single vial of holy water or an equivalent amount of powered silver.

Vicious Mockery

Interpret "If the target can hear you," as "If the sound of your voice can physically reach the target,".

Reason: removes the question of if a creature has the physiology for hearing

Resurrections

Our rules for resurrections are based off of Critical Role's, but with some adjustments and clarifications.

Except with the most powerful of magic, resurrecting a dead character has a chance of failure. When attempting to resurrect a character with a spell or feature, refer to the following table on how to proceed.

Type of Resurrection Spell/Feature
Rapid Resurrection Revivify
Communal Resurrection

Raise Dead

Reincarnate

Resurrection

Wish (8th-level)

Guaranteed Resurrection

Divine Intervention

True Resurrection

Wish (9th-level)

Rapid Resurrection

The character casting the spell makes an ability check using their spellcasting ability modifier. The DC for this check is as follows.

DC = 10 + 1 for each successful resurrection the target has undergone

On a success, the spell completes. Otherwise, the spell fails, and the target cannot undergo another rapid resurrection attempt until they are resurrected through other means.

Communal Resurrection

Up to three characters (other than the caster) may support the resurrection with a contribution attempt. When performing their contribution, the character decides the manner in which they assist, and the DM asks them to make an ability check using an appropriate skill or tool. The DM secretly decides the DC of the check based on how impactful the contribution would be.

Examples
Pray to a deity close to you or the target Religion (Wisdom)
Convince a powerful entity Persuasion/Intimidation (Charisma)
Prepare the target's body to support life Medicine/Alchemy/Herbalism (Intelligence)
Support the magic of the resurrection spell Arcana/Religion (Spellcasting)
Sooth the target's soul with music Performance/Instrument (Charisma)
Help the caster remain comfortable Medicine/Survival (Dexterity)

The contribution lasts for the duration of the resurrection. During this time, contributors cannot use actions nor concentrate on spells. Contributors may receive bonuses from others as long as the bonuses persist for the entire duration of the resurrection, such as from using the Help action every turn or casting the Guidance spell every turn. Bonuses from class features (e.g. Bardic Inspiration) have double durations when used in this way. Additionally, Player Inspiration may be used towards one contribution check.

Finally, the DM then rolls a resurrection check with a single d20 and no modifiers. The DC for this check is as follows.

DC = 10 + 1 for each successful resurrection the target has undergone
+ 1 for each failed contribution check during this resurrection
- 3 for each successful contribution check during this resurrection

If the resurrection check is successful, the spell continues. Otherwise, the spell fails and the soul is lost. Only a guaranteed resurrection can return a lost soul.

Guaranteed Resurrection

The resurrection works as written.


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