# Dungeons of Drakkenheim House Rules ## Character Creation * **Starting Level**: Characters will start at Level 2. * **Ability Scores**: Characters stats will be built using standard point buy * **Rolling HP**: PCs take max HP instead of rolling. * **Multiclassing**: Multiclassing is allowed. * **Feats**: Feats are allowed, and every character starts with a feat at level 1. See changes to feats below. * **Usable Character Options**: All character options from published materials from WotC are usable with the exceptions of backgrounds from Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica, Strixhaven, and Dragon Queen. Unearthed Arcana is allowed at my discretion. I may occasionally tweak material to address power imbalances * **Starting Equipment**: Starting equipment is standard, although weapons and armors can be substituted within reason. <br> ### On Flavor Because of the unique premise of this game, I will be very flexible when it comes to reflavoring mechanics, equipment, and spells to better support a character's theme and concept. For example: * You want your character to wear heavy armor but appear unclothed except for a fur loincloth. Totally fine, although you still have disadvantage on stealth checks * You're a warlock who wants their Pact of the Chain familiar to be a big, talking teddy bear. We can reflavor an imp. * You're a fighter who wants to tear apart enemies with their bare claws, but want to use feats like great weapon master. We can flavor a greatsword to be unarmed attacks. \columnbreak ### On Background Drakkenheim is no more. An eldritch storm of falling stars devastated the city on that woeful eve, leaving behind a meteorite that would have lasting effects on the city and its inhabitants. Fifteen years later, Drakkenheim is a dismal urban wasteland contaminated by otherworldly magic and haunted by hideous monsters. Fantastic wealth, lost knowledge, and powerful artifacts lie ready for the taking by adventurers brave or foolish enough to venture into the ruins. However, even those who survive the dangers of Drakkenheim may not return unmarked by its terrors. <br> ### Campaign Mechanics Due to the eldritch nature of Drakkenheim and the magic therein, this campaign features several new mechanics. #### The Haze There are more hazards in Drakkenheim than monsters and rival factions. A billowing mist filled with glinting multi-coloured motes has settled over the entire city, which adventurers call the **Haze**. It's like the dust never really settled after the meteor fell. **Characters gain no benefit from taking a long rest within the Haze**. Adventurers should be well-rested before mounting expeditions into the ruins, as they'll need to escape the city to regain their hit points and spell slots. #### Contamination Characters will also encounter deadly **eldritch contamination** caused by creatures, delerium, and other magical phenomena in Drakkenheim. **High contamination** can lead to debilitating symptoms, mutations, and even death. Ability, equipment, and spells that protect against diseases, magic, or poisons do not work against contamination. It cannot be healed naturally, nor readily removed with low-level spells. Players will need to work with the factions and find creative solutions to manage these problems during their adventure. #### Rival Factions **Five factions** have arrived in Drakkenheim to advance their ambitious agendas. Though their ideologies and methods differ, each seek valuable resources and lost secrets within the city. All the factions hope to attract talented adventurers to their cause, drawing would-be heroes into a fierce political intrigue that may boil over into violent struggle. Those who wish to decide the fate of Drakkenheim must choose their allies well and their enemies carefully. \pagebreak # House Rules ### General * **Using Potions**: Potions take a Bonus Action to consume, and an Action to administer to another creature. * **Non-Lethal Damage**: Any damage, except from AoEs, can be declared non-lethal. <br> ### Weapons * **Heavy Weapons**: Small creatures are capable of wielding heavy weapons with no penalty. * **Drawing Weapons**: You can always draw a weapon as part of the action made to attack with it. * **Called Shot**: Before you make an attack with a weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a penalty to the attack roll equal to your proficiency bonus. If that attack hits, you add twice your proficiency bonus to the damage roll. * **Dual Wielding**. When you take the Attack action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you make an extra attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding. <br> ### Feats * **Sharpshooter**: Now provides a +1 to Dexterity. No longer provides option to modify attack rolls for extra damage. * **Great Weapon Master**: Now provides a +1 to Strength. No longer provides option to modify attack rolls for extra damage. * **Heavy Armor Master**: The damage reduction to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage is now equal to your proficiency bonus. * **Magic Initiate**: Now a half feat, increasing Charisma, Wisdom, or Intelligence by 1 depending on the spellcasting class. In addition, you can cast any spells from this feat using your own spell slots. * **Tavern Brawler**: If you have other features that increase the damage die of your unarmed attacks (Monk martial arts, racial attacks), then Tavern Brawler adds an additional 1d4 to your unarmed attacks. * **Charger, Durable, Dual Wielder, Defensive Duelist, Charger, Elemental Adept, Grappler, Keen Mind, Mounted Combatant, Ritual Caster, Sentinel, Skulker**: Now uses the rules from OneD&D. \columnbreak ### Spells * **Ritual Spellcasting**: If you have a spell prepared that has the Ritual tag, you can cast that Spell as a Ritual. A special feature is no longer required for Ritual casting. * **Barkskin**: Now has an 8 hour duration and does not require concentration. * **Silvery Barbs**: No longer can be used to affect Saving Throws. * **Conjure Animals / Conjure Woodland Beings**: You only have the option to conjure CR1 and CR2 creatures. However, you get to choose which creatures you summon, control their behavior, and they move at the end of your turn. * **Invisibility / Greater Invisibility**: As part of the action used to cast this spell, the caster may take a free Hide action. <br> ### Races * **Innate Spellcasting**: Any race that receives spellcasting now benefits from the changes made in newer books: they can choose Wisdom, Charisma, or Intelligence as their spellcasting ability for these spells and can cast learned spells using spell slots. <br> ### Inspiration * **Gaining Inspiration**: When a player character rolls a 1 on an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, they gain heroic inspiration. You may also get heroic inspiration at the DM's discretion. * **One at a Time**: You can only have one instance of heroic inspiration at a time. If something gives you heroic inspiration and you already have it, you can give it to another player character in your party that lacks it. * **Using Inspiration**: When you have heroic inspiration, you can expend it to give yourself advantage on a d20 roll (saving throw, ability check, attack roll). You decide to do so immediately after rolling the d20. \pagebreak # Class Changes ### Warlock * **Eldritch Blast**: All Warlocks know Eldritch Blast, without counting against their number of cantrips known. * **Expanded Spell List**: Warlocks can treat all spells on their Patrons' expanded spell list as Spells Known. * **Pact of the Blade**: Grants proficiency in medium armor. When using your Pact Weapon, you can use Charisma instead of Strength or Dexterity for attack and damage rolls. * **Pact Boon Improvement**: When a Warlock selects a Pact Boon at level 3, they are granted an additional invocation slot, limited to invocations that have the chosen pact as a prerequisite. For example, at level 3 a Bladelock can select Improved Pact Weapon. They can swap this invocation out on level ups, as long as the new invocation obeys the same constraint. #### Archfey Patron * ***Fey Presence***: Is now a bonus action to perform, affects a 15 ft square, and has a number of uses equal to your proficiency modifier per long rest. * ***Misty Escape***: Now has a number of uses equal to your proficiency modifier. #### Great Old One Patron * ***Twisted Mind***: At 1st level, you learn the cantrip Mind Sliver, and can cast it as a bonus action. You can cast Mind Sliver this way a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses on a long rest. * ***Entropic Ward***: Has a number of uses equal to your proficiency modifier. * ***Thought Shield***: In addition to its other effects, now gives you advantage on saving throws to resist being charmed or frightened <br> ### Monk * **Ki Points**: Monks have an additional number of ki points equal to their proficiency modifier. * **Extra ASI**: You get an extra ASI at 6th level. * **Stunning Strike**: Now has a number of free uses per long rest equal to your proficiency modifier. A target can only be targeted by Stunning Strike once per turn. \columnbreak ### Sorcerer * **Spells Known**: All Sorcerer subclasses will have access to a "Origin Spell List", similar to those provided to the Tasha's Aberrant Mind and Clockwork Soul. * **Metamagic Improvement**: Sorcerers learn an additional Metamagic when they reach level 7. * **Sorcerous Restoration**: On a short rest, Sorcerers can recover a number of Sorcery points equal to half their Sorcerer level (rounded up). They cannot use this feature again until they complete a long rest. * **Sorcery Points**: Sorcerers have an additional number of sorcery points equal to their proficiency modifier. <br> ### Rogue * **Extra ASI**: Rogues gain an extra ASI at 6th level. * **Sneak Attack**: Sneak attack gains an additional d6 dice at level 5 (4d6), level 11 (8d6), and level 17 (12d6) #### Assassin * ***Poison Expert*** (Replaces Assassinate): You gain all the benefits of the Poisoner feat. In addition, at the end of a long rest, you can prepare a number of poison doses equal to your proficiency modifier for free. * ***Targeted Venom*** (Replaces Infiltration Expertise): When preparing poison at the end of a long rest, you can choose one creature type. Creatures with that type have disadvantage on saving throws against your poison and does not benefit from any poison resistance or immunity when determining damage. In addition, you can substitute the save DC of any poison you use with 8 + PB + DEX, if it is higher. #### Inquisitive * ***Insightful Fighting***: On success, you can choose to gain piercing insight into your opponent. Add your Wisdom modifier to the attack roll and damage rolls against the affected target. You can use piercing insight a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses on a long rest. <br> ### Ranger * **Favored Foe**: You can cast Hunter's Mark without expending a spell slot. When cast this way, Hunters Mark does not require concentration, lasts one minute, and cannot be reapplied to other targets. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier per long rest. * **Spellcasting**: Rangers are now prepared spellcasters. \pagebreak ### Barbarian * **Extra ASI**: Barbarians get an extra ASI at level 10. * **Brutal Critical**: Your critical hit range increases at 9th level (19-20), 13th level (18-20), and 17th level (17-20). * **Rage**: * Rage can no longer end early. Any conditions that "end" a rage only suppress it until the Barbarian reactivates it with a bonus action. * Starting at 6th level, Rage grants advantage on saving throws against charmed and frightened * Rage's bonus damage increases at 5th level (+3), 9th level (+4), 13th level (+5), and 17th level (+6) <br> ### Artificer * **Spell Storing Item**: Artificers gain access to Spell-Storing item at level 5, holding up to 1st level spells. This increases to 2nd level spells at 11th level, and 3rd level spells at 17th level. The number of uses is now 2 x Proficiency Bonus. #### Alchemist * ***Alchemist Spell List***: * Inflict Wounds replaces Ray of Sickness. * Wither and Bloom replaces Melf's Acid Arrow * Aura of Vitality replaces Gaseous Form * ***Experimental Elixir***: * At the end of a long rest, you produce a number of Experimental Elixirs equal to your proficiency modifier. * When you expend a spell slot to create elixirs, you produce a number equal to 1 + the level of the spell. * All experimental elixirs take a bonus action to consume, and an action to administer to another creature #### Armorer * ***Guardian Armor Model***: Defensive Field has no limited uses. * ***Infiltrator Armor Model***: Lightning Launcher now always deals 2d6 lightning damage. In addition, you can disengage as a bonus action. #### Artillerist * ***Eldritch Cannon***: You no longer need to select a type when summoning an Eldritch cannon, and can freely use all 3 actions. * ***Arcane Firearm***: In addition to its existing effects, your cantrips that inflict saving throws now deal half-damage on a success. \columnbreak ### Fighter * **Indominatable**: Now automatically succeeds the saving throw #### Champion Replaced with the UA Brute with the following changes: * ***Brutish Durability***: Requires your reaction to perform, and has a number of uses equal to your proficiency modifier. #### Eldritch Knight * ***War Magic***: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may cast a cantrip in place of one of your attacks. * ***Improved War Magic***: When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may cast a Spell in place of one of your attacks. #### Arcane Archer * ***Infused Shot***: Starting at level 3, you can use Intelligence when making attack or damage rolls with a ranged weapon. * ***Arcane Shot***: Now has a number of uses per short rest equal to your Intelligence modifier. <br> ### Bard * **Bardic Inspiration**: Bardic Inspiration can now be expended as a reaction to give an ally within 30 feet who can see or hear you a bonus to an attack, saving throw, or ability check roll equal to your Bardic Inspiration die. * **Countercharm**: Is now a reaction, triggered by an ally within 30 feet rolling a saving throw against an effect that causes the frightened or charmed condition. Expends a usage of bardic inspiration. #### College of Spirits * ***Tales from Beyond***: You roll two dice and choose between the results. If both dice are the same, you ignore the number and pick any result you want from the table. * ***Mystical Connection***: At 14th level, you can now target two creatures with the same action when using your Tales from Beyond. #### College of Whispers * ***Psychic Blades***: When a creatures suffers the damage of your Psychic Blades, they must make a Wisdom save against your spell save DC or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. * ***Mantle of Whispers***: Now can be used on any type of creature. You can also use a captured shadow to render yourself immune to a single source of damage as a reaction.