5e House Rules

via the memphisgamers wiki

Sage Advice

WotC publishes a monthly column with errata and official rulings on certain things. Answers from each column are compiled into this document.

(above link is from here, which also has book-specific errata compilations)

Official Errata

The "Errata" section on this page keeps up-to-date with the latest from each book. As of November 2018, the list was as follows:

• Player's Handbook Errata 2.0
• Dungeon Master's Guide Errata 2.0
• Monster Manual Errata 2.0
• Horde of the Dragon Queen Errata 1.0
• Princes of the Apocalypse Errata 1.0a
• Out of the Abyss Errata 1.0
• Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide Errata 1.0
• Volo's Guide to Monsters Errata 1.0

Character Creation

• Point Buy: see section "Variant: Customizing Ability Scores"
  • Available Points - 27, point cost increases with bonus
  • Maximum Attribute Before Racial Bonus - 15
  • Minimum Attribute Before Racial Bonus - 8
  • example calculators Calculator1 Calculator2

Language

"Common" exists as "Ubrekti", a sort of Latin-facsimile lingua franca. Human languages have subdivided into several regional tongues, and all human PCs speak Ubrekti and one regional language. Dwarves, elves and gnomes have all maintained enough regional homogeneity that they only have one recognized language apiece, although dialects are recognizable to the trained ear. The old halfling language has been lost to imperialism (more rule-specific details in their section).

While scholarship does exist of the various monster languages, few people care enough to make any special distinctions. For character creation purposes, monster languages may be chosen as they exist in 5e, and any rules differences that come up will be handled in-session.

Acceptable Sources

• Core PHB
• Xanathar's Guide to Everything
• Unearthed Arcana, although a lot of UA material is superceded by the playtested material in official supplements, and some of it isn't playworthy (when in doubt, ask the GM)
• Elemental Evil Player's Companion
• Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
• Selected Homebrew Materials
• Alchemist Artificer from the ERLW.

Feats

• Allowed in place of ability score increases at sufficient level or at character creation for variant humans
  • Base set, Xanathar's, or Unearthed Arcana feats only: UA Racial Feats (PDF), UA Skill Feats (PDF), UA Feats v1 (PDF), UA 2020 Feats (PDF)

Classes (and Subclasses)

In general, though they'll likely continue to be common among adventuring parties, spellcasters of all types are rare among the population. Anything smaller than a town is likely to only have lay clergy or maybe a visiting cleric every year or 2. Rural humans especially are unlikely to ever have encountered much magic or know something like the difference between a wizard and warlock. Even among the largest and most magically significant cities spellcasters are only a small minority.

• Artificer: Magical crafters exist in small numbers among all nations, but the most renowned are the dwarves of Gildenhome for their magical weapons and armors and the gnomes of Hakan for their wondrous items and trinkets. The brewing of magical potions is very common across the mainland and any town large enough to appear on a map probably has someone who brews and sells potions though in some cases the "potions" may be nothing besides mundane traditional medicine.
  • Alchemist: Many alchemists are trained as apprentices to existing potion makers in smaller communities and may only receive very limited magical education, but more formal education options are available such as the University of Wydmoor which was founded with a focus on Alchemy.
  • Other subclasses: discouraged and disallowed for PCs without prior GM approval. magical mechanical constructs are very rare and usually very expensive and powerful on the Mainland so things such as the Battlesmith steel defender or Artillerist cannons or force blasting armors for low-level PCs are out of place
• Barbarian: Tribal nomadic bands of humans and half-orcs exist in the Ulan and small tribes of Wild Gnomes still roam the wilds of the Scar outside of what is generally regarded as civilization. Occasionally one of them may wind up as an adventurer. In addition most of "civilization" still has many people who may live hard or reckless lives along the edges of society.
• Bard: Bards exist in small numbers throughout the Mainland though mostly in the larger cities and among halflings they are fairly common. Many bards are self-taught or learned from only 1 or 2 teachers growing up, but formal training programs are also available and some states and other powers recruit and train bards to use as spies, diplomats, or other types of agents.
• Cleric: The Alexandrian faith is the only organized religion of the Mainland and the option for PCs, but following the Calamity there are now many varied sects and heterodox offshoots so being formally ordained by an accepted episcopacy and remaining in good standing with a central church authority is no longer required. The eastern Mainland nations including Gildenhome do still generally maintain a centralized system under an Arch-Warden but in the west or in the wilder areas smaller and fringe religious groups are more common and provide formal training and independent ordination/investiture of power for new clerics. Clerics can find many paths to follow and any subclass/domain is allowed though Knowledge, Life, and Order are the most common.
  • War: Some countries, most prominently Odessa, train and ordain clerics as part of military units to provide both magical healing/support and destructive firepower.
• Druid: Druids are most common on the Mainland among the lizardfolk, wild gnomes, halflings, Ulani, and other less urban groups, but exist in smaller numbers across all nations. As in earlier periods druids are mostly small independent members of their society, though small regional circles or gatherings do occur and larger groups and networks of communication have been rumored to exist. Outside of the druids themselves most are unaware of these groups and their motives or actions.
• Fighter: Somebody trained with weapons can be found just about anywhere whether they serve in a guard or militia or are just a simple backcountry hunter.
  • Arcane Archer: In legend, Elves were said to cast spells through their arrows. maybe restricted to elf only.
  • Samurai/Cavalier/Knight: Most often the well-trained members of upper society who act as the leaders and elites of various nations' militaries. Different countries have different specializations such as Flannary's Cavaliers or Odessa's Field Marshals
• Monk: disallowed for PCs without prior GM approval. Unknown for most of Mainland history, monastic martial arts were still practiced among the hobgoblins in the far south of the Ulan. A monastic order has been founded in what was once part of Fresia, but it is not well known outside of its mostly servitor followers and a few halflings.
• Mystic: disallowed for PCs without prior GM approval. Psionic powers are exceptionally rare on the Mainland and virtually unheard of outside of Hakan where an occasional gnome with odd and powerful mental magical abilities may be born every few generations.
• Paladin: Like clerics, traditionally paladins were all part of a well-organized centrally-controlled church hierarchy. While those traditional orders such as the Travelers do still exist, paladin orders who act as state elite security forces or smaller issue-focused orders such as the Couriers or Followers of the Green that have no ties to a church are increasingly common.
• Ranger: Outside of cities and towns the Mainland is still often a wild and dangerous place. Even well-traveled roads may have vicious beasts, strange monsters, or bloodthirsty bandits prowling alongside. Rangers can often be found serving as guides and guards for caravans, or scouts and trackers in city or state forces, or as traveling monster hunters.
  • Gloom Stalker: Some dwarves of Gildenhome specialize in exploring and hunting in the dark depths of abandoned dwarven ruins or protecting active mines which sometimes dig too deep and discover deadly creatures.
• Rogue: Absolutely everywhere. While there are plenty of thieves, burglars, and pickpockets throughout the the world, rogues are more frequently professionals and merchants.
  • Assassin: The Black Hand is a rumored tribe of poisoners, infiltrators, and assassins who are said to exist in secret among the other halfling hands.
• Sorcerer: Most common among halflings and gnomes, but occasionally will popup spontaneously among all populations.
• Warlock: Hated and hunted by groups such as the Wytchfinder Family. Most try to pass themselves off as some other sort of caster.
• Wizard: Wizards learn magic through intense study and practice which few have a proficiency for and even fewer still ever have a chance to learn. Areas with better childhood education produce more wizards and Hakan is known for identifying and advancing promising potential wizards from a young age. While an occasional solitary wizard who teaches an apprentice may be out there, becoming a well-trained wizard usually means spending years and money at one of the major Universities.
  • Bladesinging: elf or half-elf only.

Racial

• Disallowed: Tiefling, Dragonborn, Goliath, Gensai, monsters and "all that nonsense", or any race from the non-core sourcebooks that isn't also in the PHB (subraces of races that exist in PHB are, so far, fine)
• Altered: Gnome, Elf, Halfling
• Newly Allowed: Half-Elf

Elf

All elves belong to the "sidhe" subrace.

• +1 Intelligence OR +1 Wisdom
• Elven Weapon Training
• You are proficient in saving throws against death. One per short rest, you may remove one death-save failure as a bonus action. You need not be conscious to activate this ability.
• You do not gain a Silver Swan wondrous item.

Halflings

• There is no halfling language. Instead, halflings may choose one human, demihuman, or monster language.

Available Subraces: Boat Halfling, Road Halfling

• Boat Halfling
  • +1 Constitution
  • You have advantage on all checks made to swim and to hold your breath.

• Road Halfling
  • As Lightfoot.

Gnomes

• Hakani Gnomes
  • As Rock Gnome, except:
    • Replace attribute bonuses with +2 Intelligence and +1 Charisma (Or +2? DMG/PHB contradict. Naturally.)
• Wild/Island Gnome
  • As Forest Gnome, except:
    • Replace attribute bonuses with +1 Constitution, +1 Dexterity, +1 Wisdom
    • Replace "Natural Illusionist" with "Mask of the Wild" from Wood Elf entry.
• Breaker Gnomes
  • [???]
    • [???]
    • Not suitable for PCs.

Spells

• Spells from Core Rule Books, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Unearthed Arcana, Xanathar's, and Elemental Evil Player Companion Guide only.
• Healing Spirit is banned.
• Most planar travel and high level planar summoning spells unlikely to work.
• The dead usually stay dead - restrictions on Raise Dead and similar spells: they mostly do not work at all. Even the ones that are possible are only usable within a few hours of death.

Backgrounds

• Backgrounds from Core Rule Books, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Unearthed Arcana, Xanathar's, and Elemental Evil Player Companion Guide with needed changes to match the setting and history.
• House Rules Backgrounds
• Skills granted by background are interchangeable at character creation.