House Rules for D&D
These rules are here to provide a better gaming experience for everyone involved. These aren't here to tell you that "you're playing make believe wrong" or "your fun is wrong" or any other things that the people on the web or other players in other games might tell you. These are simply things that have been picked up and added because they feel fair, or allow for more entertaining gameply.
Potions
| Potions can taken as a bonus action with normal effects or as a full action for maximum healing. |
| This is to make better use of action economy and prevent unneeded deaths in the game, this also adds to tactical potion usage. (Bonus action would roll 2d4+2 while full action would gain 10 health back) |
Critical Hits
| Critical hit damage is max damage without modifiers plus the normal attack dice roll with modifiers. |
| 2d6+3 beomes 12+(2d6+3) on a crit. This makes criticals actually feel like they do damage, and avoids the feels bad low roll crits. |
Skill Check Criticals
| Skill checks can crit succeed or crit fail |
| This does not mean that a 1 instantly fails, or a 20 instantly succeeds. The DM still sets the CR and decided the outcome. |
Intimidation
| Intimidation can be done as a Strength ability check instead of a Charisma ability check |
| Because why shouldn't a big old muscle headed barbarian be able to scare the pants of the bandit simply by flexing at him? |
Readied Attack
| You can use your extra attack options while using a readied attack |
| It's just more fun this way! |
I know a guy! AKA The Lando Rule
| Sometimes an NPC from character background might be the perfect person for information or something else the party needs. |
| When facing a difficult situation the PC can declare, "I know a guy..." and invent a PC the players can visit for helpful information. |
| The PC must work with the DM to provite a quick summary of their history, relationship, etc. Fewer details are often better to leave room for creativity. Also this should be done out of game then brought up in the next session. |
Magic in Ar'Arkaedon
| Magic casting in Ar'Arkaedon doesn't require components for most spells, others take greatly reduced component costs |
| Magic is part of every day life on this plane, as well as just a far more abundant resource. |
Magical Items
| Players get 6 attunement slots |
| Magic items are cool, and who doesn't want to use all kinds of magic items? |
Health on Level Up
| When leveling up roll your health die, if below the minimum free option choose that instead |
| For example a Bard can take 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per bard level. If you rolled a 4 or lower take the 5 option instead. |
Bloodied
| Creatures and players that are at half health or lower are considered bloodied. |
| This is mainly to give a representation to being heavily wounded without breaking the 4th wall too much. Additionally monsters with recharge abilities may gain these abilities back on a bloodied state. |
Minions
| Monsters without spellcasting abilities, or multi-attacks can be minionized for larger battles. |
| This just means that monsters get set at 1 HP, if they were to take half damage or an attack misses they take 0 damage, and they cannot use legendary or lair actions. This allows for large scale battles that aren't just a slog for everyone involved. |
Flanking
| If a melee attack is made in flanking, the attacker gets a +2 to hit. |
| If two allies that are able to make attacks and/or take actions normally are on either side of an enemy they gain flaking. (pg 251 DMG for details on flanking) This is to add something akin to cover for melee characters to attempt to obtain when positioning in battle. |
Stats and Points
| Instead of rolling randomly or taking the standard stat array provided you can either take the 75 point buy or the 75 point array. Either way add your racial modifiers after and enjoy your character. |
| 75 point buy is where all stats start at 8, and with 27 points you add to the scores. You cannot be below an 8 and you cannot go above a 17. |
| The 75 point array is simply taking the scores 17, 15, 13, 12, 10, 8 and putting them where you feel will best fit your new character. |