Introduction

ONCE UPON A TIME, NOT THAT LONG AGO really, I started to play Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. I enjoyed the game as a player and DM, but over the years I started to see some faults, be it minor or major, in both the system and the way we played with it at our table.

For that reason, I decided to make some research and look for improvements: optional rulings, homebrews, house rules used at other tables, as well as brewing up my own rules. All with the goal to cherrypick content that I believed would improve our games.

It is important to note that most of the focus went into reworking existing systems, be it for balance purposes, for the sake of simplicity, or generally because it made the game more enjoyable or easier to play. What this means, is that this compendium will include mostly mentions or modifications to existing D&D 5e rules. It does not aim to greatly expand the game with new content, but rather to transform what already exists into an improved version of itself.

Additionally, you might see that some of the rules mentioned here are already present as official or optional rules for D&D, for example in the Dungeon Master's Guide. That is because what this document ultimately aims to be is a curated compendium of optional rules, both official and homebrew, that you can draw concepts from and implement them in your own games.

With all that said, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it and find something of use for your future games.

I. Character Creation and Development

The Big Five Personality Traits

1. Ego - The Hero

• Motto: Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
• Core Desire: To prove one’s worth through courage.
• Goal: Expert mastery in a way that improves the world.
• Greatest Fear: Weakness, vulnerability, being a “chicken”.
• Strategy: To be as strong and competent as possible.
• Weakness: Arrogance, always needing another battle.
• Talent: Competence and courage.

2. Ego - The Magician

• Motto: I make things happen.
• Core Desire: Understanding the laws of the universe.
• Goal: To make dreams come true.
• Greatest Fear: Unintended negative consequences.
• Strategy: Develop a vision and live by it.
• Weakness: Becoming manipulative.
• Talent: Finding win-win solutions.

3. Ego - The Rebel

• Motto: Rules are made to be broken.
• Core Desire: Revenge or revolution.
• Goal: To overturn what is not working.
• Greatest Fear: To be powerless or ineffectual.
• Strategy: Disrupt, destroy, or shock.
• Weakness: Crossing over to the dark side, crime.
• Talent: Outrageousness, radical freedom.

4. Order - The Caregiver

• Motto: Love your neighbor as yourself.
• Core Desire: To protect and care for others.
• Goal: To help others.
• Greatest Fear: Selfishness and ingratitude.
• Strategy: Doing things for others.
• Weakness: Martyrdom and being exploited.
• Talent: Compassion, generosity.

5. Order - The Ruler

• Motto: Power is not everything, it’s the only thing.
• Core Desire: Control.
• Goal: Create a prosperous, successful family or community.
• Greatest Fear: Exercise power.
• Strategy: Chaos, being overthrown.
• Weakness: Being authoritarian, unable to delegate.
• Talent: Responsibility, leadership.

6. Order - The Creator

• Motto: If you can imagine it, it can be done.
• Core Desire: To create things of enduring value.
• Goal: To realize a vision.
• Greatest Fear: Mediocre vision or execution.
• Strategy: Develop artistic control and skill.
• Weakness: Perfectionism, bad solutions.
• Talent: Creativity and imagination.

7. Social - The Lover

• Motto: You are the only one.
• Core Desire: Intimacy and experience.
• Goal: Being in a relationship with the people, work and surroundings they love.
• Greatest Fear: Being alone, unwanted, unloved.
• Strategy: To be physically and emotionally attractive.
• Weakness: Outward-directed desire to please others at risk of losing own identity.
• Talent: Passion, gratitude, appreciation, and commitment.

8. Social - The Jester

• Motto: You only live once.
• Core Desire: To live in the moment with full enjoyment.
• Goal: To have a great time and lighten up the world.
• Greatest Fear: Being bored or boring others.
• Strategy: Play, make jokes, be funny.
• Weakness: Frivolity, wasting time.
• Talent: Joy.

9. Social - The Everyman

• Motto: All men and women are created equal.
• Core Desire: Connecting with others.
• Goal: To belong.
• Greatest Fear: To be left out or stand out from the crowd.
• Strategy: Develop ordinary solid virtues, be down to earth, the common touch.
• Weakness: Losing one’s own self in an effort to blend in or for the sake of superficial relationships.
• Talent: Realism, empathy, lack of pretense.

Random Methods

Random methods include rolling dice and luck. However, each method has its own floor and ceiling for potential outcomes, as well as higher chances to result in values around a certain range, rather than each possible result being equally probable.

• Traditional. The tried-and-true. The legal method to roll for stats with a cushion for the worst roll of the lot.
• Tame. A high floor and ceiling for potential results, but also a high chance of results being within 11-14.
• Risky. Roll method with lower results than the traditional one, but a cushion for the worst possible outcome.
• Riskier. Same as Risky, but without the cushion, resulting in even lower results in general.

Non-Random Methods

These methods involve no randomness whatsoever, giving you full control to lay out your character's ability scores as you wish within certain limits.

• Standard Array. You have the following scores: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. Choose a different one for each ability score.
• Point Buy. All ability scores start at 8 and you have 27 points to spend. Increasing a score by 1 costs 1 point, but it costs 2 if the increase results in the score being above 13 (max of 15 for each ability score). Using the 5e Point Buy Calculator is a highly recommended tool for this.

Balanced Ability Scores

In the case of using a random method involving rolling to choose a character's ability scores, it is recommended that all players agree on a method to use in order to keep things fair.

HP Increase Variants

Whenever a character levels up, he can choose from one of the following methods to determine his Hit Point increase.

• Traditional Non-Random. Your Hit Dice average + 1 + your Constitution modifier.
• Traditional Random. Roll of your Hit Dice + your Constitution modifier.
• Low Risk Variant. Your Hit Dice average + 1 + your Constitution modifier + 1d4 - 1d4.
• High Risk Variant. Your Hit Dice average + 1 + your Constitution modifier + 1d6 - 1d6.

If all players and DM agree, you can all use one of the two following methods instead of the previous ones.

• Above Average Random. Identical to Traditional Random, but if you roll below your Hit Dice average you get the average instead.
• Re-Roll Below Average. Identical to Traditional Random, but if you roll below your Hit Dice average you get to re-roll it once.

ASI and Feats

Whenever there is an Ability Score Increase (ASI), players also gain a Feat. The Feat cannot increase an ability score already increased by the ASI.

If, as a player, you don't want to meddle with Feats consider checking Feats such as Skill Expert, Resilient, or the Armored feats, which are very simple and involve passive improvements that are not too difficulty to track or use.

Abilities and Skills

Ability and Skill Checks

Rewarding Player Behavior

Action Options

Including the standard actions available in combat, such as Attack, Disengage, Dash, Dodge, or Help, the following actions are also available.

Bonus Action Options

Flanking

When a creature and at least one of its allies are adjacent to an enemy on opposite sides or corners of the enemy's space, they are flanking that enemy. If one of the two creatures attacks the flanked enemy, the other can use his reaction to assist the attack, granting it advantage.

To determine whether an enemy is flanked or not, draw an imaginary line between the center of the two attackers attempting to flank it. If the line crosses opposite sides of the enemy's sides, then the enemy creature is flanked by them.

 

In-Reach Opportunity Attacks

You can make an opportunity attack when a hostile creature that you can see moves more than 5 feet while within your reach in a single turn or if it moves out of your reach. To make the opportunity attack, you use your reaction to make one melee attack against the provoking creature. The attack interrupts the provoking creature's movement, occurring right before the creature makes the move that triggers it.

 

Author's Note: Combat Positioning

The default Flanking rules and Opportunity Attack rules make it too easy to position yourself to gain advantage at no cost. These new rules allow for creatures to gain that advantage, but it requires better positioning and the use of a reaction, the same resouce needed for opportunity attacks, among some spells and character features.

 

Simultaneous Initiative

Whenever two characters roll the same initiative in combat, they can make the turn simultaneously, instead of one after the other (although that is also an option).

Knocking out a Creature

Whenever you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points through an attack, you can choose to knock it out instead of outright killing it. The hostile creature is rendered unconscious and is unstable. Alternatively, you can declare your intention of knocking out the hostile creature before you make the attack roll, if you do so you have disadvantage on the attack roll, but if you reduce the opponent to 0 hit points it is rendered unconscious and is stable.

 

Author's Note: Risk

This rule creates a risk factor to trying to knock out an opponent: you either attack recklessly and provide medical care soon after, or perform the attack carefully to avoid potentially killing the target accidentally.

 

Two-Weapon Fighting

No Bonus Action Cost

When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you're holding in one hand, you can also attack with a different light melee weapon that you're holding in the other hand. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the additional attack, unless that modifier is negative.

If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.

Spellcasting

Burst Concentration

You can concentrate on multiple spells at once during a single turn. If at the end of your turn you are concentrating on multiple spells, you must abandon concentration on all of them except for one.

Massive Damage

When a creature takes damage from a single source that is equal or greater than half his hit point maximum it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer a random effect from the System Shock table if it is not reduced to 0 hit points, or one from the Expanded Lingering Injuries table if it is.

Brutal Critical

Instead of rolling the damage dice twice, a critical hit adds the maximum possible result of the damage dice to the roll.

This does not apply to other damage dice involved in the attack, such as from the rogue’s Sneak Attack, the half-orc's Savage Attacks, or the paladin's Divine Smite.

Hit Point Indicators

A creature that is below half its maximum hit points is considered as "bloodied". If it is below 10 hit points, it is considered "mortally wounded". These two indicators are visible for anyone that can see the creature.

At Death's Door

Whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points, you must succeed on a DC 15 or half the damage you take, whichever is higher, Constitution saving throw or fall Unconscious. If you succeed, you are Incapacitated, fall Prone, and can only crawl until you regain hit points.

Either way, you are Unstable and must roll a death saving throw at the beginning of your turns until you regain hit points, die, or stabilize. You regain 1 hit point after 1d4 hours.

Battle Exhaustion

Whenever a creature is reduced to 0 hit points it gains a level of exhaustion. All levels of exhaustion gained this way are removed once the creature performs a short or long rest.

Secret Death Saves

Death saving throws are done by the DM in secret. However, if you try to stabilize an unstable creature but fail, you know how many death saving throws it has failed thus far.

Last Stand

If you are still alive immediately after making a death saving throw, but still at 0 hit points, you can choose to start a Last Stand, which instantly grants you the benefits of a long rest.

However, at the end of each of your turns from that point onwards, you must succeed on a Constitution saving throw of DC 5 which increases by 5 for every turn you have survived the Last Stand. Whenever you fail the saving throw or fall to 0 hit points, whichever happens first, you die.

Undead Characters

A character who perishes in the course of a campaign might return as a Hollow One, created by the mysterious forces or unnatural magic.

Ageless. You don't age, and effects that would cause you to age don't work on you.

Cling to Life. When you make a death saving throw and roll 16 or higher, you regain 1 hit point.

Revenance. You retain your creature type, yet you register as undead to spells and other effects that detect the presence of the undead creature type.

Unsettling Presence. As an action, you can unsettle a creature you can see within 15 feet of you. The target has disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes within the next minute. Constructs, undead, and creatures that can't be frightened are immune to this feature. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Healer

Everyone has a modified version of the Healer's feat, which works like this:

1. When you use a healer's kit to stabilize a dying creature, make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. If you succeed, the creature regains 1 hit point, otherwise it is stabilized.

2. As an action, you can spend one use of a healer's kit to tend to a creature and restore 1d6 + your Wisdom (Medicine) modifier (minimum of 1) hit points to it, plus additional hit points equal to the creature's maximum number of Hit Dice. The creature can't regain hit points from this feat again until it finishes a short or long rest.

Healing Surges

As an action (or bonus action for a more heroic feel), a character can use a healing surge and spend up to half his or her Hit Dice. For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character's Constitution modifier. The character regains hit points equal to the total. The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll.

A character who uses a healing surge can't do so again until he or she finishes a short or long rest.

Under this optional rule, a character regains all spent Hit Dice at the end of a long rest. With a short rest, a character regains Hit Dice equal to his or her level divided by four (minimum of one dice).

Quick Short Rests

A character can perform a short rest in 10 minutes, instead of 1 hour. However, a character that rests this way cannot spend any Hit Dice after finishing the rest unless it expends one use of a healer's kit to tend its wounds.

Handling Combat Duration

Enemy Management

Affinity

TODO

Getting Drunk

TODO

Automatic Supplies

It is assumed that a character that has had recent access to services that offer food and shelter carries some supplies. Depending on the time that has passed since a character last had access to the aforementioned services, one of three survival modes is in effect.

Foraging

Characters can gather food and water as the party travels at a normal or slow pace. A foraging characters makes a Wisdom (Survival) check whenever you call for it, with the DC determined by the abundance of food and water in the region.

Butchering

Dead creatures can be butchered, but the meat they yield spoils after a single day if uneaten.

Spoiled Food

Foraged or butchered food spoils after a single day if uneaten. Eating spoiled meat requires to succeed on a Constitution saving throw of a DC equal to 15 + the amount of days it has been spoiled for, or become poisoned for 1d4 hours.

Falling

At the end of a fall, a creature takes bludgeoning damage based on the distance it fell (see "Fall Damage"). The creature lands prone, unless it avoids taking damage from the fall.

"Click" Traps

Whenever a character triggers a trap, the DM says “Click” out loud. Before knowing any of the trap’s effects, the characters nearby can expend a reaction to attempt to counteract them, however this reaction must be realistically possible within the timeframe of about half a second and such be extremely fast.

At the DMs discretion, the players gain advantage or disadvantage on the trap’s saving throw, or other beneficial or detrimental effects depending on their chosen reaction.

Items

Variant: Encumbrance

If you carry weight in excess of 5 times your Strength score, you are encumbered and your speed drops by 10 feet.

If you carry weight in excess of 10 times your Strength score, up to your maximum carrying capacity, you are instead heavily encumbered, your speed drops by 20 feet, and you have disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution.

(TODO: Faster Item Attunement)

Simultaneous Initiative

Credits

TODO

Part Image Credits:

• Cover: https://www.deviantart.com/moulinbleu/art/the-Dungeon-Master-365881616
• Part 1: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lxxara
• Part 2: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Q2ZVB
• Part 3: https://www.behance.net/gallery/65210337/The-Elder-Scrolls-Legends
• Part 4: https://ericbelisle.blogspot.com/2017/11/d-5e-158340-adventurers-exploring.html
• Part 5: https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/excerpt-magic-items-art
• Part 6: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/D5GoRO

Image Credits:

• Character Creation and Development: https://www.nicepng.com/maxp/u2t4o0u2o0a9r5a9/
• Rewarding Player Behavior: https://www.pinterest.es/pin/666673551085807872/

Homebrew Optional Rules Sources:

• https://youtu.be/tqebcPfY51M
• https://youtu.be/ml6n_LDCEj4