Project 5.5
Preface
The D&D 5.5 project is a large collection of variant rules for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons, meant to act as a “vanilla plus” modification of the original system and as a compendium of the majority of material released for the original system over the past few years. It includes numerous fundamental changes to the original rules, and is partially backwards compatible with the original system and subclasses.
I do not claim to own ideas and rules presented in the original 5th edition material, nor do I claim any of the art presented. This is unofficial fan content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. All credit goes to Wizards of the Coast and artists’ whose works are used, the latter of whom are credited directly on pages where their art appears or at the end of the document.
Playtest Material
These variant rules are to be considered major modifications in playtest. They are not official in any capacity, nor are they necessarily complete or balanced. As new updates and fixes are made, they will be added to this doc and its subsidiaries.
Backwards Compatibility?
Many of the rules here, especially classes, were changed to fit the balancing of the 5.5 project, and are not backwards compatible with the original system as they are currently written.
The races and subraces, renamed here to Ancestries and Heritages, are mostly compatible with the original system, but may interfere with balancing.
When using this system, especially with 5.5 classes, it is recommended to use all applicable 5.5 rules instead of the original content for a given item, if available. For example, if you were to play with the 5.5 rules for the Fighter class, a subclass from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything may not be easily translatable to the new progression system.
Can't Find a Rule?
If a rule from the original 5th Edition D&D is not present here, then it is either unfinished or it is material with too few or no changes that warrant a revision. Until a revised version of a rule is made, the original version is recommended.
Mistakes, Feedback, and Questions
If you find a mistake in one of these docs, you have a question about one or more rules presented here, or you have feedback you'd like to give about anything you find here, please contact @esteban_7581 on Discord.
Player's Handbook
Ancestries
The following ancestries are available to be played in Project 5.5. They are sorted into four categories: Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Prestige. Common will likely be allowed in most games and in most worlds, with those ancestries usually comprising the majority of society. Uncommon ancestries may be harder to find, and Rare ancestries may be much harder to find; you should ask your DM if you can play one of those ancestries.
Prestige ancestries are ancestries that modify another ancestry, including possibly another Prestige ancestry, usually at later levels to meet their prerequisites. You must always build your character using a Common, Uncommon, or Rare ancestry before you can apply a Prestige ancestry (For example, you must make your character a Human before they can Prestige into a Dhampir).
Common
Uncommon
Rare
Prestige
Classes
Common
Uncommon
Equipment
The Rules of Magic
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Adventure
Between Adventures
Master Changelog
Player's Handbook
Ancestries
- General
- Ancestries and Heritages replaced the terms Race and Subrace.
- Flavor explaining the ages and sizes were readded to all ancestries.
- The Alignment feature was readded to all ancestries.
- All ancestries apart from Human have a standardized Ability Score Improvement feature (2 to one, 1 to another).
- Readded Creature Type to all heritages.
- Some heritages received a secondary creature type, such as Elf, which counts as both Humanoid and Fey.
- Broadly, the Sunlight Sensitivity feature was changed to simply be a -1 instead of disadvantage.
- Aasimar
- The Light Bearer feature was removed.
- The original heritages were readded, as well as the Hollow heritage.
- The Celestial Resistance feature was split across the different heritages.
- Dragonborn
- Base rules reverted to Player's Handbook standard.
- Added a Damage Resistance feature based on Draconic Ancestry.
- Breath Weapon can be used a number of times per day equal to Prof. Bonus.
- Dwarf
- Removed Stonecunning.
- Names were changed to separate Dwarves from Faerun.
- Duergar, renamed to Mantle Dwarves, were added.
- Elf
- Added heritages: Arctic, Desert, and Sea.
- Drow were partially renamed to Cavern Elves, with Drow being their nickname.
- The lore for Drow and High Elves was changed to reflect the biome themeing of Elves in 5.5.
- Features of Triton and Sea Elf were combined into the new Sea Elf.
- Genasi
- Absorb Elements was changed from a spell to the Genasi's base ancestry feature.
- Heritage features for Genasi were simplified.
- Gnome
- Lore was changed to differentiate Gnomes from Halflings. Credit and thanks to Paizo for this lore.
- removed all original heritages, replacing them with Vivacious, Sensate, and Tinker.
- Goliath
- Added heritages: Frostwind and Fireheart.
- Moved Cold Resistance to Frostwind heritage.
- Human
- Removed Variant Human.
- Added Human Versatility.
- Orc
- Features of the original Half Orc and Orc were combined into the new Orc.
- Removed Savage Attacks.
- Shifter
- Ancestry was completely reworked into a full Lycanthropy ancestry.
- Added heritages: Werebear, Werehornet, Wererat, Wereraven, Weretiger, Werewolf.
- Tiefling
- Added heritages: Hoofling, Firespawn, Iceborn.
Classes
- General
- Most classes gained additional subclass features.
- All classes gain Ability Score Improvements at the same levels: 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th.
- Most class' progression was changed to be somewhat standardized, generally getting abilities around 1st, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels.
- The Known Spells mechanic was replaced with Semi-Preparation spellcasting, which allows a character to replace one spell per long rest.
- Artificer
- Added Silent Magic.
- Remade Magical Tinkering into Magic Enthusiast.
- Removed Replicate Magic Item tables, now requiring DM's discretion.
- Popular options from these tables were converted to regular Infusions
- Alchemist got general buffs across the board
- The best features of Battle Smith and Artillerist were combined.
- Bard
- Song of Rest was reworked to speed up short rests, and its original effect was added in the form of Song of Angelic Reprieve.
- Countercharm's duration was changed to be easier to use.
- Cleric
- Turn Undead was moved to Grave Cleric, and was replaced with Blessed Food and Drink
- Replaced Divine Strike with Blessed Strikes, which bypasses resistances to nonmagical damage.
- Divine Intervention was changed to have powerful static abilities instead of an open-ended one. Subclasses now grant additional variants.
- Added Holy Warding and Immortal Soul.
- Knowledge, Nature, and Trickery domains were reworked.
- Tempest and War domains were combined into the Wrath domain.
- Fighter
- Battle Master was changed to be part of the base class.
- Added many new maneuvers, some with level prerequisites.
- Champion was slightly reworked to fit the new base class.
- Eldritch Knight and Echo Knight were combined into the new Eldritch Knight.
- Added the Advocate subclass.
- Monk
- Ki was renamed to Focus, and other features with "Ki" in the name were also renamed.
- Deflect Missile was reworked to Deflect Attacks, and is buffed later by Deflect Energy.
- Stunning Strike was changed to Disruptive Strikes, and now inflicts Dazed.
- Added Focused Survivor, Focused Body, and Deathless.
- Wordings in the Open Hand Monk Order were simplified.
- The Four Elements Monk Order was completely reworked.
- Paladin
- Sacred Oath was moved to 1st level.
- The Paladin's Channel Divinity was renamed to Channel Oath to differentiate it from Cleric and to separate paladins from divine themes.
- The improved radius of all Paladin auras was reduced by 10ft.
- Added the Oathbreaker subclass.
- Ranger
- Removed Spellcasting.
- Readded Favored Enemy and Favored Terrain, whose options can now be changed after a short/long rest and after a level up respectively, and now offer additional benefits.
- Hunter's Mark was changed from spell to class feature.
- Added many ranged weapon fighting styles to give Ranger more of an archer feel.
- Added Antivenom, Venomous Strikes, and Superior Venom.
- In Plain Sight and Primeval Awareness were reworked.
- Foe Slayer was simplified.
- Added Beast Master, Arcane Archer, and Hunter subclasses, which were heavily reworked.
- Rogue
- Thief and Assassin were reworked.
- Sorcerer
- Metamagic was moved to 2nd level, and has a few more options.
- Added Sorcerous Versatility, Renewing Rite, Arcane Guidance, Flood of Power, and Metamagic Mastery.
- The Wild Magic Table was completely remade and moved to the Rules of Magic section.
- Warlock
- Pact Boons were changed into Eldritch Invocations, including the Star Chain, which now funcitons off of the Otherworldly Talisman.
- Many Eldritch Invocations were reworded or reworked to be easier to understand or use.
- Added Contact Patron and Patron's Favor.
- Wizard
- Arcane Tradition was moved to 3rd level.
- Added Spellcaster's Quirk, Magical Specialty, Spell Proficiency, and Arcane Replication.
- Combined Order of Scribes and Divination Wizard into the new Scribe Arcane Tradition.
- Combined War Mage and Evocation Wizard into the new Battle Mage Arcane Tradition.
- Added the Summoner Arcane Tradition.
Equipment
- Armor
- Added new Shield types.
- Added the Bulwark, Comfortable, Noisy, Heavy, and Hindering properties for armor.
- Weapons
- Added Weapon Actions, special actions that can be performed by those proficient with certain weapons.
- Silvered Weapons got a slight buff.
Rules of Magic
- Wish and Hunter's Mark were removed for balancing reasons.
- Chain Lightning now deals slightly less damage.
- Banishment no longer lets you permanently send creatures to another plane, and no longer makes the target Incapacitated.
- Color Spray and Sleep are no longer strange and now use Saving Throws.
- The radius of Fireball was reduced to 15ft.
- Gate now lasts until dispelled or dismissed to differentiate it from Plane Shift.
- Grease is now flammable.
- The damage of Meteor Swarm was reduced.
- Power Word Kill now requires a saving throw, and deals damage on a successful save instead of instantly killing you.
- True Strike now gives you advantage on all attacks made on your next turn.
- Wall of Force has an AC and HP, and can be dispelled with Dispel Magic.
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Adventure
- Movement and Chasing
- Added simplified rules for Chasing.
- Ruling unequal movement is now based on ratio rather than subtraction.
- Added new simplified Jumping mechanics.
- Added a dedicated space for Difficult Terrain
- Added a description of Forced Movement.
- Conditions
- Added rules for Stacking and Evolving conditions.
- Added Bleeding, Dazed, Gaping Wounds, Mindbroken, and Slowed.
- Added proper standardized rules for Grappling, which now inflicts Restrained intead of a dedicated condition.
- Roleplay and Influence
- Added a dedicated space for a description of Roleplay.
- Added mechanics for NPC / Organization approval: Influence
Between Adventures
- Hexploration and Weather
- Added proper, extensive rules for the Hex Crawl Exploration