House Rules

The following are the house rules that everybody is expected to adhere to:

• The Golden Rule. Treat others with respect. If you are being an asshole, I will be an asshole and will boot you from the table without warning. I do not condone "toeing the line" either. Do not test this.
• Tension between Players. If there is tension between players, it is expected that they resolve said tension privately. Role playing tension for narrative sake is condoned, as long it's fun and doesn't turn personal.
• Player vs. Player. PvP is only condoned when the involved players have discussed and agreed to the PvP. This rule also applies to thievery and related.
• R Rated Themes. Possible depiction of violence, sex, and substance use. All depiction are to be handled with respect. The DM and players are expected to strictly adhere to this.
• Safe Word. The safe word is the phrase "I'm telling you three times." If a player or the DM start with this phrase, everybody is expected to shut up and listen. The session will not progress until the situation is resolved. DO NOT ABUSE, if everybody wants it to be taken seriously.
• XNO Cards. XNO cards are available and is open to use during the session.
• Realism. Actions have consequences. Violence can lead to death, being stupid can kill you. Use common sense.
• Spotlight. Players are expected to share the spotlight and not hug it for themselves. Thinking about the other players is heavily promoted.
• Metagaming. Players are expected not to meta-game. It ruins the immersion for themselves and others.
• Role Playing. Is heavily promoted but not expected. Players may play their character to their comfort level.
• Rulings Over Rules. The DM rulings overrules the actual rules. Rules as Intended, Rule of Cool and Rules as Fun are core tenants.
• Retconning Rules. A player may challenge the DM's rulings only if they are brief and concise. That means it won't ruin the session's pacing. If the DM agrees with a players arguement and the retcon won't hassle the table, then the rulings will be retconned. Else, they may approach the DM after the session to discussed the ruling.
• Session Length & Breaks. Sessions are 3 hours long, 180 minutes total. There will be a 10 minute break every 90 minutes.
• Debriefing. At the end of the session, I host a 10 minute debrief, where everybody may provide feedback. Participation is voluntary.

Variant & Optional Rules

The following are the variant & optional rules being used during the session:

• Surprise. as per (PHB'14 p. 189)
• Flanking. as per (DMG'14 p. 251)
• Skills with Different Abilities. as per (PHB'24 p. 14)
• 2024 Equipment List. as per (PHB'24 p. 213)

Homebrew Rules

The following are the homebrew rules being used during the session:

• Homebrew Upon Review. All homebrew requires DM approval. No Homebrew class or subclass.
• Karmic Die. When you roll natural 1 on a ability check, saving throw, or attack roll, you gain a Karmic Die. After you roll your next ability check, saving throw, or attack roll, you may choose to use your Karmic Die to roll another d20 and keep the highest. You may only have one Karmic Die at a time.
• Narrative Encumbrance. Encumbrance follows common sense and strives to be realistic. No book keeping needed.
• Max Critical. Critical damage deals "damage die + max damage" (exp. A longsword would deal 1d8+STR+8 slashing critical damage instead of 2d8+STR).
• Bleeding Out (Condition). When a creature hits 0 HP, they are considered to be 'Bleeding Out' instead of unconscious. When a creature gains the 'Bleeding Out' condition, they are knocked prone, drop concentration on any spells they are currently concentrating on, and gain a point of exhaustion. On the start of their turn, they roll a death saving throw. A creature may perform their turn as normal but before they do so, they gain a death save failure. A creature may choose to skip their turn for no additional effects.
• Quick & Potent Potions. Any consumable that is stored in a vial/syringe can be consumed using a bonus action. Using your action to consume a healing potion grants you max healing. Using your bonus action to consume a healing potion requires you to roll for the healing. You can heal a creature with a healing potion by using your action, you roll for the healing. This replaces all potion rules from PHB'24.
• Flailing. You can forfeit your movement to make an additional attack action at -5 to hit. You can use any weapons or a cantrip. You must not have moved previously to use this action.

Character Creation

A Good Backstory

Your character backstroy contains not only their motivation to embark in this adventure but also tools for the DM to immerse you, the player, into the setting as well as tools for the DM to engage you during the session. All good backstory answer the following questions:

Who am I? - This will give you and the DM an idea who your character is.

Why am I here? - This is your character's motivation why they are embarking in this adventure and why they will see this adventure through, for better or worse.

What's my character arc? - Arcs come in 3 different types: positive, negative, and flat. A positive arc means that your character changes for the better at the end of the journey and the negative arc is the opposite. A flat arc means your character doesn't change at the end of the adventure. If you don't know what your character's arc will be, then you may choose to leave it undetermined.

What is the theme? - A theme is basically a set of elements or tropes that informs your character and arc. For example, if revenge is the theme then you can expect revenge centric elements and tropes to appear during the session.

What is the lie I believe in? - The lie your character believes is basically the element that will change (or will remain the same) at the end of the adventure. In a positive arc, the lie will be rejected and replaced with something better. In a negative arc, the lie will become more elaborate and the character is consumed by it. The lie doesn't change in a flat arc.

Those are the basic questions that needs answered when writing your backstory. You don't have to write a master piece and it's not expected from you. However, it is expected that you know your character and why they are motivated to complete this adventure and stay with the party. This is your buy-in, the reason why you, the player, are playing this campaign.

Appendix: Proficiency List