How to Use This Book

This rulebook is organized into four parts. The first contains core options and mechanics. The second contains additional options for specific circumstances, equipment, or feats. The third is an appendix for more experimental options and the fourth is an archive of useful alternate options from previous editions of the Tome.

If chapter catch your interest, try it out in a playtest or even a regular session - either as a block, or by picking individual options. Even the more transformative options are designed to be friendly with game balance and involve minimal or no conversion. If they don't catch your interest, or fail to shine in the playtest, you can

leave them and still try some of the other options. Although everything in this ruleset is designed to play well together, each option also stands alone and you can simply select the options that suit your group's taste and style.

Stacking Advantage and Disadvantage

In the core rules, advantage and disadvantage don’t stack. So advantage from multiple sources is no greater than a single source of advantage. Similarly, if there are multiple sources imposing advantage and disadvantage, then neither apply, even if there are more sources of one than the other.

Sequential Checks

Sequential checks are a simple and effective option to determine a multi-stage or multi-skill challenge. The rogue who creeps along the rooftops (Sneak) before leaping down (Acrobatics) to surprise their mark. The wizard hunting through the library of the ancients for the cure to the bard's curse (Arcana and Investigation). However, note that each cumulative check adds difficulty in a similar way to rolling with disadvantage, so consider dropping a difficulty level (5 DC) for each additional ability check to maintain a similar chance of overall success.

If you are using the Degree of Success option, consider only using degree of success for the final ability check, unless each check is a distinct stage with a distinct outcome. However, if you want a cumulative degree of success, a marginal (exact roll) could confer disadvantage on the next roll (so that you may even wish to abandon and restart the attempt), a strong success (5+) could allow a reroll on the next roll, and a critical success (10+) could confer advantage on the next roll (see table below).

Saving Throws

Much like ability checks, saving throws really lend themselves to degrees of success or failure, both in narrative and in mechanics.

The two tables here cover both main types of saving throws: saves to entirely avoid an effect, damage, or a condition; and saves to halve damage from an effect.

For compatibility with saving throw outcomes presented in monster stat blocks etc, follow the system of "specific beats general" so that any specific outcomes described elsewhere take precedence over the general outcomes described here.

Using Average Damage

If you're using average damage for monsters, just add 50% when rolling damage with advantage, or double on a critical hit. In playtesting, this made average damage very popular: saving the GM time but still having appropriate variability.

Extended Glancing Blow Variant

If you want to emphasize the visible role of armor as damage reduction, you can extend the glancing blow range: none if unarmored; only on a marginal roll for light armor; marginal +1 for medium armor; and marginal +2 for heavy armor.

However, this slows play and the effect of armor already becomes distinct if you use the Defense option (page 7).

Describing Combat

Degree of success and defense dice add descriptive depth to attack rolls, providing narrative prompts that fill out more of the flavor of the fight.

Maybe the goblin tripped as he critically fumbled (natural 1) his short sword attack. Or the bandit's wild swing (6) was never going to hit. Perhaps the wolf snapped at your arm but got a mouth full of chain mail (near miss with a 12). Or your splint armor spared you the full effects of the bugbear's morningstar attack (regular hit with a 16). You might land a clean axe-blow past the hobglobin's shield (strong hit with a 23) or spear the bulette through a chink in its armor (natural 20). Or you might parry (expertise die roll of 4) the pirate's cutlass at the last minute, after it had otherwise slipped past your guard!

The table below gives some narrative suggestions for what the roll (after modifiers) implies about the attack:

Constitution In Starting HP

To give characters more baseline fortitude, calculate level 1 hp by taking the maximum of the class Hit Die as usual, but then add your Constitution score (the ability score itself) rather than the Constitution modifier. Essentially this is your Constitution contributing your baseline health and your class contributing the benefits of training.

Implications for Other Uses of HP

HP totals are used for all-or-nothing effects such as Sleep or the Power Word spells. You may wish to adapt these by adding the caster's spellcasting ability score to the hp total.

While You Have Less Than 0 HP:

• During your turn, you are unconscious and can't take any actions but you can spend a Hit Die (or take a level of fatigue to spend a Hit Die if no Hit Dice left) to heal that roll (plus Constitution modifier).
• Another creature can attempt to stabilize you by performing a Medicine check (DC 10 or half your hp below 0, whichever is higher), to bring your hp back to 0.
• You don't heal past 0 hp in a single turn. Healing that would take you above 0 hp, instead heals you to 0 hp.
• At the end of your turn, you must succeed on a death saving throw (Constitution saving throw with a DC of 10 or half your hp below 0, whichever is higher) or take another level of fatigue. If using Degree of Success, see optional table below. Reaching level 7 fatigue results in being doomed.

At 0 HP (Unconscious but Stable):

• You recover consciousness when you heal to 1 hp or more.
• After you finish a short or long rest, you naturally recover consciousness and 1 hp (plus any hp from spending a Hit Die).

Variant Fatigue

Ordinarily, the seven levels of fatigue each introduce a distinct effect (cannot sprint; disadvantage on Strength, Dexterity and Constitution checks; speed halved; disadvantage on attack rolls and Strength, Dexterity and Constitution saving throws; hit point maximum halved; speed reduced to 5ft; doomed).

Degree of Success: Spells

Degree of success can also be applied to casting rolls. The higher the roll, the closer it looks to how it should do and players may enjoy describing how a spell differs from its intent.

There are suggested mechanical effects for criticals, but use the Combat (page 6) or Saving Throws (page 5) tables and outcome tiers instead if it was a spell attack or save.

A grittier version of this table, for campaign settings with rarer magic, is in the Archive (page 40)

Group Check

If others would be able to help, e.g. other creatures keeping a lookout, you can use the Help with Ability Checks option (page 4)

Monster Initiative

Monsters' initiative can simply be 10 + their dexterity bonus.

Player Order

Players choose the order they'll go in (and decide any tactics, with no further discussion between different players' turns), although the player who rolled initiative must go first that round. The DM chooses the order monsters go in when it's their side's turn.

Alternating Initiative

The simplest system is to have each side take all of its turns before the other side takes theirs. However, combat can be more balanced, and more exciting, if individual players and monsters alternate turns, as suggested by Cody Lewis.

You may even want to split out multiple attacks/actions from a single powerful creature when fighting multiple opponents, but this becomes rapidly complex if applies to more than one creature.

Surprise Variant

A simple variant for determining surprise is for it to occur when your opponents beat your initiative roll by 10 or more. You add +5 to your roll if you're hidden from your opponents.

Pre-empting an Attack

When you roll initiative, so long as you're not surprised, you may use your reaction to say or do something quick that might interrupt the start of combat (e.g. shouting "Stop, we're on your side!"). You can't then take another reaction during the first round of combat.

Closing Range

This optional rule applies when you move within reach of an opponent whose melee weapon has a longer reach. Similar to the Polearm Savant feat, this provokes an opportunity attack. To determine reach, weapons with the reach property have the longest reach, followed by those that are two-handed (or versatile), followed by all other weapons, except those with the light property (or unarmed attacks) which have the shortest reach.

There are number of circumstances where closing range doesn’t provoke an opportunity attack (unless of course the defender has a polearm and the Polearm Savant feat):

• If the opponent is surprised
• If the attacker is hidden from the opponent
• If the opponent is already engaged in combat with another attacker
• If the attacker is wielding a shield
• Or if the attacker teleports (or equivalent) directly within reach

Note that if the attacker does close, the opponent may retreat on their turn to re-establish their range. However, unless they take the Disengage action, that retreat may itself provoke an opportunity attack.

When an attacker successfully closes range, opponents with longer reach weapons may also find their weapons less effective if then affected by Restricted Space or if held in Grappling Range (see following).

Restricted Space

In a restricted space where 5 ft range can’t be maintained (such as a tight dungeon corridor, thick forest, or the crush of a large melee), attackers with more than 5 ft reach (for example, wielding weapons with the reach property) have disadvantage on attack rolls, unless used in a close reach mode (such as the butt of the weapon: an improvised weapon dealing 1d4 damage).

This is when the attacker with the short reach weapon can turn the tables on their longer reach opponent: intentionally pinning their target into a corner, or against another attacker, to level the playing field. A greatsword isn’t as effective when you can only punch out with the butt of it.

Grappling Range

In extreme restricted space (or during a grapple), weapons with more than 5 ft reach can’t be used at all to attack, unless used a close reach mode as an improvised weapon. Even in close reach mode, they have disadvantage on attack rolls and it may be wiser to drop the weapon and fight unarmed or with a knife. Even mid-range weapons (any weapon without the light property) have disadvantage on attack rolls unless using the pommel etc (for 1d4 damage). This is when the dagger finds its true calling and creates space for the close combat / grappling specialist. Note the Grappler feat gives advantage on attacks while grappling, which may be particularly relevant for rogues.

If the attacker wants to get within grappling range and stay there, play this as an attempted Grapple maneuver (A5ESRD: Combat Maneuvers), using one of the attacker's attacks. If not already within reach, the attacker would need to close range first, provoking an opportunity attack. If the opportunity attack lands, then the grapple check is with disadvantage.

Called Shot

This is a general flexible option for when an attacker wants to target a specific part of their opponent’s body, or wants to have a specific effect such as a trip, or to lock blades, pin a weapon, disarm, or anything else. The attacker must declare their intention before making the attack roll. Simply apply a -1 to -10 modifier on the attack roll, depending on the difficulty (see Called Shot Difficulty table, where assumed chance is the typical chance for matched opponents).

A called shot can’t be attempted if it takes the die roll needed to hit above 20, nor can limited-use attack bonuses or automatic hits be used for these actions.

The default modifier can be considered -5 (note that this parallels degree of success). Or refer to this difficulty table:

Time. It takes significant downtime to develop a new spell: 1 week per level, for each of the three stages.

Cost. Developing a new spell is also expensive. 100 gp per level per week is reasonable.

Stage 1 - Research. This stage reflects the study required to develop the theory underlying the spell. To successfully complete the research stage, you must succeed in an Arcana skill check (using your spellcasting ability) with a DC of 15 plus twice the spell level.

Stage 2 - Development. This stage represents the practical development of the spell from the research theory. It requires a successful Investigation skill check (using your spellcastingability) with a DC of 15 plus twice the spell level.

Stage 3 - Testing. This last stage reflects mastery of the spell to the point where it can be finalized and reliably cast. If using the casting roll option, the character must succeed in a casting roll with an additional penalty on the DC equal to the spell's level (so the DC is now 10 plus three times the spell level). If not using the casting roll option, you may substitute a successful Performance skill check (using your spellcasting ability), with a DC of 15 plus twice the spell level.

You may want to use the degree of success option for these sequential checks (page 4). Any critical failure means the spell can’t be attempted again, heavy failure that you must restart from Stage 1. The Stage 3 result would apply to the first time you then cast the spell.

Casting Flexibility

These three options increase flexibility in which spells you can cast, and when.

Closing Range

If using the Closing Range option, a shield provides cover for the wielder when closing on an opponent with a longer reach weapon, so it doesn't provoke an opportunity attack.

Fend

While wielding a shield, you may Fend as a bonus action to gain a defense die.

Bucklers and Vambraces

Bucklers (very small shields) and vambraces (a form of forearm armor) are exmaples of light shields and can give a +1 bonus to AC when used in a free hand, so long as you have proficiency in shields. They don’t give the other benefits listed above and, unlike other light shields (A5ESRD: Equipment), can't be thrown as an improvised weapon. However, a buckler can be donned or doffed as an object interaction (doesn't use an action if it is the only object interacted with that turn) and vambraces allow the free hand(s) to perform other actions (e.g. sleight of hand or somatic components of a spell).

Equivalent Spell Level Difficulty

Equivalent Spell Level Difficulty

Cantrips

Cantrips are a special case. The required player level, time, cost and development checks depend on the number of times the cantrip can be cast per day (once is equivalent to a 1st level spell development, twice to a 2nd level, up to 8 which is equivalent to an 8th level spell development).

For cantrips that scale with player level, the level is that of the item wielder not the crafter.

Enhanced Spells

A spell may be enhanced with a metamagic version when it's imbued; treat this as increasing the spell level by one (and so increasing the difficulty level by 2). A spell may also be imbued to be cast more than once a day: increase the equivalent difficulty level by 2 for each extra casting. Finally, a spell may be imbued at an upcast level; simply treat it as that higher level.

Charges

Instead of one or two spell castings that reset each day, an item may hold a number of charges, as is the case for many wands. Imbuing the spell follows the same rules and gives 1 charge. Additional charges (up to a maximum of 10) can be added (or restored) any time afterwards, either by the original crafter or more commonly by a suitable level arcane tradesperson in a major town. Each charge takes a number of days equal to the spell's level (minimum 1) and costs either 100 gp per day per level (half this cost is materials, half is profit) or 1/10 of the total value of the item.

Attentive

Always aware of your surroundings, you gain the following benefits:

• When rolling initiative you gain a +5 bonus.
• You can only be surprised if you are unconscious.
• A creature attacking you does not gain advantage from being hidden from you, or unseen by you, or from teleporting to attack you.
• • When you use the Ready action to prepare an Attack action and have the Extra Attack feature, you may also make those extra attacks as part of the attack. Any attack ability that usually applies once per turn may only apply once per round.

Deflector

Prerequisite: Dexterity 13 or higher

When you are wielding a finesse weapon which you are proficient with, you gain an additional defense die on your turn.

Powerful Attacker

You’ve mastered wielding unwieldy weapons, using weight and momentum to empower your strikes. You gain the following benefits:

• Any time your attack reduces a creature to 0 hit points, any excess damage from that attack may carry over to another creature within reach which has the same AC or less. If the remaining damage likewise reduces that creature to 0 hit points, repeat this process, carrying over the remaining damage until there are no valid targets, or until the damage carried over fails to reduce a creature to 0 hit points.
• You gain proficiency with the Cleaving Swing maneuver and do not have to spend exertion to activate it.
• Before you make an attack with a heavy weapon you are proficient with, you can choose to take a penalty on the attack roll, up to your proficiency bonus. If that attack hits, you deal extra damage equal to double that amount.

Spellbreaker

You have learned specialized techniques to fight against magic users more effectively. You gain the following benefits:

• You gain proficiency with the Purge Magic maneuver and do not have to spend exertion to activate it.
• When a creature within 5 feet of you begins casting a spell, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature, potentially disrupting the spell.
• If you are not in melee (i.e. no opponents within 5 feet of you) and a creature further than 5 feet from you begins casting a spell, you can use your reaction to make a ranged attack against that creature, potentially disrupting the spell.
• When a creature concentrating on a spell (or concentrating on casting a spell) is damaged by you, it has disadvantage on its concentration check to maintain its concentration. This includes saving throws against having a spell disrupted.
• You have advantage on saving throws made against spells cast within 30 feet of you.

Fortunate

Fate seems to smile on you when you need it most.

You gain 1 fate point. Whenever you make an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw and do not have disadvantage, you may spend a fate point to roll an additional d20 and choose whichever result you wish. You may do this after the initial roll has occurred, but before the outcome is known. If you have disadvantage, you may instead spend a fate point to choose one of the d20 rolls and reroll it.

Alternatively, when you are attacked, you may choose to spend a fate point to force the attacking creature to reroll the attack. The creature resolves the attack with the result you choose.

If you roll a natural 1 or 20 on the roll made when you spend a fate point, then you regain the fate point.

Otherwise, you regain the expended fate point when you finish a long rest.

Gaining Feats

At certain levels, your class gives you the Ability Score Improvement feature. With the standard feats option, you can forgo taking that feature to take a feat of your choice instead. However, with an expanding list of interesting feat options, it is very tempting to always choose the feat over the Ability Score Improvement feature, leading to minimal ability score progression over the game.

You may instead wish to use a variant of the Ability Score Improvement feature. At each level where your class gives you the Ability Score Improvement feature, you increase just one ability score of your choice by 1 but also take a feat of your choice. To balance this, you may wish to omit the initial ability score bonuses from background.

Spellcasting Ability

While Charisma works well for bards as a spellcasting ability that's tied to social interaction, Intelligence appears a better fit for a warlock, and Wisdom for a paladin.

With these variant sorcerers, Constitution is your primary ability for control and supply of your magic, since your access to magic relies on your ability to cope with the raw energy that you tap. You use your Constitution when making casting rolls (for the Innate variant), or depend on it to hold on to the power you draw to fuel a spell (for the Channeler variant). Sometimes maintaining control of that arcane energy comes at a physical cost, taking a toll on your HD or hp.

However, you don't necessarily use your Constitution as your spellcasting ability. This depends on the nature of the spell you are casting. Sorcerers rely on their natural talents and have more affinity for spells that match those talents. Whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability, you use the ability that matches the spell save ability. For a spell attack, you choose any ability that you can use for a non-spell attack (usually Strength or Dexterity).

Variant Spellcasting (Replaces Spell Slots)

The variant sorcerers presented here don't use spell slots. Their use of spells is more fluid, although it's still a resource that becomes increasingly limited until restored with rest. The system used differs significantly between the two variants and is their defining feature, as described below.

Spellcasting

At 3rd level, you acquire the ability to cast spells.

Cantrips. You know three cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list, two of which must be transmutation or illusion spells. You learn another at 10th level.

Spell Slots. The Blinkstep Rogue Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have. To cast a spell, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the wizard spell list, two of which must be transmutation and illusion spells.

The Spells Known column of the Blinkstep Rogue Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells. Each must be a transmutation or illusion spell, at a level for which you have spell slots. The spells you learn at 8th, 14th & 20th level can come from any school of magic.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another spell from the wizard spell list, at a level for which you have spell slots. the new spell must be a transmutation or illusion spell, unless it's replacing the spell from any school of magic that you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level.

You learn additional spells with some of your Roguish Archetype features. You may cast these a set number of times without expending spell slots or spell components and without requiring a casting roll (page 11), but may also cast them with a spell slot if available.

Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is the spellcasting ability for your wizard spells:

Unearthly Step

Starting at 3rd level, you can cast Misty Step with this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain these uses when you finish a long rest.

At 9th Level, when an attacker that you can see deals damage to you, you can use your reaction to move up to

15’ away and and the damage dealt is halved.

At 13th level, you can cast Misty Step at will, as if it were a cantrip for you.

Rogue Magic

Starting from 3rd level, in addition to your Blinkstep Rogue spells and Unearthly Step, you learn a Rogue Magic spell. You may cast this spell once with this feature and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Doing so doesn't require spell components and doesn't expend a spell slot. At 9th level and 13th level, you learn an additional Rogue Magic spell that you may cast instead.

At 3rd level, choose one Rogue Magic spell from the following list: blur, invisibility, or pass without trace.

At 9th level, choose another Rogue Magic spell, either: blink, gaseous form, or haste.

At 13th level, choose a third Rogue Magic spell, either: dimension door, etherealness, or greater invisibility.

Blinkstep

At 17th level, you gain the ability to teleport at will. You may use any of your movement to teleport that distance instead, including breaking up teleportation before and after your actions or between attacks. Movement while teleporting does not provoke opportunity attacks and you may move through objects and creatures, so long as you can see the location that you are teleporting to.

You may also use your reaction to move up to 15’ at any time. Any damage being dealt to you at the time is halved.

Best-3-of-4d6 Distribution

Selected Score	Probability of rolling this, or higher	Matched Score	Probability of rolling this, or lower
18	1.6%	5	1.2%
17	5.8%	7	5.7%
16	13.0%	8	10.5%
15	23.1%	9	17.5%
14	35.5%	10	26.9%
13	48.8%	11	38.3%

3d6 Distribution

Since the additional flexibility allows additional optimization, you may find a "best-3-of-4d6" distribution too generous. Here is the equivalent table for a straight 3d6 distribution.

Selected Score	Probability of rolling this, or higher	Matched Score	Probability of rolling this, or lower
18	0.5%	3	0.5%
17	1.9%	4	1.9%
16	4.6%	5	4.6%
15	9.3%	6	9.3%
14	16.2%	7	16.2%
13	25.9%	8	25.9%
12	37.5%	9	37.5%
11	50%	10	50%

Points System

If you want even more flexibility, you can use a points system across the six ability scores, rather than having to use matched pairs. The points system described here bases the difference from one score to the next on the difference in probably of rolling that high (or low) if 4d6 were used.

The cost for any given ability score value is listed in the table below, with a 12 as no cost. You may choose any six ability score values such that the total cost is 0 or less.

Best-3-of-4d6 Distribution

Score	Cost
3	-28
4	-21
5	-16
6	-12
7	-9
8	-7
9	-5
10	-3

Score	Cost
11	-1
12	0
13	+1
14	+2
15	+4
16	+7
17	+10
18	+16

(The underlying model uses a log transformation of the proportional difference in probability of achieving at least that value (either per step or from median). Log(1.26) scales the minimum change (12 to 13) to 1. Rounded points were then subjectively rationalized between the cumulative points per step and exact points from the median.)

VARIANCE | APPENDIX C

    (Here, log(1.12) scales the minimum change (10 to 11) to 2, which is needed to allow the central value of 10.5 to be "0".)

Defense Proficiency Dice

A hybrid variant of the Defense and Defense Dice options is to use a defense proficiency die for the defense proficiency bonus. Players roll this proficiency die when defending, instead of applying the fixed proficiency bonus to their AC (the fixed -4 correction factor is still used).

Rolling your chance to influence an attack (and, with degree of success, its damage) allows players to feel more involved outside of their own turn and drove the popularity of this variant, as well as the development of the subsequent Defense Dice option.

Note that if an attack is being made against you with advantage or disadvantage, that only affects the d20 attack roll and not your defense proficiency die roll.

Variant 1: Advantage

If during an attacker's turn, their side outnumbers the opponents by at least 2:1 in that melee group (so at least double as many attackers as opponents), then the attacker has advantage on attack rolls against those opponents.

Variant 2: Attack Bonus Modifier

This variant uses attack bonus modifiers rather than advantage. If during an attacker's turn, their side outnumbers the opponents in that melee group, then the attacker gains a +1 to their attack bonus against those opponents. If their side outnumbers the opponents by 2:1, they gain +2 instead. If they outnumber the opponents by 3:1, they gain +3, and so on up to a maximum of +5.

Advantage & Disadvantage

If rolling with advantage or disadvantage, or with any reroll effect, these only apply to the main roll. You then make a single Rolling Success roll to determine degree of success (unless already a marginal success). If the main roll was with advantage, then use the most helpful main dice roll when comparing for critical success or failure. If the main roll was with disadvantage, then use the least helpful main dice roll.

"Rolling Success" is readily interchangeable with the steps of +/- 5 option, fits the fifth edition aesthetic, and was popular with some playtest groups.

Advantage & Disadvantage

If rolling with advantage or disadvantage, simply roll four d20s and remove the lowest (advantage) or highest (disadvantage) roll. For any reroll effect, you may choose to reroll all the dice, or to reroll just one dice of your choice.

Some playtest groups liked the more reliable outcome of a "two out of three" rolling system for skill checks but it was less popular for combat. If you do want that reliability for skill checks, a simpler approach is to replace the standard d20 roll with 2d10 or 3d6.