5e House Rules

Mainland Player's Guide

About The Mainland

General Campaign Background

The majority of the interaction on this world takes place on a continental mass known rather vaguely as the Mainland. It is a diverse continent existing south of the planet's Equatorial zone, going (roughly North to South) from highly civilized mercantile states in long-settled lands to an enormous expanse of mostly unexplored barbarian territory, with setting and technology that most resembles the usual strange D&D hybrid of late Medieval and early Renaissance technologies and social norms. By and large, most political entities are nation-states have been more-or-less stable for the past 1,400 years since Alexandria's triumph over the Dark Fiend, though the last century has seen several major international upheavals. However, many states, nationalities, and polities are far older, dating back to the collapse of the Ubrekti Empire [1]. (see this timeline of major events for an overview of the history of the Mainland).

Each of these states is extremely ancient and highly nationalistic, having developed unique languages, to say nothing of unique quirks of character, eccentric worldviews, and specific cultural norms. In the case of the various human nations, most trace their history to the Ubrekti Empire, who dominated most of the known world for a period of roughly two thousand years. (Roughly five to three thousand years ago for the Empire at its glory: from the last conquest to the first succession.) In some places, particularly in the history of Gildenhome and New Hakan, and among nation-less Halflings, the scars and effects of occupation and conquest are still visible. Although the sins of this empire are many - the aforementioned expatriation of the classical Gnomes and the utter eradication of classical Halfling culture - its also served as a conduit to spread a generally unified and codified system of property laws, a respect for learning and education, and a system of writing. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Ubrekt language remains the de facto international language for education, law, and diplomacy between states. As mentioned above, most of the modern nations of the mainland - Odessa, Hakan, Flannary, Celstia, and Fresia - exist as a direct result of the empire's slow decline. Most nations are, themselves, relatively pluralistic states that host several ethnicities and cultures with varying degrees of amicability.

The human nations, generally speaking, are broad pastiches of real world cultures and nations. Odessa, for example, is the Late-Medieval Britain of an Englishman's imagination, while Fresia is a version of the Holy Roman Empire and Eastern Europe while Flannary obeys the tropes one would expect of the France of the high and late middle ages. Humans are the most populous race followed by Dwarves then Halflings then Gnomes with Half-Orcs, Half-Elfs, and Elves all being exceptionally rare.

Religion (important but most outdated section)

(This section covers only the current religion as of 1403 or so. The setting has seen no less than three changes in supreme divinity in the ancient past and some major events have happened in the last century.)

By and large, the worship of Alexandria is universal among the so-called Goodly Races, although the Sidhe (Elves) might be an exception to this rule. (Metagame: They are.) Despite the numerous cultural and linguistic differences, the one steadfast commonality of the continent is Alexandrianism, or Alexandrian Orthodoxy, a monotheistic faith centered upon the dramatic intervention of its eponymous mortal-turned-deity into the world's affairs roughly a millennium and a half ago. As Alexandria's power and existence are a matter of known fact rather than blind faith, all of the Goodly Races venerate her to one degree or another. However, the particulars of that veneration are in no way universal, and the people are in no way united in their beliefs. In the decades after her Martyrdom and Ascension, competing theologies developed, each aggressively promoted by one of her mortal followers (the First Stand). Within a couple of centuries, three distinct and organized strains of Alexandrianism had developed.

• Alexandrian Orthodoxy : Most of her followers went on to develop a highly centralized and hierarchical supra-national church under the direction of Steros Merroand and Mythrian Arabelle, and this has since to become the largest faith in the mainland.
• Peteran Heresy : A highly ethnocentric take on the Alexandrian narrative, informed by the writings of Sayid ibn Maimun and practiced by the people of the Peteran Empire
• Zupanism : Spread by Sayid's adopted son and designated heir, Mikos Lygit, after he was forced into exile among the Ulan. The most decentralized of all the Alexandrian faiths, many sages suggest that Zupanism should be understood best as an umbrella term for a family of rituals, traditions, and beliefs.

As the church itself is a continent-spanning umbrella organization, membership requirements are tremendously relaxed. All good and neutral characters are welcome to join, and even lawful evil characters have been known to thrive in the organization. It should be noted that while neutral evil and chaotic evil creatures are not specifically excluded, their temperament and worldview lead to a practical if not explicit exclusion.

The primary goal of the established church is not to win souls for the faith, but rather to promote stability and order across the Mainland. Its primary tools in this regard are a pair of monopolies: the first on the minting of high coinage (silver, gold, and platinum) and the second on the investiture of divine power. (The creation of Clerics) Its secondary mission, at the retail level, is to provide the religious and corporeal aid one might expect of an institution of faith, as well as to provide a strong hand in civil, criminal, and magical jurisprudence. Its members forsake national allegiances and swear their devotion to Alexandria's church, although these oaths have been tested from time to time [2].

The Servitor Races have their own religious beliefs and traditions, which no one has ever asked them about, and which would strain credulity at any rate.

After the Calamity there is no longer a unified church and much of the above section needs updates and likely has issues.

Altered Mechanics & Character Generation

Generally speaking, the Mainland is a low magic, low technology world mostly made up of humans in fairly well-defined nation states. Adventuring is how Alexandria herself got started, but "adventuring groups" are far less common and more novel in this setting than in many. 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.

Parties tend to be made up of extraordinary individuals and they will tend to face extraordinary tests. "Routine" encounters are not part of the average adventurer's lifestyle and every combat is potentially lethal and mis-speaking in certain social situations can be just as deadly. The Veil means that outside extremely rare exceptions the dead stay dead and the fate of "souls" after death is a mystery. Adventurers might make choices in RP situations or combat that get them into fights that they can not win. Experience will likely be accrued faster than treasure and gold is always in short supply or spent quickly. Players generally must excel on the strengths of their character rather than their bank accounts. Outside of low-level magic potions and scrolls, which are likely to be available in larger settlements, magical items will be extremely rare and not simply available for purchase.

Classes (and Subclasses)

Acceptable Sources

• Core PHB
• Xanathar's Guide to Everything
• Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
• Unearthed Arcana, although a lot of UA material is superseded by the play-tested material in official supplements, and some of it isn't play-worthy (when in doubt, ask the GM).
• Selected Homebrew Materials, TBD.

Classes in the Mainland

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 sole option for PCs. 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.
• Eldritch Knight: While fighters typically spend their time focused on the specific application of physical force, there is the occasional fringe practitioner who is willing to put in the hours to gain an elementary understanding of magic. An organized company would be very expensive for a marginal increase in capability, so all known examples on the Mainland are lone practitioners, like bounty hunters and high-end body guards.
• 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. Gnome assassins have also played a role in some of the world's most dramatic power shifts, although in the wider world they are only whispered of in dark corners.
• Arcane Trickster: Very few people have the means or opportunity to formally train to become casters, but hedge wizards pop up occasionally in all walks of life. The occasional charlatan or infiltrator is always thinking outside the box, and often more than willing to spend the outsized effort to gain access to magic's benefits.

Sorcerer

Most common among halflings and gnomes, but occasionally will popup spontaneously among all populations.

Shadow Sorcerer

The following is added to the end of the text of the Shadow Sorcerer Shadow Magic' feature:

You learn additional spells when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown on the Shadow Spells table. Each of these spells counts as a sorcerer spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of sorcerer spells you know.

Shadow Spells

Sorcerer Level	Spells
1st	arms of hadar, inflict wounds
3rd	darkness, darkvision
5th	summon shadowspawn, vampiric touch
7th	blight, evard's black tentacles
9th	negative energy flood, enervation

Warlock

Hated and hunted by groups such as the Wytchfinder Family. Most try to pass themselves off as some other sort of caster, an easy enough task since it is theorized that the vast number of warlocks make their pacts to bolster their magical talents in other areas.

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.

Race and Nationality

Unless otherwise specified, sub-races are more cultural/background than actual distinct speciation, so for example the child of 2 Road Halflings would still be River halfling if raised that way.

Dwarf

The 2nd highest population after Humans, but rarely seen outside of Gildenhome or small trading/crafting enclaves and caravans. Some Dwarves do travel abroad as traders, prospectors, and there are still many Dwarves among the Eastern Alexiandrianism clergy.

• Stats as per PHB, either Mountain or Hill sub-race allowed.

Elf

Sidhe-Praxen has been closed for centuries and few elves reside on the Mainland. All elves belong only to the "Sidhe" subrace.

• Sidhe Stats:
  • +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.
  • no more Silver Swan wondrous items.

Gnome

Mostly found in Hakan some "Wild" Gnomes still roam The Scar and some were relocated to the islands off the coast of Hakan. Available sub-races are Hakani Gnomes and Wild Gnomes. An additional sub-race, Breaker Gnomes, exist but are not a suitable choice for PCs.

• Hakani Gnomes stats (As PHB Rock Gnome, except):
  • Replace attribute bonuses with +2 Intelligence and +1 Charisma
• Wild/Island Gnome (As PHB 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:
  • disallowed for PCs without prior GM approval.

Half-Elf

New! Fresh out of storage and back on the scene after a genocide centuries ago.

• Stats as per base PHB race only.

Half-Orc

Not common in civilized areas, half-orcs are frequently seen as large and strong hired thugs, mercenaries, or savage barbarians though they can be as varied in ability and temperament as other members of the Goodly Races.

• Stats as per base PHB race only.

Halfling

Halflings exist all over the Mainland. Their homeland has been gone for centuries but they frequently stick to their nomadic roots and are frequently on the move along the roads and waterways. There is no halfling language. Instead, halflings may choose one bonus human, demihuman, or monster language. They also receive the standard language of their origin, but few halflings would ever consider themselves a real citizen of any country. Available sub-races are Boat Halflings who tend to be more sedentary and stick to the rivers, canals, and lakes or the Road Halflings who tend to be more nomadic and constantly traveling along the roads and trails between settlements or (maybe?) the peculiar Ghost Halflings.

• Boat Halfling Stats:
  • +1 Constitution
  • You have advantage on all checks made to swim and to hold your breath.
  • Some talk this was under-powered and would get some other small bonus?
• Road Halfling Stats: (As PHB Lightfoot)
• Ghost Halfling (As SCAG Ghostwise): may be disallowed for PCs without prior GM approval?

Human

The most populous and common race of the Mainland. Outside of Gildenhome, Hakan, and Sidhe-Praxen every nation is ruled by Humans and Humans make up the majority of every international organization such as cleric and paladin orders.

• Stats as per PHB. Variant or Standard sub-races allowed.

Unallowed

Dragonborn, Goliath, Gensai, monsters and "all that nonsense", 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).

• Special: Tiefling, Aasamar, Warforged, Firbolg, Humanoid Monster Races

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

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.

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.

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)

Spells

• Spells from Core Rule Books, Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide, Unearthed Arcana, Xanathar's only.
• Healing Spirit, following the 2020 corrections is now allowed.
• 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 and in cases where the body is mostly intact. Revivify does work as it must be cast within 1 minute but the the 300gp diamond which the spell will consume is required to have been already purchased and accounted for on a character sheet prior to casting.

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