Skip to content

Rules#

5e base rules with some variants and interpretations.
A lot of this is just my notes from Colville's Running the Game series (because it's a fantastic resource).

House Rules#

  • 30 point point buy (max 16 min 7)
  • milestone XP
  • no encumberance (within reason)
  • more difficult identification (need to identify to know, not just attune, although can just use)
  • gradual success/failure for rolls
  • mixing potions has special effects
  • spellcasters can identify spells being cast on the fly (allows tactical counterspells) rather than spending a bonus
  • feats instead of ability score improvements (first relevant at level 4 - dndbeyond default)
  • standing up from prone provokes attacks of opportunity

  • silver standard (downgrade economy by factor of 10, gp cost => sp cost)

  • action options DMG 271-272

  • Trap variant: For every trap or secret door, take the DC to detect it and subtract by 9 (DC 15 - 9 = 6). The resulting number becomes a modifier for a 1d20 roll (1d20+6). If the result is lower than anyone's passive Perception score, then the trap or secret door is detected.

Alignment#

Two struggles:
- LAW <-> CHAOS == struggle between these beliefs of societal style
- GOOD <-> EVIL == struggle of ethics

Characteristics of a character with 0/½ of these 4:

  • Good :: someone who believes we are all in this together, we should all help each other out
  • Evil :: Someone who believes it's "every man for himself"
  • Lawful :: Someone who doesn't just live by personal code, but someone who believes there should be laws, there should be civilization, there should be someone in charge. When there's a problem they don't want to take matters into their own hands, they want to go to the police, they want to go to the local constabulary, they want to go to the shire reeve.
  • Chaotic :: Someone who believes that people are best when left to their own devices. Like an anarchist basically. They don't like the idea of people above them, they don't like the idea of order and structure, because they probably believe that this is easily or often, or maybe always, exploited.

Alignment is DESCRIPTIVE:

If you behave in a certain way, the alignment should change.
Do what it says, or change it.

You don't "play your alignment". You play your character. Your characters has beliefs, and those beliefs inform actions.

You can describe those beliefs and actions with your alignment, but if those actions and beliefs change, your alignment needs to change.

Alignment Problems#

On some level alignment has to (in broad ways) be inheritable. Evil characters tends to be in hells/abyss/gehenna, the underdark. Good characters tend to be in Elysium/Ysgard. Some of this relates to what happens after you die, but not enough to explain it away.

Paladins and some wizards can just KNOW alignments (Detect Evil) .

For any of this to make sense in the roleplay setting you have to have some ameliorating conditions of being good or evil:

  • Evil can think it's every man for himself provided it's ruled by the current rulership and will fight for a new order (devils, liches)
  • Good characters can still do evil-ish things if they believe it reduces net evil in the world (paladins)

Words of Caution#

New players: DND is verbal story telling where the dice are a conduit to chance.

Request: You like each other (in general), you are on the same team. You don’t attack each other.
DM goal: Double down on crazy side quests (even if they were improvised unintended)

I'll put various things in front of you, politics of the area, npcs, ...
You can pick any of this stuff up as you wish, or you can ignore it. I don't mind.
But I'll also run a kind of game where you can get yourselves in over your head. You can get your character in serious trouble.
Just because I set up a combat encounter doesn't mean there's a way for you to win it.
It's entirely possible to put yourselves into a situation - because of the choices you've made - that is suicidal. In which case, I'd expect you to retreat or surrender.

Inspiration#

only for
- clever use of trait/quirks
- roleplaying a weakness
- using rights and wrongs
- exceptional RP
- staying IC for the session

Explaining character creation#

Generation procedure, pick:
- race (w/subrace) (traits)
- class (proficiencies)
- level (hit dice + con modifier => HP)

Ability scores#

  • Roll 4d6, take sum of highest 3
  • Repeat 6 times for 6 numbers
  • Distribute across: STR,DEX,CON,INT,WIS,CHA
  • Note ability score modifiers on sheet
  • NB: Statistically better than point-buy, but you can get shit like 4 int.
  • If you disallow 4 int then you skew the statistical even harder.

Alternative:
Distrubute points. Many schools of thought.

10 == average. => 60 points
Give additional 30 points to spend.
0-12 cost 1 point
12-14 cost 2 points
14-16 cost 3 points
16-18 cost 4 points

Allows:
18 (uses 20 pts) (+4)
16 (uses 12 pts) (+3)
12 (uses 6) (+2)
8 (fres 2) (-1)
8 (frees 2) (-1)
6 (frees 4) (-2)

NB: dndbeyond has 27point point-buy. I generally allowed 30, but will use dndbeyond default in future.

Story#

PHB: Chapter 4.
- gender, height, weight
- alignment (lawful/neutral/chaotic + good/neutral/evil)
- ideals (listed somewhere)
- bonds (things he cares about)
- flaws (make up)
- background (make up)

Armor#

PHB: Chapter 5.
- Base AC is 10 + DEX modifier
- Add shield armor bonuses.
- Need to be proficient in them.
- May be multiple ways to compute total AC after spells, player chooses.

Weapons#

Attack roll is d20 (+add proficiency bonus (if any for that weap))
- Melee Weapons => STR for attack and dmg rolls
- Weapons with finesse => STR or DEX
- Ranged => DEX
- Weapons with thrown => STR or

Leveling#

Get proficiency bonuses each level. See class description.
Sometimes get ability points (20 is max ability score).
Always get 1 extra hit die. Roll (or use fixed value in class entry) and add to HP.
Adds to CON (only when modifier ups) increases HP by 1 x current_level.

Rejected#

Grit/glory#

Grit/glory had some great ideas:

  • Running a business
  • Henchmen/mercenaries
  • Crit/crit fail/spell crit rules from grit/glory (something different every crit)
  • Injury descriptions (based on damage type)

but never had the failure tables at hand, ended up using henchmen from strongholds and followers instead, and never needed any acquisitions incorporated style business simulation.