Rules changes

This section contains rules for combat that differ from the rules in the DnD 5e ruleset. I think these changes make the game either easier to play, more intuitive, or more fun.

Contests in the game

Sometimes a creatures attempt to do something that another creature is trying to prevent. When this is a case, the creature that is attempting to do something rolls a skills check, attack roll, or saving throw against whatever effect they are trying to defend against. Some effects have set difficulties (such as spells and abilities) other effects do not have set difficulties. When setting the DC for abilities, follow these rules:

  • Passive Skill Checks. When a creature uses a skill to accomplish something against another creature, resisting it uses another (or the same) skill (e.g. when you take the hide action, lying to an NPC, or when attempting to rush past the doorman to the circus tent). When this is the case, the DC to succeed is equal to 10 + the relevant skill bonus of the creature that is trying to oppose the check (e.g. when you try to hide, the DC to hide is equal to 10 + the perception bonus of the creature you are trying to hide from, or when you try to deceive an NPC, the DC is equal to 10 + the insight bonus of the creature you are trying to deceive, or when you try to rush by another creature, your athletics check DC would be equal to the 10 + the athletics bonus of the opposing doorman). The DM can add or subtract from this DC in increments of 5 depending on circumstances that influence the check (e.g. features or abilities that would give the opposing creature advantage or disadvantage on the relevant skill check instead adds or subtracts 5 from the roll; deceiving an NPC that is skeptical or trying to tell a less convincing lie may also influence the DC). The DM may (as always) say that success is impossible and not call for a roll in the first place.

  • Passive Combat Checks. When a creature attempts something in combat that is opposed by another creature, the DC to succeed is equal to 8 + the creature’s proficiency bonus + the creature’s Strength score. If the opposing creature can make attacks using another ability score than Strength, the DC may be based on that score instead if applicable (such as if you are grappled by a creature that uses Dexterity to make unarmed attacks, the DC to escape the grapple is based in the Dexterity instead of Strength).

Combat Rule Changes

Use this following changes to the combat rules.

Fighting with two weapons

When you take the attack action and make an attack with a melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a bonus action to make one additional attack with a different melee weapon that has the light property that you’re wielding in your other hand.

If the light weapon also has the small property, making this additional attack does not use your bonus action (though you still only get one additional attack per turn for wielding two weapons).

If the weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.

You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage of this additional attack, unless that modifier is negative.

 

Changing weapons

Once on your turn, you can change the weapons or other items that you wield (such as stowing your sling and then drawing a dagger with each hand).

A weapon with the small size property can be drawn at any time during your turn.

 

Unarmed Fighting

All creatures can engage in unarmed fighting, utilizing their hands, feet, or head to make unarmed strikes:

  • Unarmed Strike. Melee attack., reach 5ft., 1 bludgeoning damage.

However, unarmed strikes offer more versatility than simple damage. If you hit another creature with an unarmed strike, you can forgo dealing damage choose one of the following options:

  • Drag. If you have a hand free, you can use your movement to drag the creature. Until the end of your turn or until you let go of the creature, your you must spend 2 feet of movement for each 1 foot you move, and the creature you drag must immediately move into the space you leave while you move in this way. If the creature is larger than you, it can make a Strength saving throw to avoid being dragged (DC = 8 + your Strength modifier + proficiency bonus).

  • Grapple. If you have a hand free, you grapple the target giving both you and the target the grappled condition if the target is your size or smaller.

  • Shove. You push the target 5 feet away from you if it is your size or smaller.

  • Trip. The target must make a Dexterity or Strength saving throw (DC = 8 + your Strength modifier + proficiency bonus). On a failed save, the target falls prone if it is one size larger than you or smaller.

Notice that creatures with natural weapons, such as claws or bites, treat those weapons as unarmed strikes.

If you score a critical hit on an unarmed strike, you either double the damage dice (as normal) or you chose two effects (e.g. you could chose to deal damage and push a target when you score a critical hit with your unarmed strike).

 

Rules for attacking creatures

There are three ways to make an attack roll in the game.

Whether you’re striking with a melee weapon, firing a weapon at range, or making an attack roll as part of a spell, an attack has a simple structure:

  • Choose a target. Pick a target within your attack’s range: a creature, an object, or a location.

  • Determine modifiers. The DM determines whether the target has cover and whether you have advantage or disadvantage against the target. In addition, spells, special abilities, and other effects can apply penalties or bonuses to your attack roll.

  • Resolve the attack. You make the attack roll. On a hit, you roll damage, unless the particular attack has rules that specify otherwise. Some attacks cause special effects in addition to or instead of damage.

There are three types of attacks in the game, melee attacks, ranged attacks, and spell attacks.

  • Melee attacks. Melee attacks add strength to their attack and damage rolls and are made within the creature’s reach.

  • Ranged Attacks. Ranged attacks add Dexterity to their attack and damage rolls and have both a normal and long range. If a creature makes a ranged attack at long range, the attack has disadvantage. Ranged attacks made within the reach of a hostile creature also have disadvantage.

  • Spell Attacks. Spell attacks add the creature’ spell casting modifier to attack rolls (but not damage rolls unless a features states otherwise). Spell attacks have a range. Spell attacks made within the reach of a hostile creature have disadvantage unless the spell’s range is ‘touch’. ‘Touch’ spell attacks can be made against any creature within the caster’s reach.

 

Companions and summoned creatures

Certain spells and abilities grant you companions (such as the Beast master’s companion). These creatures use templates described in the features or spells. Common for all such creatures are:

  • These creatures take their turns immediately after your turn unless otherwise stated in the spell.

  • The creature’s proficiency bonus is equal to your proficiency bonus.

  • The creature has a number of hit dice [d8] equal to your proficiency bonus unless something else is stated in the spell or feature description.

  • If the creature is summoned by a spell, it uses your spell attack bonus instead of its own attack bonus to hit.

Mounted Combat

Mounting or dismounting a creature requires all your movement.

When you mount a creature, you and it fight as one. This means that you share the same initiative and that the mounted creature cannot take actions, bonus action, or reactions. Instead, you can use your action, bonus action, or reaction to allow the mounted creature to use an action, bonus action, or reaction respectively.

Whose initiative?

When you roll initiative while mounted, both you and your mount uses your initiative.

If you mount a creature that had rolled lower initiative than you, its initiative immediately changes to match yours. If you instead mount a creature that rolled higher initiative than you, your initiative immediately changes to match the mounted creature’s initiative. When this happens, the mounted creature cannot move or use any actions, bonus actions, or reactions the turn you mount it.

When you dismount a mounted creature, both your initiative and the mount’s initiative changes back to each your original initiative rolls. If you were mounted when initiative was rolled, the mount immediately rolls initiative to determine when it takes turns.

Spellcasting Rules

Only one spell slot per turn for spells

You can only expend one spell slot to cast a spell on each of your turns.

Lingering spells and other effects only happen once per round

When an effect states that something happen when a creature enters an area or ends its turn in the area, the creature can only take damage or suffer the effect from that source once between each of its turns.

What counts as entering an effect’s area?

A creature enters an area if it moves into the area or something moves it inside the area, or whenever the area includes any part of the creature’s space (e.g. when the area appears or is moved).

What counts as moving an effect’s area?

Some features or spells allow you to move a harmful area. If the description tells you that you can move the effect, the effect travels from its current place to another place designated by the most direct line, effecting creatures and objects in it’s path as appropriate for the effect. If the description instead tells you that the effect immediately moves to a new location, the effect does not move along a direct line to the new location. It instantly appears in the new location instead.

Spell Components

A spell's components are the physical requirements you must meet in order to cast it. Each spell's description indicates whether it requires verbal (V), somatic (S), or material (M) components. If you can't provide one or more of a spell's components, you are unable to cast the spell.

You can use a spellcasting focus in place of somatic and some material components when you cast spells. Some classes specify additional items that can be used as spellcasting foci; e.g. the wizard can use their spellbook as a spellcasting focus. The rules for whether or not you need to hold a material component, use a spellcasting focus, or both, depend on the spell and its components section.

  • Verbal (V). Most spells require the chanting of mystic words. The words themselves aren’t the source of the spell’s power; rather, the particular combination of sounds, with specific pitch and resonance, sets the threads of magic in motion. Thus, a character who is gagged or in an area of silence, such as one created by the silence spell, can’t cast a spell with a verbal component.

  • Somatic (S). Spellcasting gestures might include a forceful gesticulation or an intricate set of gestures. If a spell requires a somatic component, the caster must have free use of at least one hand to perform these gestures. If the caster is wielding a spellcasting focus, the caster can perform the somatic components with the focus instead.

  • Material (M). Casting some spells requires particular objects, specified in parentheses in the component entry. A character can use a component pouch or a be wielding a spellcasting focus in place of the components specified for a spell. But if a cost is indicated for a component, a character must have that specific component to be able to cast the spell. A spellcaster must have a hand free to access components.

Who is a willing Creature?

Treat ‘willing’ as a metaphysical question asked to the essence of a creature; “would you like this to affect you?”. This means that creatures can be willing targets without knowing they are targeted by a spell; or unwilling. It also means that no spell or effect in the game can deceive a creature or player into being willing.

Who is a Spellcaster?

Any creature that is able to cast a spell of 1st level or higher counts as a spellcaster for attuning to magic items as well as ability and features that benefit or hinder spellcasters.