Introduction

Welcome to the game. This house rules document contains everything from character creation to various other house rulings and guidelines. Please read this page and continue on from there at your own leisure.

Expectations

What to expect out of this game, the DM, and you. Think of the following as "Terms and Conditions", but ones you actually read. If you are unable to work with or compromise with the DM on any of the following, then you may want to reconsider playing the game.

Here are the rules of the table:

1. Communicate. Any questions, issues, or concerns - even about the DM - should be communicated with the DM as soon as possible - this just helps ease issues and solve them faster than leaving them unanswered.

2. Respect. Have respect for your fellow players, and respect the game. Don't talk out of line when not appropriate, and leave personal vendettas at the door (or at least the other room).

3. Participate. Try to be invested, and roleplay your character AS your character - not as yourself. Of course, this is sometimes unavoidable, but see the game as a theater play, and you are playing a character in a story, a story with other players.

Character Creation

Knives

Incorporating this idea into any campaign allows characters to be more 3-Dimensional, and realistic. As a DM, I will leave it here, in hopes that some of you read and provide your lovely DM with the artillery shells I need to attack you all for emotional and or dramatic development.

When writing a character's backstory, it's important to include a certain number of "knives". Knives are essentially anything that the DM can use to raise the stakes of a situation for your character - kinda like stabbing a knife into the table to symbolize "SHIT GOT REAL".

Anything that can make a conflict personal, like a threatened loved one or the appearance of a sudden archenemy. They're called "knives" because the players lovingly forge them and present them to the DM so that the DM can use them to stab the player over and over again until they're having fun --- excited yet?

Here are some examples:

• A named character your character cares about, living or dead (e.g. relative, childhood friend, mentor, or pet)

• A phobia or trauma your character has or currently experienced

• A mystery in your character's life (e.g. unknown parents, unexplained powers, sudden savior)

• An enemy or rival your character has

• Any ongoing obligation or loyalty your character has

• An obligation your character has failed

• A crime - serious or cumulative minor ones - your character has committed

• A crime your character has been accused of, falsely or otherwise

• A favored item or heirloom your character cherishes

• A secret your character keeps (e.g. false name, false knive)

• A debt your character owes, be it money, a favor, or even a life

• A mistake that haunts your character

• Any superstitions your character believes (refrain from bigotry and racism - these will only cause issues and grind the story to a halt.)

• Any fears, be it irrational or from a past experience, your character deals with

• A story, tale, or myth that has stuck with your character and fuels their actions

• A grandiose goal your character runs towards

• A hobby or profession your character engages in

Your backstory should include at least 3-5 knives. They should be varied; not every one of your knives should be family members, nor should they all be crimes you've committed. The DM is more than willing to read 10+ page backstories. Not all knives should be known by your fellow players.

Base Rules Expanded

The following section seeks to expand upon currently existing rules and add a form of "bounded realism" to allow relative relatability to real-world examples.

Unique House Rules

Additional Skill

In the world of Pryxis, with the presence of technology that functions separate from magical sources, there now exist methods of engaging with that technology through new trades and training.

This skill is Mechanics, and it is an Intelligence-based skill that allows creatures and people to interact with various forms of technology in an easy manner.

Mechanics

The GM might ask you to make an Intelligence (mechanics) check to determine the function of a technological object, derive the composition of an object, structure, or item, or craft/repair a non-magical item.

Aetherion Damage

The world of Pryxis has the following new damage type.

• Aetherion. - Thought to be the spiritual twin of Force damage, Aetherion is, in simplistic terms, soul energy. Where Force damage shreds and tears down matter at the molecular level, Aetherion damage only targets souls and spirits and destroys them, rendering most bodies completely inert and "empty"

  All constructs of an artificial nature - not including those powered by a soul or similar spiritual power source - are immune to the effects of Aetherion, as they do not possess the "material" that is affected by this damage type. No form of resistance, immunity, or vulnerability exists for such damage.....that is known.

  Appearance: Aetherion looks like ghostly, pale-colored flame that cloys and draws outward in every direction, as if expanding from a point in space and barely affected by gravity.

Assorted Damage Types

The following section lists the damage types under their general categories throughout the worlds and planes.

Physical

Physical damage is the most common form of damage - involving the effects from weapons and natural armaments.

• Bludgeoning - blunt force and crushing; bruising
• Piercing - puncture and stab; penetration
• Slashing - rip and tear; cutting

Elemental

Elemental damage is the second most common form of damage - usually present through elemental plan influences and the effects brought upon by natural disasters.

• Acid - dissolving and corrosive; chemical burns
• Cold - freezing and frost; frigid
• Fire - burning and blazing; heat
• Lightning - shocking and sparking; electric
• Poison - sickening and venomous; toxic
• Thunder - booming and shattering; deafening

Supernatural

Supernatural damage is rare, in that it is usually brought upon by effects from magic, psionics, and the outer planes.

• Force - arcanic and kinetic; eldritch
• Psychic - mental and synaptic; maddening
• Radiant - light and hallowed; holy
• Necrotic - decay and corruption; profane

Cosmic

Cosmic damage is incredibly rare, nearly unheard of in many circumstances - these damage types present fundamental effects which pertain to the background energy of the multiverse and it's mechanical functions.

• Aetherion* - energy and souls; spirit

*(Aetherion damage may be broken down into subsequently any other form of magic and damage - as it represents a fundamental building block of all existence.)

Banned Aspects

Characters cannot access the Lucky feat nor the Wish spell under normal circumstances - as they both are rare aspects of reality.

Bonus Proficiencies

Characters gain a number of extra tool proficiencies or languages equal to their Intelligence modifier (minimum of 0).

This allows a more intelligent creature to know much more - as is intended.

Charm Person & Friends

If the target failed its first save, when the spell ends, it has to make another save to realize that it was under the effect of the spell. If it makes that second save it becomes hostile, as described in the original rules. If it fails that second save, it's merely confused about what happened (think 'using the force on a weak mind').

The target may not have been targeted by this spell by the same caster in the past 24 hours. Otherwise, the spell's utility is so limited that it might as well just be a "open lock when the person with the key is around" spell.

Expert Characters

When you choose your character class, instead of choosing two proficient skills - you instead may choose one proficient skill and gain expertise in one skill listed below. When you have expertise in a skill, you add double your proficiency bonus to the result of ability checks made with that skill.

Dropping to 0 HP

When a character drops to 0 hitpoints they gain 1 level of exhaustion - as their body reels from the experience of losing their physical stability.

Feats at 1st Level

All characters (and some creatures) gain a feat at first level. This feat cannot be replaced with an ability score improvement.

The best recommendation is to restrict 1st level feats to racial feats - or special abilities unique to that character (with the DM's discretion).

Feats at 10th level

All characters (and some creatures) gain an additional feat at tenth level. This feat cannot be replaced with an ability score improvement.

This is to reflect a certain "turn of fate" for creatures as they begin to exhibit more powerful capabilities on their own.

New Mythic language

The world of Pryxis has the following new language:

Supernal - The precursor language and script; wordpseak of the gods. Father language of abyssal, celestial, infernal and primordial - and subsequently all other languages.

Supernal (or Urspeech) is a universal language of form itself, understandable by any sentient mind (which hears the words as if they are spoken in its own native language).

Supernal is the keystone of the magic known as Onomancy (or word power).

Learning Supernal is the highest form of language - and cannot be learned under natural circumstances; normally requiring godly tutelage or a divine spark.

Knowing Supernal allows you to understand most other languages - but not necessarily able to speak, read, or write them.

Supernal Script takes the form of intricate spirographic patterns that shift and pulse as the words are spoken - and is incredibly hard to learn how to write.

No basic ammunition

Because nobody wants to have to go to the 'fletcher' or 'artillerist' each time they are in town, each character has unlimited basic ammunition - unless the DM states otherwise - they may visit the fletcher or artillerist when seeking more specific ammo though.

Potion Consumption

Drinking a potion yourself only takes a Bonus Action. Feeding one to someone else is an Action.

If you choose to take an Action to drink a restoration potion (healing or mana), you instead gain the maximum number of hitpoints or manapoints that potion would be able to grant.

This is subject to change at the DM's discretion.

Shield Doffing

Doffing a shield can be done using the free use of an object interaction, similar to drawing or dropping a weapon.

Donning a shield still requires an Action, but this provides a little bit more flexibility in combat, allowing for dramatic actions.

Taking 10

When not threatened or distracted, you may choose to take 10 - Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, calculate your result as if you had rolled a 10.

Taking 10 requires the following:

• A character proficient in the skill check at hand.
• 10 minutes of nonthreatening circumstances and no distractions.

For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful.

In most cases, taking 10 is purely a safety measure - you know (or expect) that an average roll will succeed but fear that a poor roll might fail, so you elect to settle for the average roll (a 10). Taking 10 is especially useful in situations where a particularly high roll wouldn’t help.

Inspiration Variant System (Karma)

Instead of the Typical Inspiration system, one may swap it out with a system that grants even more agency to the players: The Karma Points System

Karma Points

Karma is the sum of a person's actions in this current and previous states of existence which influences their fate in future states of being.

Karma points act in a similar manner. They are influenced by the player's dice rolls, and influence future events. Every roll, no matter how insignificant in terms of narrative, is now important to the player and offers excitement.

Normally a natural 20 on a save or ability check has no special meaning beyond being a high roll, but this system rewards those rare occurrences with more than simply the highest likelihood of success. With Karma Points, the player may use the karma that they have gathered to influence or determine the character's existence in the world, giving them more opportunities to alter the events that take place.

The Wilderness

No one in Dungeons and Dragons travels into the wilderness lightly - no matter if they are everyday commoners, or legendary heroes. There are wolves, bears, griffons, owlbears, goblins, ghosts, elementals, demons, territorial elves and all other manner of creatures or entities in the wilds who will be happy to relieve you of your life, treasures or souls, not to mention the everpresent threat of death from exposure and starvation.

Food & Water

While adventuring you need to eat and drink, but keeping track of every pound of food and every liter of water individually is not what you came to do. However, it is a part of role playing that can provide excellent moments for story telling and plot development. Therefore food and water is combined in an easy to keep track of item: Rations. One ration provides food and water for a single party member for one day. Rations are easy to keep track of: One ration weighs 2 lbs and costs 5sp. Normal rations never go bad. Rations are bought before going into the wilderness.

4. Setting up Security

This task is done by party collectively. What kind of security measures are set up by the characters is up to the players and is not subject to a standard set of rules. Security measures should be adjusted based on the kind of environment or resting spot the players are in and what kind of monsters they expect to encounter.

5. The Watch

This task is done by all people. If the weather is cold, the watch needs to stay near the campfire, but otherwise they may take some distance from the party if they wish to stay hidden from potential attackers.

Short Rest

In contrast to long rests, short rests don't require any specific preparation. However, some preparation is always recommended. Short rests still require a full hour to be effective.

You can only take two Short Rests before needing to finish a long rest.

Breather (variant rest)

A breather is an incredibly short period of rest, at least 10 minutes long, after a strenuous activity.

During a breather you may rest, slake your thirst and hunger, or check on a single wound and bandage it - represented in the following:

• Spend one Hit Die to regain Hit Points
• Use Healer's Kits, Potions, or other Consumables

You cannot spend more than one Hit Die during a breather, and if you choose to do any strenuous activity (such as casting a ritual spell, crafting, preparing traps, or similar activities) you forsake the ability to Spend a Hit Die to regain hitpoints.

You can only take one Breather before needing to finish a short rest.

Sleeping & Eating

Taking a long rest is not required, but characters still require daily sleep and sustenance. A character can go 1 + their Constitution modifier days (minimum of 1 day) without rations before they get an automatic level of exhaustion. When they go without sleep or meditation for 1 day, they get 1 level of exhaustion.

Light Activities

During a long rest, light activities such as copying spells into a spellbook, writing, scribing or studying are possible, granted that an adequate light source is available for said activity.

Exhaustion

The rules of exhaustion are expanded. The effects of exhaustion stack. Finishing a long rest reduces a creature's exhaustion level by 1

Exhaustion level	Effect
1	Disadvantage on Mental ability checks (Int. Wis. Cha.)
2	Disadvantage on Physical ability checks (Str. Dex. Con.)
3	Speed halved
4	Disadvantage on attack rolls
5	Disadvantage on saving throws
6	Hit point maximum halved
7	Speed reduced to 0
8	Death - no saves

Traveling

The most important part of wilderness expeditions that most adventurers ignore to their peril is planning the journey.

Using the wilderness

The wilderness is a source of amazing resources. Characters can gather these resources to either sell when they are back in civilization or create their own items with them.

Hunting, Foraging & Other Activities

In order to increase rations, characters can choose to make a Nature check to spend extra time on hunting and foraging. Any creatures found or killed while hunting can be harvested for parts according to the rules in the The Expanded Crafter.

Creating items

Players can create their own items! Read The Expanded Crafter for inspiration:

• Bombs, poisons & potions
• Additional alchemical recipes
• Armor & weapons

Weather

A part of Dungeons and Dragons that is often forgotten is the weather, but it can have a real impact on the lives the adventurers and the monsters they encounter. If you travel into the wilderness unprepaired there could be severe consequences.

Predictable

The weather usually behaves in predictable ways, so the characters can try to predict the weather with a Nature check. The weather is tied to the climate of the area, so the weather in arctic will be noticably different from the weather in the tropics. Additionally, weather will change over the four seasons, so plan accordingly.

Extreme Weather Conditions

Type	Effects
Arctic Cold & Unbearable Heat	- When you spend a day outside in the arctic cold or unbearable heat make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain 1 level of exhaustion.
Strong Wind	- In strong wind effective weapon range is reduced by 20%. - Because flying is difficult during strong winds, all medium (and smaller) sized creatures must either land at the end of their turn, or make a Dexterity or Strength saving throw or fall from the sky.
Gale	- During a gale, effective weapon range is reduced by 35%. - The loudness of the wind causes disadvantage on all Perception checks that rely on hearing. - Because flying is extremely difficult during a gale, all large (and smaller) sized creatures must either land at the end of their turn, or make a Dexterity or Strength saving throw or fall from the sky. - During a gale in the desert, there is a chance of a sandstorm.
Storm	- During storms, effective weapon range is reduced by 50%. - The loudness of the wind causes disadvantage on all Perception checks that rely on hearing. - Because flying is almost impossible during storms, all large (and smaller) sized creatures must either land at the end of their turn, or make a Dexterity or Strength saving throw or fall from the sky. - Any open flames are extinguished by the wind.
Blizzard or Thunderstorm	- In addition to the effects of a storm and heavy rain, snow, or hail, a blizzard and thunderstorm reduce normal vision to 40 feet. - Perception checks that rely on sight have disadvantage.
Rain or Snow	- During rain or snow effective weapon range is reduced by 20%. - Normal vision is not significantly reduced. - Can be devoid of wind conditions.
Heavy Rain, Snow or Hail	- During heavy rain, snow or hail effective weapon range is reduced by 35%. - Any open flames are extinguished by the rain and snow. - Heavy rain causes disadvantage on Perception checks that rely on hearing and/or sight. - Normal vision is reduced to 60 feet. - Can be devoid of wind conditions.
Sandstorm	- During a sandstorm, normal vision is reduced to 5 feet. - Any open flames are extinguished by the sand. - The sand also causes disadvantage on Perception checks that rely on sight.
Fog	- During fog normal vision is reduced to 15 feet. - The fog also causes disadvantage on Perception checks that rely on sight.

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Be prepared

The effects in the 'Extreme Weather Conditions' are not exhaustive. For example, heavy rain can cause creatures to become soaked, which makes lightning based attacks more effective. When in doubt about effects, ask your game master.

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The downside of most effects can be negated by proper preparation. For instance, wearing sand goggles during a sandstorm increases normal vision up to 30 feet. Prepare with the proper equipment before going out in the wilderness. Be creative!