Misc. House Rules, Feats, and Fighting Styles
Ancestry Remastered
General Changes / Options
Customizing Your Origin
Whenever you are using a race other than Custom Lineage, you can use the following rules to customize your ancestry.
Switching Ability Scores
Instead of the ability score increase your race gets, you can choose one of the following options:
- You gain a +2 bonus to one ability score of your choice and a +1 bonus to another ability score of your choice.
- You gain a +1 bonus to three separate ability scores of your choice.
Proficiency Swapping
Some races and subraces grant proficiencies. You can replace each of those proficiencies with a different one of your choice, following the restrictions on the Proficiency Swaps table.
Proficiency Swaps
| Proficiency | Replacement Proficiency |
|---|---|
| Skill | Skill |
| Simple Weapon | Simple Weapon or Tool |
| Martial Weapon | Martial/Simple weapon or tool |
| Tool | Tool or simple weapon |
For example, high elf adventurers have proficiency with longswords, which are martial weapons. Consulting the Proficiency Swaps table, we see that your high elf can swap that proficiency for proficiency with another weapon or a tool. Your elf might be a musician, who chooses proficiency with a musical instrument—a type of tool—instead of with longswords. Similarly, elves start with proficiency in the Perception skill. Your elf might not have the keen senses associated with your kin and could take proficiency in a different skill, such as Performance.
Languages
Your character's race includes languages that your character is assumed to know, usually Common and the language of your ancestors.
To customize the languages you know, you may replace each language in your Languages trait with a language from the following list: Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Deep Speech, Draconic, Dwarvish, Elvish, Giant, Gnomish, Goblin, Halfling, Infernal, Orc, Primordial, Sylvan, or Undercommon.
Your DM may add or remove languages from that list, depending on what languages are appropriate for your campaign.
Custom Lineage
Instead of choosing one of the game's races for your character at 1st level, you can use the following traits to represent your character's lineage, giving you full control over how your character's origin shaped them:
Ability Score Increase. You can increase two different ability scores by 1.
Creature Type. You are a humanoid. You determine your appearance and whether you resemble any of your kin.
Ancestry. Choose one race of your choice. You are considered that race for the purposes of prerequisites, such as racial feats and magic items. This doesn't mean that you are necessarily that race, just that someone in your ancestry may have been from that race.
Size. You are Small or Medium (your choice).
Limited Feat. You gain one feat of your choice from the Custom Lineage Feat list for which you qualify.
Variable Trait. You gain one of the following options of your choice:
- Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
- The powerful build trait.
- Proficiency in one skill of your choice.
- The fey ancestry trait.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for your character.
Custom Lineage Feats
Whenever you gain a feat from your custom lineage, you may choose one of the following feats whose prerequisites you meet from this list:
- Tough
- Skilled
- Tavern Brawler
- Backstabber
- Cannibal
- Skulker
- Observant
- Linguist
- Keen Mind
- Durable
- Athlete
- Alert
- Actor
- Squat Nimbleness
- Second Chance
- Prodigy
- Infernal Constitution
- Dwarven Fortitude
- Dragon Hide
Powerful Build
Races with Powerful Build are also considered one size larger for the purposes of grappling and shoving.
Sunlight Sensitivity
This trait now reads: "You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight."
Ancestral Legacy
Now reads: "If you replace a race with this lineage, you can keep one of the following options from that race:
- Any proficiencies and natural weapons gained by that race.
- Any swim or climb speed it may have.
- One trait of your choice approved by the DM.
If you don't keep any of those elements or you choose this lineage at character creation, you gain proficiency in two skills of your choice."
Spellcasting
If your race grants you spellcasting, you can choose which ability score you use for casting between Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma. Additionally, you can cast those spells using any spell slots you may have.
Speeds
All races with less than a 30 ft. base walking speed now have a 30 ft. walking speed. Additionally, any special speeds the race possesses is now equal to their walking speed.
Flight
Any race with an innate flight speed expends two feet of movement for every foot they ascend while flying.
Race Changes / Options
Monsters of the Multiverse
The Monsters of the Multiverse version of any race that is in that book is considered the default choice for that race option. Choices from older sources are available at DMs discretion only.
Dwarf
Mountain Dwarf
Gains the following trait:
Stand Your Ground. Whenever you are subjected to an effect that would push you or knock you prone, you can use your reaction to ignore that effect and any other effects that would push you or knock you prone until the start of your next turn.
Human
Variant human is banned. Humans gain the following additional traits:
Skilled. You gain proficiency in one tool and skill of your choice.
Determination. Whenever you fail an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, you can choose to reroll, but must take the new result. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Tiefling
Variant Tiefling (SCAG)
Winged Tieflings cannot fly in medium armor.
Reborn
The third bullet point now reads: "When you take a long rest, you must spend at least 4 hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you appear inert, but it doesn't render you unconscious, and you can see and hear as normal."
Triton
Control Air and Water now grants the wall of water spell instead of the water walk spell.
Githyanki
Variant Githyanki
If you wish to play a githyanki that uses psionics like a Mystic does, use the following variant trait:
Githyanki Psionics. You know the mage hand power, and the hand is invisible when you manifest the power with this trait.
Starting at 3rd level, you can manifest the brute strike power with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can manifest the levitate power with it. Once you manifest catapult or detect thoughts with this trait, you can’t manifest that power with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also manifest either of those spells using any psi points you have if you have them and the power is no higher than you maximum power level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your psionic ability for these powers when you manifest them with this trait (choose when you select this race).
Githzerai
Githzerai Psionics now grants catapult instead of the shield spell.
Variant Githzerai
If you wish to play a githzerai that uses psionics like a Mystic does, use the following variant trait:
Githzerai Psionics. You know the mage hand power, and the hand is invisible when you manifest the power with this trait.
Starting at 3rd level, you can manifest the catapult power with this trait. Starting at 5th level, you can manifest the detect thoughts power with it. Once you manifest catapult or detect thoughts with this trait, you can’t manifest that power with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also manifest either of those spells using any psi points you have if you have them and the power is no higher than you maximum power level.
Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your psionic ability for these powers when you manifest them with this trait (choose when you select this race).
Water Genasi
Call to the Wave now grants tidal wave instead of the water walk spell.
Bugbear
Surprise Attack now reads: "If you hit a creature with an attack roll, the creature takes an extra 2d6 damage if it hasn’t taken a turn yet in the current combat. You can only deal this damage once per combat."
Racial Feats
Dragon Fear
Second benefit now reads: "Instead of exhaling destructive energy, you can expend a use of your Breath Weapon trait to roar, forcing each creature of your choice within 15 feet of you to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier). A target automatically succeeds on the save if it can't hear or see you. On a failed save, a target becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. If the frightened target takes any damage, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success."
Dragon Hide
Second benefit now reads: "Your scales harden. Whenever you are wearing light armor or no armor, you gain a +1 bonus to your armor class. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit."
Dragon Wings
Added from UAFFR and now reads: "You sprout draconic wings. With your wings, you have a flying speed equal to your walking speed. To use this speed, you can't be wearing medium or heavy armor. "
Dwarven Fortitude
Gains a third benefit which reads: "Whenever you roll a hit die to heal, you can immediately make another saving throw against one disease or poison affecting you, gaining a bonus to the save equal to the result on the die roll."
Orcish Aggression
Added from UAFFR and also gives Powerful Build.
Magic Resistance
Prerequisite: Dragonborn or gnome
The arcane blood in your veins gives you increased resilience against magic. You have advantage on saving throws against all spells.
Elven Accuracy
Prerequisite: Elf or half-elf
The accuracy of elves is legendary, especially that of elf archers and spellcasters. You have uncanny aim with attacks that rely on precision rather than brute force. You gain the following benefits:
- Increase your Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- Whenever you have advantage on an attack roll, you can reroll one of the dice once. You can use this feature once per turn.
- If you have advantage on a ranged weapon attack, you ignore any disadvantage caused by making an attack in that weapons second range increment, and you ignore three-quarters and half-cover.