Explore custom rules and mechanics unique to our game world.

Identification rules:[edit]

You don’t know if an item requires attunement without identifying it first.

4 paths here:

Attuning to an item identifies it. Takes an hour. Does not tell you if there’s curses.
Identify action allows you a check after a long (short in rules, long in our game) rest. Check DC is based on rarity, GM will let you know if you passed or failed but not the DC nor rarity.*
Identify Spell instantly identifies an item and whether or not it is cursed.
Paying a tradesman allows them to make a roll on your behalf.

Please ask GM which roll is appropriate. It is determined on a per item basis.

Inspiration rules:[edit]

There are two types of inspiration in the game.

Destiny Inspiration: gained by fulfilling your destiny. Used only for your destiny ability.

GM Inspiration: gained when I personally find it appropriate. (Likely mostly for good roleplay) Can reroll any single dice (d2 coin is a dice with 2 sides) that you rolled yourself or affects you directly.

Aaaand on that note. For making everyone cry at start of session.

Goblai Khan has gained a single GM inspiration.

You can never have more than 1 of each type of inspiration!

Purple Fog[edit]

Inspired by the game i’ve been playing recently, I’ve decided I’m stealing a facet of it and adding it to the world.

The Last Spell has a purple fog mechanic that encroaches from all directions.. SO NOW OUR WORLD DOES TOO. Always has. And you’d know about this.

absolutely blinding, obscuring that stops anyone from seeing more than about 50 feet in any direction.

The sort of thing that usually comes right before screaming and uncomfortable silences, both.. Or at least thats how bedtime stories are told to children.

Maybe you’ve seen someone go missing in it, heard whispers, scraping sounds and thuds in the way that you imagine an undead would drag itself across the land.. but mostly people gather together and tell themselves things are going to be okay until however many hours need to pass for the fog to roll on. Then a headcount, in an uncommon case someone missing, more commonly someone injured. Probably just superstition. Surely they just knicked themselves in the panic right?

Feel free to incorporate this into your backstories and PBP as you wish.

For now

it’s a rare-ish event. Maybe a few times a year at most, and there hasn’t been a fog on the trail so far.

You’re Coming With Me[edit]

Adding another homebrew I want as a part of the game that you do not “have to” use.

You’re Coming With Me: Upon being reduced to 0HP but not dying outright, a player may choose to autofail two death saves. By doing this you are allowed to make one attack or spell attack for free, at advantage even if you would have disadvantage normally which will automatically crit if it hits. The strain of leaning into the enemy’s attack will leave permanent negative effects on the character should they survive. They then make their death save immediately and continue doing so in normal turn rotation assuming they survived.

Dynamic Initiative[edit]

Homebrew Dynamic Initiative:

One of Lancer’s biggest strength is letting players choose who goes next.

So I’m going to be using a modified version of that next session(s?) and see how it feels.

Things that will change:

You may swap initiative with anyone at all who agrees to it, even enemies (dumb ones always want to go sooner. Smart ones may decline)
initiative will be rolled EVERY ROUND.

What this changes:

stops situations where important action is fucked by initiative order
makes initiative a LESS important stat. You won’t be punished as hard for not having “the best stat” Dex. Because an ally can swap you if its important.
adds a lot of depth to player strategy and you caring about what others can do because it matters when thinking about giving them your spot or taking theirs.

The swap will only be allowed as your turn activates, not beforehand.

You cannot swap in order to have more than 1 turn in a round.

I’m also working on a push rolls mechanic similar to Salvage Union or Red Markets but I don’t know if I can balance that for A5E.

Rules on entry for future games[edit]

Hard rules on entry for future games btw:

Guaranteed 5+ hour sessions
Entry paid on website
Free entry for GMs running regular games for this community (1 month/3 games required before this applies)
Bigotry/racism/hate speech or toxicity towards other humans will result in a ban from the campaign and server.
Players may request sessions be divided up in such a way that suits them. (If you’d like I can add timers for narrative and exploration or combat to ensure the experience you get is what you’re looking for. However it will need to be a majority player sort of thing!)
Compelling roleplay and pbp can be rewarded with in game consequences depending on circumstances surrounding this. No more than 1 minor benefit can occur from this per session per character.

Poison Rules[edit]

In areas with abundant flora you may spend an hour harvesting poison making a Poisoner’s Kit check.

DC: 14- Suffer 2d4 per challenge rating of area in damage and become poisoned for a number of minutes equal to challenge rating of area. DC: 15 Gain a single dose of Basic Poison DC: 20 Gain a single dose of Advanced Poison DC 25 Gain a single dose of Potent Poison

With 10 minutes you may harvest poison from a dead creature. DC for success = DC of poison. On failure gain nothing. Once per corpse. Gain its poison on success.
With 1 day with a cared and fed for Pet/Poisonous Creature under your control you may harvest poison without harming it. Same rules as above. May be done once per extended rest.
Poisons harvested from creatures may be applied as an action to 3 missiles or 1 piercing/slashing weapon and fade after 1 minute or until you hit once. (This means it is more effective on missiles!)
Normal poisons may be applied to 10 missiles or 1 piercing/slashing weapon and fade after 1 minute or until you hit once.
In either case you will need 1 vial per dose of poison stored.
The only common pet currently available with poison attached to it seems to be a scorpion! Take care of the little guys!

OOC Cheat sheet[edit]

Tiers of Play

Tier 0 Lvl 1-2 Journey DC 10ish
Tier 1 Lvl 3-4 Journey DC 12ish
Tier 2 Lvl 5-10 Journey DC 14ish
Tier 3 Lvl 11-16 Journey DC 16ish
Tier 4 Lvl 17-20 Journey DC 18ish

Common Journey Activities

Befriend Animal (Temporary)
Busk
Chronicle
Cook
Cover Tracks
Entertain
Gather Components
Gossip
Harvest
Hunt & Gather
Pray
Rob
Scout
Track

Downtime Activities

Construct
Craft
Gather Information
Recovery
Religious Devotion
Research
Spellcraft*
Train / Respec
Work / Earn Your Keep

One Hex is 24 miles Avoiding an encounter or challenge costs 4x time Your lifestyle & standard of living affect your prestige rating & how people judge you.

Highlighted Obscure Rules[edit]

Improvised thrown weapons have a normal range of 20 feet and a maximum range of 60 feet. (Ranged Weapons https://a5e.tools/rules/weapons)
DC15 Dex save to avoid being fallen on by another creature or fall damage is split. (5E TCoE pg 170)
If an attack misses because of the AC gained for cover it checks to see if that roll hits the cover. (5E Hitting Cover DMG pg 270)
Press the Attack: bonus action when you make an attack that adds 1d4 expertise to all your attacks until next start of turn, however this cannot be used if you have disadvantage and all incoming attacks are made with advantage until start of your next turn. (Press The Attack https://a5e.tools/rules/actions-combat)
Fall Back: reaction negate expertise from Press the Attack not the advantage penalty and move back 5 feet, target may follow. (Fall Back https://a5e.tools/rules/actions-combat)
It is a full action to quaff or administer a potion unless you have a feature to do so faster. This is not considered a free object interaction. (Use An Object https://a5e.tools/rules/actions-combat)
Sprint: forgo your entire turn and move in a straight line. 4x movespeed if unencumbered, 3x if encumbered. All incoming attacks are made with advantage until start of your next turn. (Sprint https://a5e.tools/rules/actions-combat)
Tumble: action or bonus action to move through a HOSTILE creature’s square, advantage if you’re smaller, Dex Save vs its maneuver DC. (Tumble https://a5e.tools/rules/actions-combat)
Attacking From Above: when 5 feet above target you gain 1d4 expertise for melee attacks (Attacking From Above https://a5e.tools/rules/movement-and-position)
Back-To-Back: bonus action, you and an adjacent ally cannot be flanked as long as you are adjacent. You gain +2 passive perception for one round as long as you do not move. (Back-To-Back https://a5e.tools/rules/movement-and-position)
Dragging An Ally: costs 3x movement and your reaction. (Dragging an Ally https://a5e.tools/rules/movement-and-position)
Negating a Critical is Once Per Rest. (Fatigue https://a5e.tools/rules/damage-and-recovery)
You can negate a critical hit into a regular hit by taking a level of fatigue. (Critical Hits https://a5e.tools/rules/damage-and-recovery)
You can negate a critical hit into a regular hit by sacrificing your shield. (Sacrifice Shield https://a5e.tools/rules/shields)
Massive Damage (https://a5e.tools/rules/damage-and-recovery)
While above 0HP, if take 20 + 3xCharLevel damage you must succeed a DC15 Con Save or die instantly. (Massive Damage)
While at 0HP, if you take 20 + CharLevel damage you must succeed a DC15 Con Save or die instantly. (Other Damage at 0 Hit Points)
“Combat Fatigue” does not affect you until combat is resolved. This applies ONLY to the following sources of fatigue, all other sources go into play immediately. (Fatigue https://a5e.tools/rules/damage-and-recovery)
Damage that makes you go unconscious.
Being critically hit at 0hp.
Negating a critical hit.
If you are proficient with shields you may pick up objects in the world as a shield that will last no longer than 10 rounds. They cannot be used to negate a critical hit. (Improvised Shields https://a5e.tools/rules/shields)
You may use your bonus action to attack with a dual-wielding weapon in your off-hand after making an attack and again for each extra attack feature you activate. Your primary weapon must not be heavy nor two-handed. (Two-Weapon Fighting https://a5e.tools/rules/making-attack)
Parrying is a free action once per round if you have a parrying weapon and are not using a shield. +1d4 to your AC. (Parrying https://a5e.tools/rules/weapon-properties)

Base Content Changes[edit]

I am preemptively banning Dryadborn as a heritage. I have seen the spoilers for it (it’s not expected to come out for like 10 months)

Dryadborn get entangle once per long rest. Dryadborn get shield as a resourceless spell infinite times per day. They do not need to sleep. They get a lich’s phylactery (your heart tree) and are reborn from it on death. They don’t count as humanoid (immune to hold person).

Infinite +5 AC was bad enough

Counterspell is banned Clerics are banned Artificers are banned Spiderfolk Chitinous Defense grants 13+dex AC instead of 12+dex

Grim/Hardcore Rules: HP Average rolls round down by default. Damage rounds up by default.

Stat Generation: 4d6 infinitely reroll 1's, keep highest 3. Roll all 6 stats OR roll 4 stats and take an 18 and a 6.