My House Rules

Rule Zero: The point is to have fun. If someone isn't having fun, we need to have a conversation, because something needs to change, perhaps even these rules.

Rule Double Zero: The DM is not above these rules. If you feel I've broken one of these rules, please talk to me about it after the game, and I will make any corrections needed.

Section A: Messing with Mechanics: Most DMs change the base game in some form or fashion, and I'm no exception. Below are my changes to the rules of 5E as written.


 * 1) Character Options: I allow all character options from The Player's Handbook, Xanathar's Guide, and Tasha's Cauldron. I'm open to other character options from official sources and even homebrew options. I also consider the homebrew book “Valda's Spire of Secrets” in my games. I can provide a PDF copy to all my players. Please ask me about any material outside the first three books, as I may need to tweak these options for balance and/or to better fit into my world.
 * 2) Return To Life Spells: There are several spells in DnD 5E that return a completely dead character back to life. I have always felt that character death should be more significant than simply casting a 3rd level spell to fix. I've played around with spell levels and flaws that occur upon resurrection, but none of those felt fun or fair. I'm now experimenting with the following fix: Each spell that can reverse death can only do so once per soul. If you've already had Revivify cast on you to return you to life, it can never work on you again, but other similar spells like Resurrection or Reincarnate still work... until they don't. The goal is to make losing HP feel more suspenseful while still allowing players to have plenty of ways (but not too many ways) to revive their fallen comrades.
 * 3) Passive Skills: I don't use passive skills. If an enemy needs to roll a Stealth check to see if you guys sense it, I will secretly roll Perception for the players. (see rule C3) I have always felt that contested rolls are more fun and allow for better NPC/monster design.
 * 4) Reskins: I usually refer to “actions” as “standard actions” to avoid confusion. “DM's Favor” is what I call “inspiration” in my games. As written, it's too easily confused with “bardic inspiration”. Just like the original rule, it gives you or an ally advantage on any attack roll, ability check, or saving throw before you make the roll, but I allow each player to hold up to three Favors at a time. Each player will start each session with one Favor, and any unused Favors will reset at the end of each session, so be sure to use 'em!
 * 5) DnD 3.5 Diagonal Movement: I use a modified movement system in my games. Every 2nd diagonal movement on the battle map costs an extra 5ft of movement. This is consistent with movement rules from DnD 3.5. If each grid square is 5 feet, then under rules as written, moving 30 feet of movement diagonally is equal to moving over 42 feet. Pythagorean Theorem, yo. This isn't so bad until you start factoring in multiple movements with Dash, monk abilities, etc. Suddenly, you're moving much faster than you should just because you're moving diagonally. This fix doesn't math out perfectly, but it's much closer to reality and more balanced than rules as written.
 * 6) Improved Criticals: Critical hits double the damage dice rolled, but that can still be disappointing. Rolling a total of 3 on 2d12 is very underwhelming. In my games, the extra damage dice rolling a crit gives you automatically roll max damage. In the above example, you'd roll 1d12 and add whatever damage modifiers apply plus 12. This makes critical hits more exciting! But be thee forewarned, this boon applies to thy enemies' rolls as well.
 * 7) Mechanical Shortcuts: I play pretty fast and loose with a number of mechanics. I don't worry too much about encumbrance, generally using a common sense approach should it come up. I also don't worry too much about nonmagical common ammunition, such as arrows or crossbow bolts. I always assume you stock up when you're in town, and the price of such materials is too small for me to care about. Generally speaking, if you want something that costs less than a silver piece, if you can find it for sale in the world, you can have it. I don't think worrying about pennies is needed in my games.
 * 8) Shared Initiative: Initiative ties between a PC and an enemy are resolved by the player involved. They decide if they want to move before or after their foe. Ties between two players result in a mechanic that I'm experimenting with: one turn shared by each tied player. During that shared turn, you each still have a standard action, a bonus action, and a move action, the only difference being that you and your initiative buddy can take those actions in any order.
 * 9) Combos!: When you hold your standard action to attack an enemy when a teammate attacks that same enemy, if you both hit, the player who held their action can add 1d4 of combo damage to their damage roll. The combo damage die increases to a d6 at 4th level, a d8 at 6th level, a d10 at 8th level, a d12 at 10th level, and a d20 at 12th level. Combos only trigger if both players took actions that required an attack roll (spell attacks count) and that targeted only one foe. During shared initiative turns, each player who attacks the same enemy as outlined above gets the bonus to damage, except they get the bonus regardless if other players hit that turn.

Section B: Regarding Roleplaying: I play DnD to tell a story first and foremost. I want my players to immerse themselves in my world, act out their characters, and encourage each other to do the same as much as possible.


 * 1) The Rule of Cool: I try to make my players feel like they can create as much of the story as I do. If you can think of something for your character (or perhaps even an NPC) that falls outside the rules as written, propose it to me and cite “The Rule of Cool”. Depending on what you propose, I may just let it happen, let you roll for it, or in extreme cases, I may refer to rule B2 below.
 * 2) Something Lost, Something Gained: In order for a request under The Rule of Cool to be balanced, you may have to give something up as a cost of the cool thing to happen. This can be as small as using your DM's Favor (see rule A4), perhaps losing an item or weapon, or even character levels in very extreme circumstances. I will always let you know the cost before you finalize your decision.
 * 3) One Step More: I love little in between scenes, the conversations between PCs that really show what kind of heroes we're following. The best example of this kind of scene is from The Lord of the Rings, when Frodo and Sam cross the threshold of the Shire and travel further from home than they ever had before. Feel free to ask your follow players to have these kinds of scenes together in between the action. The best time to have them is when the party is resting for the night or traveling, whether to the next county or just a couple blocks down the road, but anytime you get a chance is a good time to have a One Step More scene.
 * 4) Cutscenes: One thing I like to do is end certain sessions with “cutscenes”. During a cutscene, I will use cinematic music and narration to describe a noteworthy story beat, usually as a means of a cliffhanger. These scenes are not usually interactive, but I'd be willing to try giving you guys some choices at some point, if you'd like. If your character has to react to something, falling into a trap laid by an NPC for example, I will roll for your character ahead of time (see rule A2) and describe the results accordingly. I do my best to respect player agency as much as possible during these scenes. Most of my players have really enjoyed them, and I've changed how I do them over the years based on constructive criticism I've received. Let me know if you have any feedback or ideas to make these cool sequences even better.

Section C: Table Etiquette: Every table does things a little differently. These are the things my players should expect from myself and other players in my games.


 * 1) Important-things-about-consent edit.jpgConsent is Vital: Roleplaying can deal with a lot of topics that hit too close to home for many people. Whether it's as severe as child NPC death or sexual abuse or as relatively mundane as a fear of giant spiders, many people have subjects that aren't safe for them to be involved with. No matter what your trigger, please bring anything you can't handle to me any time outside of active sessions, preferably before the campaign begins. If you'd like, you can find a plethora of DnD Consent Forms online, where you can check a box for anything you don't consent to, and submit that to me. Be sure to let me know if you'd rather your preferences remain anonymous. DO NOT be the guy that jokes about this rule. I don't want to hear about cancel culture, how “woke” I am, or how triggered liberals are ruining the game. Everyone should feel welcome and heard at my table, with the only exception being anyone who thinks someone shouldn't feel welcome or heard for any other reason. This rule is very important to me. Fuck around and find out.
 * 2) No Metagaming: It is vitally important to keep in mind the difference between you, the player in our universe, and your character in a fictional one. This most commonly, but not exclusively, comes up in combat. If you know how a particular monster works mechanically, and your character exploits weaknesses that your character doesn't know about, that's a big no-no. Even if you think you know how a mechanic might work, most of my monsters, traps, etc. are homebrewed by me and may work differently than how they are designed in the Monster Manual, DM's Guide, etc. so it's in your best interest to approach combat as your character would: if your foe is new to your character, find out what its weaknesses are as you fight.
 * 3) Secret Player Rolls: At my table, I reserve the right to roll for your character, behind the screen, without announcing it, and even in between sessions. Mostly this helps me write cutscenes (see rule B4), and lets me roll for passive skills (see rule A3), but it may also come up some other way. I know players like rolling dice, and I don't take that from them lightly or often. I NEVER fudge these rolls, and can video record the between session rolls if requested.
 * 4) PVP: I have mixed feelings when it comes to player vs. player combat. If the events that unfold in a story cause two characters to become opposed to each other, conflict can definitely make sense from a narrative perspective. However, combat can often mean that the losing side needs to roll a new character, even if the character survives the fight. Not everyone is okay with that, and their stance is just as valid as the players that are. Should a situation arise where PVP makes sense with what's going on in the story, I will allow PVP under the condition that the entire table is comfortable with it, has discussed it thoroughly ahead of time, including what may happen as a result of the fight, and everyone can agree to not take it personally. A squabble between characters is not a squabble between players. (see rule C2) As far as noncombat PVP (for example, charm or mind control effects) at no point will I allow any effects that will force a character do something that their player isn't okay with.
 * 5) No Secrets From The DM: It's fine (and honestly kind of encouraged) to withhold part of your backstory as your character gets to know your fellow party members, or if you want to collaborate with other player's on story elements or side plots that the other players don't yet know about. However, I need to be in the loop on these secrets. Please disclose your secret backstory to me before you implement it, and have me present for any secret collab, preferably in a group chat of some sort.
 * 6) Regarding Rolls: Before you roll that d20 (or any die/dice for that matter), unless I just asked for a roll, be sure to let the table know what you're rolling for. Any rolls with an unstated intention will not count. All rolls must be on the table to count. A proper randomized die will have every side plus its opposite side add up to the total number of sides plus one. For example, every side of a proper d20 when added with its opposite side, will add up to 21.
 * 7) Regarding Character Sheets: If it's not on your character sheet, you don't have it. This goes for items, gold, abilities, feats, etc. Be sure to update your sheet as soon as anything changes. I collect character sheets in between sessions, to keep for reference in planning future sessions. For that reason, your character sheet needs to be legible and at least a little organized. I allow digital character sheets, as long as I have access to them in real time; a form fillable PDF in a GoogleDoc for example.
 * 8) Focus On The Game: While the session is active, players should be focused on what's happening in the story. This includes scenes where your character isn't involved or on other players turns in combat. Everyone is trying to tell a story here, and not paying attention to the stories of your fellow players is honestly disrespectful. Side talk is okay, as long as it's brief and adds to the fun and flow of the game. Unless being used for game purposes or taking important phone calls, I don't allow phones or other electronic distractions at my table while a session is active. Save that cool video or meme for a break or after the session, please.