5th Edition House Rules

1. We will be using the Pathfinder Medium Advancement Chart to determine the experience necessary to level. Ignore the XP chart in the PHB.
   • We will be using all of the rules found on the Experience page, save the “experience requirements by class”.
2. Every character should select a Homeland. You gain the bonus Languages from your homeland, but no other benefits.
   • If the GM feels ambitious he may expand on the benefits granted by Homelands.
   • If you do not want to read all the options, just give yourself Tharian (the local dialect) as a bonus language.
3. All languages should be selected from Languages, most of the ones in the PHB do not exist.
4. The skill and tool proficiency list in the 5e Players Handbook is…woefully incomplete. Many, many things in the game will allow you to apply your proficiency bonus in specific circumstances. See the Non-weapon Proficiency List for tons of ideas.
   • Every character gains 1 non-weapon proficiency slot at every even level.
5. Druids, Clerics, Paladins, Rangers, and Monks must select a Religion. You gain the “Additional Priest Abilities” from your chosen religion.
   • Alternatively, you may choose to be a Pantheist, in which case you can make a Charisma (Religion) check to pray to a god as described in the individual god’s entry (DC 15 = “Roll < Score”, DC 25 = “Roll = Score”, less than 15 = “Roll > Score”, natural 20’s as described).
6. The Microbalist class is a thing that exists. (thanks to Nathan)
7. Sorcerers may take the Blood Magic sorcerous origin
8. Tieflings:
   1. Do not look like the crappy pictures in the PHB. They look mostly human but have 1d6+1 random mutations from the Random Appearance table.
   2. Do not gain the “Hellish Resistance” or “Infernal Legacy” racial traits, but must instead roll 5 times on the Random Abilities table.
9. When purchasing equipment, use the prices indicated under Equipment.
   • Characters start with the standard gear for their Class and Background, plus 1 trinket.
   • Buying weapon and armor types not described in the 5e PHB is fine, just substitute stats for the most logical equivalent (a Katana or Broadsword is just a longsword for example).
10. Spells: This is useful
    • Prestidigitation cannot clean living creatures, only objects.
      • Grimnir is a unique exception to this rule. See Petty Gods.
11. Magic is the shaping of raw chaos. Spellcasters (any of them) may attempt to cast spells even once they are out of spell slots, but must make a roll as described in Tearing Power From Beyond.
12. Regarding Death and Injury, it happens. See Dying in 5th Edition for some slight alterations to the rules as described in the PHB. Your biggest takeaway should be that you are more likely to be maimed than killed.
13. Combat is messy—limbs get lost, eyes gouged out, bones broken, and organ’s crushed.
    • Critical Hits occur as normal (roll a 20, deal double damage).
    • In addition, when you score a critical hit you also may inflict specific wounds on the target (likewise for Crits against you). Roll 1d10 to determine where on the body you hit (if your attack had advantage you may choose where the hit lands), and consult the Critical Hit Charts.
      • The severity of the hit is determined by the unmodified damage die of your weapon (i.e. a dagger has a severity of 1d4). For simplicity sake, use the higher of the two damage rolls for severity (because more gore is better).
14. Shields Shall be Splintered: When you would be hit by a melee attack, as a reaction you may interpose a solid object to intercept the blow. You take no damage from the attack, but the object in question is destroyed.
    • While shields were invented for this purpose, they are by no means the only objects that can be used to block an attack. You may sacrifice a shield, the weapon you are holding, a chair or vase you just picked up, whatever (DM’s discretion as to whether the object has sufficient hardness and mass to successfully intercept the blow).
15. How many times have heroes staggered, bloodied, bruised and battered, up to the nearest bar, quaffed a mighty tankard of wine (or ale or brandy or whatever), slammed down the cup and returned to the fray, rejuvenated? Alcohol is an el-cheapo substitute for healing potions:
    • If you heroically quaff a mighty quaff of wine/ale/brandy/whatever, you immediately recover 1d6 hit-points. Huzzah! (Note that this requires actual quaffing, none of this sissy sipping nonsense. Quaffing.)
      The down-side is that you also temporarily lose one point each of Dexterity, Wisdom and Charisma, until you complete a Long Rest.
    • If you’re on zero hit-points, having a swig of brandy poured down your throat will stabilize you, and you will lose the DEX, WIS and CHA, but you won’t actually recover any hit-points on that initial guzzle.
16. Darkvision is in color. None of this black and white only nonsense.
17. Druids have no level-based limitations on taking swimming or flying forms (Owl should be the first thing most druids learn to turn into, not a 7th-level ability).

Specific Spell Rulings:

1. Dimension Door is a concentration spell. The door can be held open for up to 1 minute and allows two-way travel to any being or force passing through it. If the caster enters the portal, it immediately ends his concentration.
2. Shatter breaks shit. All items—including those worn and held, and magic items—must make saving throws or take damage as described.