Social Interaction

There is more to social interaction than just charisma — intelligence and wisdom are just as important, and each has their own role to play in conversation.

When interacting with an NPC, the context of your action determines which ability you are using: smarts (intelligence), feelings (wisdom), or presence (charisma).

• Intelligence: You're trying to be clever. Debate, reason, negotiate, lie, manipulate, wit, and threaten.

• Wisdom: You're trying to soothe or connect feelings. Rapport, empathize, calm, discretion, and tact.

• Charisma: You're trying to be likeable or dominating. Charm, bluff, banter, incite, command, and intimidate.

Here we see Clanda, sitting with her friends in a village tavern, overhear an ill-informed farmer.

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GM: The farmer says "I 'eard that if yous eat a frog on a full moon, yous get to jump high like a frog".

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Clanda: This stupid peasant. "There is no way that is true," I tell him. Angrily.

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GM: "Yea it is, I 'eard it from those boys over at the Grange farm. The moon magic turns you into one o' them lick-oh-tropes." The farmer is resolute in his belief — it's going to be very hard to change his mind.

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Clanda: Hold my beer, guys — I'm going to talk some brains back into this fool. Ok farm boy, let's start off with some basic pronunciation...

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GM: You're attempting to change the farmer's mind with logic and words — roll an Intelligence check. You can add your Persuasion.

Viridan has bluffed his way into a meeting with a local lord, hoping to convince the lord to lend his support to the defense of a nearby village.

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GM: Lord Erasius looks at you coldly, Viridian. "And why should I trust you, stranger?"

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Viridian: Hmm. I want to convince Erasius that I'm nobility with access to the king. If Erasius will support us, I can put in a few words to boost his reputation.

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GM: Ok, that's a tricky lie. You haven't had time to prepare this, so it's an off-the-cuff bluff — make a Charisma check.

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Viridian: Can I use History with this?

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GM: Yes, you know enough about the local lands to throw around a few names.

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Viridian: Great. That's... (rolls 13) not good.

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GM: No, it isn't — it's a critical failure. Erasius can see right through your lies, and — as a second consequence — he's extremely offended. "You come into my home and dare lie right to my face? Perhaps some time in our dungeons will extract the truth from you. Guards!"

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Viridian: Son of a...

Fate Points

Fate allows your character to survive what would otherwise be certain death. If you would suffer a killing blow or fail your last death saving throw, you may spend a fate point to cheat death in some fashion.

Perhaps you were knocked unconscious, or the scorpion's poison wasn't strong enough to finish you off, or it was just a flesh wound? Discuss with your GM exactly how it is you managed to survive your ordeal.

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GM: You lie unconscious and dying, Viridian, but the orc is without mercy—she stabs down with her spear. Lose a death saving throw.

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Viridian: Oh no, that was my last one...

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Chansi: You're dead? For real?

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Viridian: Yea — or I would be if I didn't have one last fate point to use. Perhaps the spear missed me...?

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GM: Fate is in your favor. The spear wouldn't miss given its proximity, but let's say it missed your vital organs. Everyone thinks you're dead, and you remain unconscious but alive for the rest of the scene.

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Viridian: Unconscious and alive sounds good to me.

Fate points help to give your players a little more durability. New characters begin with one fate point, and may hold no more than three at one time.

Spending Fate

When you spend a fate point, you (usually) cannot act for the rest of the scene — everyone, friend and foe alike, thinks you're dead or otherwise not worth any attention. But you are immune to any further damage during the rest of the scene, regardless of whatever else happens around your unconscious body.

At the end of the scene — or whenever appropriate — you regain consciousness with 1 hit point.

Gaining Fate

Fate points are extremely rare. New characters start with one fate point — their reward for becoming an adventurer in the first place.

But beyond this, additional points can only be gained by facing — and defeating — the most dangerous monsters in your world. Dragons, liches, beholders — these fated monsters are significant threats to the party.

Fate smiles on those who brave the darkest of these optional dangers and survive.

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GM: You hear that the black dragon Kaladax has laid waste to Merrowford and taken residence in the wreckage of the town.

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Clanda: Is he a fated dragon?

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GM: Kaladax is a major power, and certainly fated.

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Viridian: Could be worth investigating — I don't like being fate-less now, myself...

A fated monster rewards only 1 fate point in total when defeated — the players must decide who among them is lucky enough to take it.

Twisting Fate

You can gain Fate Points by completing the act specified in the earlier section, or by: Roleplaying particularly well, doing an act of extreme good that makes sense, or doing something that's creative and pretty damn cool (without overtly breaking the rules)

Magical Potions

A potion is a magically-infused liquid that, when consumed, can bestow an effect on your character — restoring health, damage resistance, strength, etc.

Potions can vary greatly in appearance, texture, and taste depending on their recipe and maker — roll on the tables below to randomly generate your potion details.

Drinking a Potion

Drinking a potion requires you to spend a bonus action. Alternatively, to feed a potion to someone else, you must spend an action. You must have at least one free hand to perform either of these actions.

Identifying Potions

Not all magic potions look alike—even a simple healing potion can vary wildly in appearance depending on who made it and which recipe was used.

During a short rest, you can attempt to identify any unidentified potions by making an Arcana knowledge check with an alchemist's kit—one per potion. Base the DC against each potion's rarity.

Success: You learn the true name of the potion.

Fail: You know if the potion is at least safe to drink.

Critical Fail (10 or more): You (unknowingly) learn a false or misleading name of the potion.

Consumables

Healing potions are an adventurer's best friend, bringing many a hero back from certain death.

When you drink a healing potion, don't roll a d4—instead, roll the same die as your most common hit die. If you don't have a hit die value for any reason, roll a d4.

Item, Potion, Consumable

This red potion feels strangely warm to the touch. It tastes of cinnamon and orange.

When you drink this potion, you instantly recover some hit points without needing to spend any hit dice — the better the quality, the more hit points you are able to restore.

Krazak, a barbarian, drinks a lesser healing potion with his bonus action. Using his hit die value (d12), he rolls 2d12 + 4 to see how many hit points he recovers.

Multiclassed Characters

If you are multiclassed and have hit dice of varying sizes, use the hit die value of whichever class you have the most levels in. On a tie, choose the highest.

Flasks

Potions are an adventurer's best friend, but it's not always sensible — or realistic — to carry a few dozen potions at once. When you need to carry a lot of potion in a little container, use a flask.

Magical Flasks

A flask is a small, magically-infused bottle (or other container) that can safely hold a large — but uncertain — amount of consumable potion (or other liquid).

Unlike potions, which typically come in single-use vials, it's always hard to tell exactly how much liquid remains inside a flask — you never quite know how many uses you'll get before it's all gone.

Flask Appearance

d12	Material	Color	Style/Design
1	Fragile Glass	Blue	Human
2	Reinforced Glass	Red	Dwarven
3	Wood	Yellow	Elven
4	Porcelain	Silver	Orcish
5	Bone	Gold	Draconic
6	Clay	Purple	Undead
7	Leather	Orange	Celestial
8	Stone	Green	Aberrant
9	Resin	Brown	Elemental
10	Metal	Black	Fiendish
11	Dragonscale	White	Gnomish
12	Plant	Teal	Monstrous

The Flask Die

Instead of tracking individual drinks, flask quantity is measured with a die—d8, d10, d12, etc. This is your Flask die — roll it whenever you take a drink from the flask: if you roll a 1 or 2, the die gets one size smaller:

If you roll a 1 or 2 on a d4, that's it — the flask is now completely empty until you can find a way to refill it.

Flask Die

d20	→	d12	→	d10	→	d8	→	d6	→	d4	→	0

Average Uses & Costs

Splitting the Flask

Magic fades quickly from any liquid leaving the flask. If you pour the contents of a flask into another container — such as a potion vial, a cup, or a different flask — the magic fades within one round, becoming useless if not consumed during that time.

Perceiving a Caster at Work

Many spells create obvious effects: explosions of fire, walls of ice, teleportation, and the like. Other spells, such as charm person, display no visible, audible, or otherwise perceptible sign of their effects, and could easily go unnoticed by someone unaffected by them. As noted in the Player's Handbook, you normally don't know that a spell has been cast unless the spell produces a noticeable effect.

But what about the act of casting a spell? Is it possible for someone to perceive that a spell is being cast in their presence? To be perceptible, the casting of a spell must involve a verbal, somatic, or material component. The form of a material component doesn't matter for the purposes of perception, whether it's an object specified in the spell's description, a component pouch, or a spellcasting focus.

If the need for a spell's components has been removed by a special ability, such as the sorcerer's Subtle Spell feature or the Innate Spellcasting trait possessed by many creatures, the casting of the spell is imperceptible. If an imperceptible casting produces a perceptible effect, it's normally impossible to determine who cast the spell in the absence of other evidence.

Identifying a Spell

Sometimes a character wants to identify a spell that someone else is casting or that was already cast. To do so, a character can use their reaction to identify a spell as it's being cast, or they can use an action on their turn to identify a spell by its effect after it is cast.

If the character perceived the casting, the spell's effect, or both, the character can make an Intelligence (Arcana) check with their reaction or action. The DC equals 15 + the spell's level. If the spell is cast as a class spell and the character is a member of that class, the check is made with advantage. For example, if the spellcaster casts a spell as a cleric, another cleric has advantage on the check to identify the spell. Some spells aren't associated with any class when they're cast, such as when a monster uses its Innate Spellcasting trait.

This Intelligence (Arcana) check represents the fact that identifying a spell requires a quick mind and familiarity with the theory and practice of casting. This is true even for a character whose spellcasting ability is Wisdom or Charisma. Being able to cast spells doesn't by itself make you adept at deducing exactly what others are doing when they cast their spells.

Invalid Spell Targets

A spell specifies what a caster can target with it: any type of creature, a creature of a certain type (humanoid or beast, for instance), an object, an area, the caster, or something else. But what happens if a spell targets something that isn't a valid target? For example, someone might cast charm person on a creature believed to be a humanoid, not knowing that the target is in fact a vampire. If this issue comes up, handle it using the following rule.

If you cast a spell on someone or something that can't be affected by the spell, nothing happens to that target, but if you used a spell slot to cast the spell, the slot is still expended. If the spell normally has no effect on a target that succeeds on a saving throw, the invalid target appears to have succeeded on its saving throw, even though it didn't attempt one (giving no hint that the creature is in fact an invalid target). Otherwise, you perceive that the spell did nothing to the target.

Bonus Action

A spell cast with a bonus action is especially swift. You must use a bonus action on your turn to cast the spell, provided that you haven't already taken a bonus action this turn. You can cast another spell during the same turn, but only if the combined level of both spells does not exceed the level of highest level spell slot.

Spellcasting Services

Note on Teleportation Circle

Even if the town has someone to cast Teleportation Circle, they may not know the place they are teleporting to. In such cases, having the spell provider know of more popular places is a wise idea. For example, they might be able to teleport you to the capital of the kingdom you're in, or to a very popular location somewhere in the next kingdom.

Note on Prices

In some instances, players may not have to pay for the spell being cast, or they might gain a discount based on their actions or who they are. For example, the cleric of the party may be able to work a discount for the Regenerate spell if they worship the same god as the caster. Alternatively, if the spellcaster is in danger, and the players are there to make sure they survive, and a player is wounded or needs medical help, the spellcaster may just use a spell for free. At lower levels, players may have to go on quests to gain use of the spells instead of paying, or a whole campaign.

Climb onto a Bigger Creature

If one creature wants to jump onto another creature, it can do so by grappling. A small or Medium creature has little chance of making a successful grapple against a Huge or Gargantuan creature, however, unless magic has granted the grappler supernatural might.

As an alternative, a suitably large opponent can be treated as terrain for the purpose of jumping onto its back or clinging to a limb. After making any ability checks necessary to get into position and onto the larger creature, the smaller creature uses its action to make a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the target's Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If it wins the contest, the smaller creature successfully moves into the target creature's space, the smaller creature moves with the target and has advantage on attack rolls against it.

The smaller creature can move around within the larger creature's space, treating the space as difficult terrain. The larger creature's ability to attack the smaller creature depends on the smaller creature's location, and is left to your discretion. The larger creature can dislodge the smaller creature as an action—knocking it off, scraping it against a wall, or grabbing and throwing it—by making a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the smaller creature's Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. The smaller creature chooses which ability to use.

Disarm

A creature can use a weapon attack to knock a weapon or another item from a target's grasp. The attacker makes an attack roll contested by the target's Strength (Athletics) check or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the attacker wins the contest, the attack causes no damage or other ill effect, but the defender drops the item.

The attacker has disadvantage on its attack roll if the target is holding the item with two or more hands. The target has advantage on its ability check if it is larger than the attacking creature, or disadvantage if it is smaller.

Overrun

When a creature tries to move through a hostile creature's space, the mover can try to force its way through by overrunning the hostile creature. As an action or a bonus action, the mover makes a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the hostile creature's Strength (Athletics) check. The creature attempting the overrun has advantage on this check if it is larger than the hostile creature, or disadvantage if it is smaller. If the mover wins the contest, it can move through the hostile creature's space once this turn.

Shove Aside

With this option, a creature uses the special shove attack from the Player's Handbook to force a target to the side, rather than away. The attacker has disadvantage on its Strength (Athletics) check when it does so. If that check is successful, the attacker moves the target 5 feet to a different space within its reach.

Tumble

A creature can try to tumble through a hostile creature's space, ducking and weaving past the opponent. As an action or a bonus action, the tumbler makes a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the hostile creature's Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the tumbler wins the contest, it can move through the hostile creature's space once this turn.

Swords

Polearms and Axes

Club

Improvised Clobber. If you are using an improvised weapon that counts as a club, you may choose to strike with such force that your weapon breaks. As an action, make a single club attack. On a hit, this attack is an automatic critical hit and your improvised club breaks.

Blackjack. Make a single attack roll with your club against a humanoid target. If the attack hits, it does no damage, but the target must make a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the beginning of its next turn.

Flail

Chain Garrote. While wielding a flail, you may attempt to grapple a creature by looping the chain of your flail around its neck. While grappled in this way, the 5 creature cannot speak, cannot breathe, and has disadvantage on attack rolls against you. If you surprised the creature with this grapple, it cannot hold its breath and immediately begins suffocating. Creatures that you cannot grapple or do not need to breathe are unaffected by this maneuver.

Shield Snare. As an action while wielding a flail, you may make a single attack roll against a target carrying a shield or a similar defensive tool. This attack ignores any bonus to AC granted by the shield and deals normal weapon damage. If the attack hits, the target must also make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, its shield is pulled from its grip and lands at its feet.

Dagger

Pinning Point. When you make a melee or ranged weapon attack with a dagger, you may attempt to pin a Large or smaller creature to a wall or surface by catching their clothing with the knife’s point. This maneuver can be used against creatures without clothing at the GM’s discretion. Make an attack roll; if the attack hits, the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, the target’s speed is reduced to zero until the dagger is removed. The target can make another Strength saving throw as an action on its turn.

Concealed Blade. Instead of making a Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide yourself, you may make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check — contested by an active or passive Wisdom (Perception) check — to conceal your dagger. As an action, you may make a weapon attack with a concealed dagger against a creature that has not yet acted in combat. This attack has advantage.

Handaxe

Pinning Edge. When you make a melee or ranged weapon attack with a hand axe, you may attempt to pin a Large or smaller creature to a wall or surface by catching their clothing with the axe’s edge. This maneuver can be used against creatures without clothing at the GM’s discretion. Make an attack roll; if the attack hits, the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, the target’s speed is reduced to zero until the axe is removed. The target can make another Strength saving throw as an action on its turn.

Javelin

Fearsome Accuracy. As an attack, you may throw your javelin at a creature at the very limit of your range. Make an attack roll against a creature exactly 120 feet away. If the attack hits, the creature takes normal damage and must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature becomes frightened of you for 1 minute.

Trip. As a melee weapon attack while you are wielding a javelin, you may sweep your opponent’s legs in an attempt to trip them. Make an attack roll against a Large or smaller creature. If the attack hits, it must succeed on a Strength saving throw or fall prone.

Light Hammer

Dazing Blow. As an action, you may make a single ranged weapon attack with a light hammer. If the attack hits, the target must make a Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the end of its next turn.

Sunder Joints. When you make a melee weapon attack against a creature in medium or heavy armor with a light hammer, you may choose to damage the joints of their armor instead of dealing damage to the creature. If the attack hits, the creature’s movement is reduced by 10 feet until the end of their next turn. This reduction is not cumulative.

Net

Nets have the unique property, Ensnaring, described below.

Ensnaring: A Large or smaller creature hit by a net is restrained until it is freed. A net has no effect on creatures that are formless, or creatures that are Huge or larger. A creature can use its action to make a DC 10 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. Dealing 5 slashing damage to the net (AC 10) also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the net.

Blinding Binds. Instead of restraining your foe, you may instead wrap the thick cords of your net around a single creature’s head. A Large or smaller creature hit by a net when you use this maneuver is blinded but is not restrained, until the net is removed.

Wing-Wrapping Net. Instead of restraining a flying creature, you may entangle its wings in your net. A Huge or smaller winged creature hit by a net when you use this maneuver has its fly speed reduced to 0 (but is not restrained) until the net is removed.

Heavy Crossbow and Light Crossbow

In campaign settings with firearms, these maneuvers can also be used by a character who wields a rifle.

Shrapnel Shot. As an action, make a single attack with your crossbow against an unattended object. The attack deals double damage to the target. If the object is destroyed, it explodes into a cloud of shrapnel. Choose one of the following options:

• Creatures within 5 feet of the object must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d6 piercing damage on a failure.
• A creature adjacent to the object must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature is blinded until the beginning of your next turn.

Patient Shot. You carefully align your crossbow’s sights over your target. As an action in a turn that you have not moved, you may make a single crossbow attack with advantage.

Hand Crossbow

In campaign settings with firearms, these maneuvers can also be used by a character who wields a pistol. ____ Concealed Sidearm. Instead of making a Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide yourself, you may make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check — contested by an active or passive Wisdom (Perception) check — to conceal your hand crossbow. As an action, you may make a weapon attack with a concealed crossbow against a creature that has not yet acted in combat. This attack has advantage.

Rapid Shot. You rapidly reload your hand crossbow, throwing off your aim but allowing you to make an additional attack this turn. As a bonus action, you may reload your hand crossbow and make an attack with it against a target within 30 feet. This attack has disadvantage.

Longbow and Shortbow

Pinning Shot. When you make an attack with a bow, you may attempt to pin a Large or smaller creature to a wall or surface by catching their clothing with the arrow’s point. This maneuver can be used against creatures without clothing at the GM’s discretion. Make an attack roll; if the attack hits, the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, the target’s speed is reduced to 0 until the arrow is removed. The target can make another Strength saving throw as an action on its turn.

Distracting Shot. As an action, make a single attack with your bow. You intentionally miss your target but give an ally the chance to attack while it is distracted. The next attack roll against the target has advantage if it is made before the beginning of the target’s next turn. Trick Shot. As an action, make a single stylish bow attack with disadvantage. If the lower roll would also hit the target, you automatically score a critical hit.

Proficiency

The Blood Hunter

The Blood Hunter, Remastered

The Fighter

The Fighter, Remastered

The Ranger

The Ranger, Revised

The Sorcerer

The Sorcerer, Remastered

The Spellblade

The Spellblade

The Warlock

The Warlock, Remastered

The Witch

The Witch

All Classes

All classes gain the following feature at level 1.

Monk

The amount of ki points a Monk gains is revised: Instead of it being equal to their Monk level, it becomes their Monk Level + 5. They gain the following feature(s):