<style> .phb{ background : white;} .phb img{ display : none;} .phb hr+section blockquote{background : white;} </style> # Thediem's House Rules ### Heroic Character Generation The heroes of a Dungeons and Dragons story are a cut above the commonfolk, even before they became a fighter or a wizard or what have you. These rules take that to an even greater degree, creating nigh-superhuman characters. When rolling for stats during character creation, use the following guidelines. Roll 5d6, rerolling 1's and 2's, then add the highest three results, eliminating the lowest two. Repeat this process seven times. Remove the lowest score. Assign these scores to the six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma, as desired. Point Buy and Point Array Rules upcoming. ### Critical Successes on Skill checks ___ Momentary flashes of inspiration or surges of adrenaline can push one beyond their normal limits. When a creature rolls a natural twenty on a skill check, that check is calculated as a thirty plus all relevant modifiers. This does not always guarantee success, as some tasks are simply impossible. ### Critical Successes on Initiative ___ Sometimes, a creature can be so battle ready and prepared to jump into a fight they can erupt into a flurry of action. When a creature rolls a natural twenty on an initiative roll, they gain one "Legendary Action." This meaning they can take one action, be it Attacking, Casting a Spell, Dashing, Hiding, or any other action that can be taken during combat, between any two creatures turns. Neither of these turns can be the creature's. ### Taking Your Time ___ A skill check represents an attempt to accomplish some goal, usually while under some sort of time pressure or Distraction. Sometimes, though, a character can use a skill under more favorable conditions, increasing the odds of success. Taking 10: When your character is not in immediate danger 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. For many routine tasks, taking 10 makes them automatically successful. Distractions or threats (such as combat) make it impossible for a character to take 10. 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. Taking 20: When you have plenty of time, you are faced with no threats or distractions, and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, you can take 20. In other words, if you roll a d20 enough times, eventually you will get a 20. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, just calculate your result as if you had rolled a 20. Taking 20 means you are trying until you get it right, and it assumes that you fail many times before succeeding. Taking 20 takes 20 times as long as making a single check would take (usually 2 minutes for a skill that takes 1 round or less to perform). Since taking 20 assumes that your character will fail many times before succeeding, your character would automatically incur any penalties for failure before he or she could complete the task (hence why it is generally not allowed with Skills that carry such penalties). ### Undead Nature Adjustments. ___ Due to the corrupted, dark nature inherent to undead, the way their physiologies respond to certain energies is completely different from that of other creatures. When a creature with the undead type is subjected to necrotic damage, they instead take no damage and recover the amount of damage they would have taken as hit points. If this would take them over their normal maximum HP, they gain the remainder as temporary hit points. All creatures with the undead type are vulnerable to radiant damage. All creatures with the undead type take damage from healing spells such as **Cure Wounds** or **Healing Word.** ### Constructed Nature Adjustments The artifical design of constructs causes them to react uniquely to different energies and magics. Creatures with the construct type cannot be affected by spells such as **Cure Wounds** or **Healing Word.** When a creature with the construct type is subjected to force damage, they instead take no damage and gain the damage they would have taken as temporary HP. When **Dispel Magic** is cast targeting a creature with the construct type, they must succed on a constitution saving throw versus the caster's spell DC or have their maximum HP reduced by 3d6, reducing their maximum HP by half as much on a successful save. This reduction increases by 1d6 for each level above third **Dispel Magic** is cast. Their maximum HP returns to normal after a short or long rest. If a creature with the construct type is caught in an Anti-Magic field, they begin "suffocating." This is not due to a lack of air(the Constructed Nature feature would render some constructs immune) this is due to the magic animating them being slowly smothered away. For a number of minutes equal to 1 plus their constitution modifier(a minimum of thirty seconds), nothing happens. After this duration has elapsed, they become incapacitated. They survive a number of rounds equal to their constitution modifier. After that, they are reduced to 0 hit points and are dying. They cannot be stabilized while still within the anti-magic zone. \pagebreak ### Outsider Nature ___ Creatures from beyond the Prime Material Plane are nigh-impossible to kill when away from home. If their corporeal form is destroyed, they are merely banished for a time. When a creature whose home plane is not the Prime Material Plane is killed while not on their home plane, they do not die, their physical form disintegrates and they reform over a period of time. That period of time is a number of months equal to 1d6 times their challenge level. This typically includes creatures with the celestial or fiend types, a portion of creatures with the fey type, creatures with the Slaadi subtype, or creatures with the Modron subtype. ### A Final, Heroic Stand ___ In times of great mortal peril, adrenaline and determination can keep one upright when by all rights one should have succumbed to their wounds. You no longer fall unconscious when you reach 0 HP, you instead enter your "Last Stand." While in your Last Stand, your attacks, checks, and saving throws except for your Death saving throws are made at disadvantage. Enemies have advantage on saving throws against your spells and abilities. Any damage you inflict is halved. Your base walking speed is lowered by 5 feet. Your hit points continue to reduce into the negatives. If you reach positive hit points, you immediately exit your last stand. #### Death Saving Throws During a Last Stand At the end of each of your turns, you make a death saving throw. The DC of this saving throw is equal to ten or half the absolute value of your current HP, whichever is higher. Failing this saving throw accrues one failed death save. Succeeding accrues one successful death save. If you accrue three failures before three successes, you die. If you accrue three successes before three failures, you return to one hit point. #### On The Brink If a healer's kit or the **Spare The Dying** cantrip is or any other source of stabilizing on another creature will set that creature's HP to 0 and puts that creature "On the Brink". You cannot, by any means, put yourself On the Brink. While On the Brink your attacks, checks, and saving throws are made at disadvantage. Enemies have advantage on saving throws against your spells and abilities. Any damage you inflict is halved. Your walking land speed is lowered by 5 feet. While On the Brink, you are considered stable and should not make any further Cycle saving throws. If you take damage while On the Brink that lowers your HP below 0, you enter your Last Stand again. If you are healed while On the Brink to any HP value above 0, you are no longer On the Brink. #### Instant Death The body can only take so much punishment before giving out, if you reach negative HP equal to the negative value of your maximum HP, you die.