House Rules
Currently Used House Rules:
The Fading Spirit - Alternate Resurrection Rules
Related Link See above length for details. In short, resurrection spells are not guaranteed to be successful. When attempting to resurrect a downed PC or NPC, a final skill check (in the case of Revivify) or a ritual check (in the case of resurrection spells other than Revivify) must be passed for it to be successful. Each character has a base DC of 10 on these checks, with the DC rising by one for each death and resurrection the character has endured. The life force of the creature must be accessible to attempt resurrection, therefore there are some situations, such as a stolen soul, some curses, and certain kinds of capture or blocking magic that can wholly prevent resurrection if not broken or negated first.
Spell Focus You may only actively cast one spell at a time. Therefore, if a spell is being attempted and you attempt to cast another spell before it is released, such as with a reaction, the first spell will be lost in favor of the second spell. The technical situation where this rule comes into play is with counterspell: a character cannot use a reaction while casting a spell to stop an opposing counterspell with their own, as doing so would cause them to lose focus on the first spell. This is a rule clarification on unclear mechanics.
Subtle Spell and Psionics Certain features, creature types, or special abilities, such as the Sorcer Metamagic Subtle Spell, allow for the casting of magic without using somatic or verbal components. This allows you to disguise the casting of a spell that otherwise would be obvious. In the case of a spell that is cast without somatic or verbal components, the spell is not able to be seen or identified, and cannot be stopped with the use of Counterspell. Note: if the spell has the need of a specific material component with a gold cost, you must still possess that material component to cast the spell.
Planned Actions/Taking 10 Time is an important factor when taking actions - if you are not in a situation where time is of the essence or you are rushed, you can rely on the practiced ease of your skills to accomplish your goals. Therefore, when not in a combat scenario, chase scenario, or other time-sensitive situation, instead of rolling for a skilled check using a skill you are proficient in, you can instead decide to use that skill as a planned action. In this case, instead of rolling a d20, you add 10+ your skill modifier and take that result, and the DM determines the amount of time it takes you to complete the action. The decision to use a planned action must be made before a dice roll and cannot be used retroactively after a roll has been made. For example, if you are trained in history (with a +5 modifier for this example) and want to do some research at the library, instead of rolling a d20 and adding your skill modifier, you can instead take your time and do your research as a planned action. This means you will automatically score a 15 on the check, though doing so may take more in-game time than it would to do a normal skill check instead. This represents the practiced use of techniques you have learned and become proficient in using in normal or non-tense situations. Similarly in these situations, characters can choose to use their passive skills for perception, insight, or investigation this way instead of rolling a check, even if they are not trained in those skills.
Two Weapon Fighting Changes The Two Weapon Fighting ability now functions as follows for all characters: "When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you're holding in one hand, you can make one additional attack with a different light melee weapon that you're holding in the other hand as part of your action once per turn. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it."
Dual Wielder Feat Changes The Dual Wielder feat now functions as follows: "You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits:
Potion Rules When using healing potions, there are three ways to use them in combat situations. If a potion is used outside of combat, it is considered a Slow Use as you are not pressed for time. Fast Use: Drink the potion as a bonus action in combat - roll the requisite number of dice and add the modifier to determine the amount of hit points healed. This is to denote quickly taking a shot of a potion in a tense situation - did you get all of it down? Probably not! Slow Use: Drink the potion as an action in combat - instead of rolling, take the maximum amount of healing from the potion as you take the time to drink it completely and allow the magic to suffuse your body. Refer to the table below for the type of potion and how much healing you get! Feed to Another: You can give the potion to another character, such as an unconscious PC, as an action - when you do so, you roll the dice and ad the modifier as you do when drinking one yourself in Fast Use. Ever tried to help a downed person drink something? Spillage is inevitable!
The Fading Spirit - Alternate Resurrection Rules
Related Link See above length for details. In short, resurrection spells are not guaranteed to be successful. When attempting to resurrect a downed PC or NPC, a final skill check (in the case of Revivify) or a ritual check (in the case of resurrection spells other than Revivify) must be passed for it to be successful. Each character has a base DC of 10 on these checks, with the DC rising by one for each death and resurrection the character has endured. The life force of the creature must be accessible to attempt resurrection, therefore there are some situations, such as a stolen soul, some curses, and certain kinds of capture or blocking magic that can wholly prevent resurrection if not broken or negated first.
Spell Focus You may only actively cast one spell at a time. Therefore, if a spell is being attempted and you attempt to cast another spell before it is released, such as with a reaction, the first spell will be lost in favor of the second spell. The technical situation where this rule comes into play is with counterspell: a character cannot use a reaction while casting a spell to stop an opposing counterspell with their own, as doing so would cause them to lose focus on the first spell. This is a rule clarification on unclear mechanics.
Subtle Spell and Psionics Certain features, creature types, or special abilities, such as the Sorcer Metamagic Subtle Spell, allow for the casting of magic without using somatic or verbal components. This allows you to disguise the casting of a spell that otherwise would be obvious. In the case of a spell that is cast without somatic or verbal components, the spell is not able to be seen or identified, and cannot be stopped with the use of Counterspell. Note: if the spell has the need of a specific material component with a gold cost, you must still possess that material component to cast the spell.
Planned Actions/Taking 10 Time is an important factor when taking actions - if you are not in a situation where time is of the essence or you are rushed, you can rely on the practiced ease of your skills to accomplish your goals. Therefore, when not in a combat scenario, chase scenario, or other time-sensitive situation, instead of rolling for a skilled check using a skill you are proficient in, you can instead decide to use that skill as a planned action. In this case, instead of rolling a d20, you add 10+ your skill modifier and take that result, and the DM determines the amount of time it takes you to complete the action. The decision to use a planned action must be made before a dice roll and cannot be used retroactively after a roll has been made. For example, if you are trained in history (with a +5 modifier for this example) and want to do some research at the library, instead of rolling a d20 and adding your skill modifier, you can instead take your time and do your research as a planned action. This means you will automatically score a 15 on the check, though doing so may take more in-game time than it would to do a normal skill check instead. This represents the practiced use of techniques you have learned and become proficient in using in normal or non-tense situations. Similarly in these situations, characters can choose to use their passive skills for perception, insight, or investigation this way instead of rolling a check, even if they are not trained in those skills.
Two Weapon Fighting Changes The Two Weapon Fighting ability now functions as follows for all characters: "When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you're holding in one hand, you can make one additional attack with a different light melee weapon that you're holding in the other hand as part of your action once per turn. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative. If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it."
Dual Wielder Feat Changes The Dual Wielder feat now functions as follows: "You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits:
- You gain a +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand. If the off-handed weapon is a light weapon, this bonus becomes +2.
- You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren't light.
- You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one.
Potion Rules When using healing potions, there are three ways to use them in combat situations. If a potion is used outside of combat, it is considered a Slow Use as you are not pressed for time. Fast Use: Drink the potion as a bonus action in combat - roll the requisite number of dice and add the modifier to determine the amount of hit points healed. This is to denote quickly taking a shot of a potion in a tense situation - did you get all of it down? Probably not! Slow Use: Drink the potion as an action in combat - instead of rolling, take the maximum amount of healing from the potion as you take the time to drink it completely and allow the magic to suffuse your body. Refer to the table below for the type of potion and how much healing you get! Feed to Another: You can give the potion to another character, such as an unconscious PC, as an action - when you do so, you roll the dice and ad the modifier as you do when drinking one yourself in Fast Use. Ever tried to help a downed person drink something? Spillage is inevitable!
| Potion Type | Dice and Modifier | Full Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Potion of Healing | 2d4+2 | 10 |
| Potion of Greater Healing | 4d4+4 | 20 |
| Potion of Superior Healing | 8d4+8 | 40 |
| Potion of Supreme Healing | 10d4+20 | 60 |
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