Alert

• Instead of a flat +5 bonus, add your proficiency modifier to initiative rolls.

Actor

• Now increases your Wisdom and Charisma scores by 1 each.

Deft Combatant (new)

You've learned to combine brute force with deadly precision.

• Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1.
• When you make a weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to your Strength score (for that attack only) equal to your Dexterity bonus. This bonus cannot increase your Strenght score above the usual maximum (20 by default).

Dungeon Delver

• Also increases your Wisdom or Intelligence score by 1.
• No longer affects searching speed.

Great Weapon Master

• Instead of a flat -5/+10 bonus, you can "power attack" with no proficiency bonus but add twice your proficiency bonus to the damage if you hit.

Grappler

• Also increases your Strength score by 1.

Heavy Armor Master

• Increases the reduction provided by the Armored and Padded qualities to your full proficiency bonus.

Lightly Armored

• Now increases your Strength and Dexterity scores by 1 each.

Keen Mind

• Now increases your Intelligence and Wisdom scores by 1 each.

Mage Slayer

• When you hit with the special reaction attack, the target must pass a concentration check or its spell fails.

Martial Adept

• Only gain one maneuver.
• Also increases your Strength and Dexterity scores by 1 each.

Medium Armor Master

• Also increases your Dexterity score by 1.
• Medium armor you wear gains the Nimble quality and you ignore the Noisy quality.

Polearm Master

• Now requires using a weapon with the polearm trait.
• The bonus action attack is a Haft attack and requires wielding the weapon in both hands.

Sentinel

• The speed reduction is halved for each size the target is larger than you are.
• When a creature takes the disengage action or in another way denies you an opportunity attack, you can still make it, at disadvantage.

Sharpshooter

• Ignore half-cover and reduce three-quarters to half cover only within normal range.
• Instead of a flat -5/+10 bonus, you can "called shot" with no proficiency bonus but add twice your proficiency bonus to the damage if you hit.

Medicine

I'll be honest, I don't yet have all this nailed down. I have an idea for how I want to handle it, but I haven't ironed it all out yet, assigned DCs, etc. Broadly, it's gonna go like this:

• Healer's Kit is no longer a usable item; rather, it's the tool needed for most Medicine checks. Checks without one - or with one that's had too many charges used up and wasn't restocked - are at disadvantage since you don't have the supplies you need. Maybe have more expensive kits that are better stocked and more reliable.
• Can do Medicine on yourself or others - slightly higher DCs if on yourself.
• Can stabilize a patient - action, but has to remain adjacent until start of their turn. Do well and they do get up.
• Can treat somebody over a rest - success can remove wounds or give them advantage on hit dice usage/recovery.
• Can patch somebody up for a infusion of hp, similar to Healer feat (removed), but I haven't figured out the math yet so might just steal it.

Insight

First things first: "Do I think he's lying" is not "I'm gonna Insight that (rolls)". It's their Deception roll vs. your passive Insight. If your character suspects they're lying, or has reason to, I'll tell you. You can, of course, press X to doubt, but that inquisitive staring is an active, obvious action, likely to tip your hand if you're right and offend somebody if you're wrong. Easier to do (or hide) if you're not the one talking, mind.

Sorry, pet peeve / rant. I will also allow additional Insight checks if you can point out a good reason for distrust or a contradiction with what else was said or known, but I don't want the party dog-piling every NPC with checks, just on the off chance it's an evil shapeshifter trying to send you into an ambush. It's not fun for either of us.

Perception

Similar to the above, I intend to rely heavily on passive perception. Active perception is for when you take the time to slow down and search for--- well, for what, you'll have to tell me. I suggest splitting up who looks for what in a dungeon environment.

Arcana, History, Nature, Religion, etc.

One thing I really dislike and keep running into is knowledge skill dogpiling. First roll didn't work, well the rest of the party now rolls with their amazing +0's and -1's, hoping for a nat 20. Pointless and unfun.

My intention is to handle this like so: The party gets one check, to represent the randomness of knowledge, but I fully intend to gradate results much more than a simple pass vs. fail. However, if you can justify why your particular character might know more about this particular subject, I'll happily give you another shot.

You also have my word that I'll-- well, I'll try and make sure any useful or interesting clues you may miss you'll get another chance at, one way or another.

... honestly, the above applies to most skills. Justify why and get another shot. It's good RP!

Stealth

One thing has to be made clear: The Hide action is not a cloaking field. Unless you want to pull up your Cloak of Elvenkind, stand very very still, and have a godly roll on the dice, you're not hiding in plain sight. No, Hide action represents you attempting to break line of sight and make your enemies lose track of you. It represents you giving up some of the other time and actions you might take on your turn to watch enemy movements, move slower, and wait for the right time to move or act.

The ingame effects of a successful Hide can vary - it might be an enemy who can't beat your score not seeing your attack coming (advantage), but even a godly roll might not help if somebody who was going after you can't find you, decides on a different course of action, then stumbles into you while going after a different target.

Also, here's a hint: Don't just pop out of the exact same doorway you just disappeared behind and expect people not to expect you. There will be modifiers.

Also, consider timing. Hiding before you attack means you won't be denied advantage but loses the, uh, advantage of people not knowing where you are on their turn.

Downed condition

When you reach 0 hit points, you are downed. While downed, you are prone and incapacitated, and you may only take the following actions:

• Crawl up to half your speed. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks from any creature which is in reach of a creature hostile to it.
• Dodge
• Hold steady and receive a bonus to your next death saving throw equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up).
• Assist a creature trying to carry you, which removes the speed penalty for carrying you.

Wounds and Scars

Whenever you are downed, you gain a wound. The more wounds you have, the harder it is to stay conscious and stabilize when downed.

With time and care, wounds go away and become harmless scars. The following can remove a wound:

• Completing a long or partial rest has a chance to remove wounds.
• Receiving medical care (Medicine check) over the duration of a rest can remove physical wounds.
• The Greater Restoration spell can remove a wound.

Tenacity and Resolve

When you are downed, your fight to survive is represented by your tenacity to stay alive, and your resolve to recover. You always begin at 2 tenacity and zero resolve, and your goal is to increase the latter before running out of the former.

    While your resolve is higher than your wounds, you are stable. If you gain resolve while stable, you instead regain tenacity; if at maximum, you instead regain 1 hit point and are no longer downed. If you would lose tenacity while stable, you instead lose resolve.

If your tenacity is lower than your wounds, you fall unconscious at the end of the turn, and remain so until your tenacity becomes higher than your wounds.

If your tenacity drops to 0, you are at death's door. If it drops further, you perish.

Damage and Healing

If you take damage while downed, you lose one tenacity, or two if it was a critical hit, as well as one resolve if stable. If you receive magical healing, you are no longer downed, but you risk being traumatized by the sudden wresting to consciousness, and must test for system shock. Roll 1d6 for each wound and each missing point of tenacity. If the total is equal or higher to your hit points, you suffer an additional wound. You are immune to system shock if stable.

Death Saving Throw

At the start of each turn you are downed, you must take a special saving throw called a death saving throw. Roll a 1d20, add half your Constitution modifier (rounded towards 0), and substract the amount of wounds you have. Compare the result with the following table:

TL;DR

To summarize the above:

• Death saving throw failures and successes replaced by tenacity and resolve.
• Going down gives you wounds which make you less likely to stabilize and stay conscious, but go away with time.
• Magical healing carries a risk of extra wound, decreases with hp restored.

Many armors have special properties related to their use, as shown in the Armors table.

Armored: When wearing this armor, slashing and piercing damage you take from non-magical weapons is reduced by half your proficiency modifier, rounded up.

Block: This armor offers enough arm protection to remove some of the need for a shield. You receive a bonus of +1 to your Armor Class (included in the profile) if you are proficient with shields but not using one.

Nimble: When wearing this armor, you can add 3, rather than 2, to your AC if you have a Dexterity of 16 or higher (included in the profile). Additionally, you can rest in it without penalty.

Noisy: When wearing this armor, its clanking and creaking gives you disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks based on sound.

Padded: When wearing this armor, bludgeoning damage you take from non-magical weapons is reduced by half your proficiency modifier, rounded up. Additionally, you can rest in it without penalty.

Long Rest

The long rest works as it does in the PHB - full heal, half your hit dice back (but I think I'll round up), long rest resources and spell slots returned.

What differs is how you get it - the easiest way is to rest somewhere safe like an inn or one's house. In the field, unless you're lucky or helped, there's two ways to get one rather than the lesser partial rest.

• As a group, give up two hexes' worth of overland movement before and after the rest to find and set up camp - basically long resting during the day.
• As a character, have a good night's sleep uninterrupted by ambushes, spooky conditions, or standing watch.

Partial Rest

A partial rest is the default when traveling overland. A bit of standing watch and doing small activities.

Completing a partial rest causes the following:

• You regain half your hit dice (rounded down).
• You recover hit points as if you spent half your hit dice (rounded up)
• You receive all the benefits of a short rest, including the ability to spend additional hit dice.
• Abilities which recharge on a long rest regain half their maximum uses, rounded down. (0 if one use.)
• Spellcasters regain slots of their choice up to a combined total equal to half their caster level, rounding up. Maximum of 5th level.

You don't get the benefits of a partial rest if you stand watch too long (possibly to let an ally get a long rest) - in that case, it's just a short rest.

Short Rest

As it works in the PHB. I'm gonna say it's not always a full hour, just... give or take. So it's easier to take if you can just secure a safe place in the middle of a dungeon crawl. Just don't abuse it.

Quick Rest

Formalizing this: When in the "dungeon crawl" 10-minute-turn mode, you can spend your turn taking a quick rest. This lets you do one of the following:

• Spend one hit dice.
• Regain half of a resource or the uses of an ability which recharges on a short or long rest. Once you do, you can't do so again for that ability until you finish a long rest.

Weapon Properties

    Polearm: Polearms are highly versatile weapons, which qualify for the Polearm Master feat, and have access to the Haft and Spike alternate attacks.

Versatile: You can use this weapon with one or two hands. By wielding it with two hands, you gain the listed property, or the weapon's damage increases to the listed value if there is one.

Weapon Bulk

The Bulk column in the Weapons tables shows how large and unwieldy, or compact and quick that weapon is to carry and draw. The possible options are listed below:

Animate Objects

Nerfed - All of them attack off Strength only. Probably some HP nerfs to the tiny ones, too.

Counterspell

Nerfed/adjusted - Now needs to be cast at a higher level to automatically succeed, but +1 to the check for each level above 3rd.

Create Food and Water

Any spell slot used to cast this spell does not come back until you eat a full meal of real, non-conjured food.

(Mass) Cure Wounds

Buffed - In addition to the (level)d8 + mod healing, the recipient may spend one hit dice per spell level.

Faerie Fire

Functionality changed - Automatically hits with no Dex save, but whenever a target takes damage, caster must make a save with their casting attribute (like concentration) or spell ends for that target only.

False Life

Buffed Since this spell was worse than Cure Wounds before I changed that one, the following change: The temporary hit points return one minute after being lost.

Find (Greater) Steed

If you dismissed the steed as an action, the casting time is 1 minute.

Fireball

And similar spells - placing the explosion precisely (through an arrow slit, exact distance to not damage allies, etc) may require an attack roll.

Goodberry

Consumes a material component - berries, which it enchants. Prevents you from being hungry, but it's not viable long term.

Guidance

You need to specify the action you're using the spell to help with, but it can apply to multiple checks if that one action requires them without having to recast it.

Greater Restoration

Can also remove one wound.

Heat Metal

Nerfed - I adore it but it's too good for its unavoidability. New text: If the targeted item is held or worn by a creature, it may attempt a Dexterity saving throw. On a success, the creature takes the spell's damage (unless Evasion or similar effect), then the spell ends.

Identify

Won't always tell you everything about an item (that's boring), but it will definitely tell you if it's cursed (at least unless the curse specifically overrides it) or has major drawbacks, as well as provide hints as to its working and/or what school of magic it's associated with.

Magic Stone

Buffed - You now create an extra stone and they get a +1/+2/+3 bonus to attack and damage rolls with each tier.

Polymorph

The maximum CR of the chosen creature is half the target's level (down from equal to). Also, you're not guaranteed to be able to think straight.

Prayer of Healing

A creature has to remain in range and join in on the prayer to benefit from the healing. No need to convert, though.

Revivify

Brings you back with extra wounds.

Spare the Dying

Functionality changed - Magically makes the target stable for one minute, regardless of recovering or dying. If already stable, refreshes timer and removes one level of dying.

Toll the Dead

Functionality changed - Deals increased damage against Bloodied enemies (IE below half health, down from below maximum), but roll both d8s and d12s and deal better result.

Racial Hit Dice

• Racial Hit Die. In addition to the hit dice provided by your class levels, you have a racial hit die determined by your race. This die is used solely for maximum hit points calculations, and is determined as follows:

• Hit Points at 1st level: The maximum of your class hit die + the maximum of your racial hit die + your Constitution modifier.
• Hit Points at higher levels: Roll your class hit die and your racial hit die and choose the higher result, with a minimum of one half of the smaller die. Add your Constitution modifier.

For example, a Shield Dwarf Wizard with a Constitution of 14 begins the game with 10 + 6 + 2 = 18 hit points. At each level-up, she will roll a d10 and a d6, choosing the higher result of the two, or 3 (one half of the maximum of the d6) if higher than both, then add her Constitution modifier of 2.

NPCs also get a racial hit die, but theirs is just a flat few hit points (not maximized), and I promise to be careful and not make fodder or glass cannon NPCs too annoyingly or dangerously durable.

Races

Artificer

• Extra Cantrip: Each subclass gets an extra cantrip at 3 - Alchemist gets Acid Splash, Armorer gets both Thunderclap and Shocking Grasp but can only use them in Protector/Infiltrator respectively, Artillerist gets any damaging cantrip of their choice, and Battle Smith gets Mending.

Barbarian

• Unarmored Defense: I've already allowed it, may as well make it official: If you can claim 10+Dex+Con AC, and 13+Dex AC, I'll also allow you the option of 13+Con AC.

Cleric

Druid

• Wild Shape: Since the beasts they have access to have generally a few hit points more due to racial dice, there's an additional limitation to staying in wild shape: You lose if if the sum of your hit points and your (own) constitution bonus is 5 or lower. Keep in mind that the extra hit points can still soak up overflow damage.

Ranger

Poor ranger. If anybody picks it, bring a homebrew variant we both like.

Sorcerer

• Subtle Spell: Lets you disguise verbal and somatic components as speech and gestures, but you still need to provide them.

Wizard

Items & Equipment

Critical Hits