I have always thought that combat in D&D is a bit lack luster, and while some of that has to do with how a DM sets up an encounter, the mechanics of the game don't help, as opportunity attacks and having to take actions to dodge those attacks discourage movement. So I've made some Homebrew rules on combat, that hopefully will make combat more Dynamic.
Sacrifice
When an attack requires a creature that you can reach with your speed, to make a dexterity saving throw, you can use your reaction to cover the creature. You automatically fail the saving throw, and the creature you are covering takes no damage. You also provoke all opportunity attacks along the way.
Dodging
When you provoke an opportunity attack, you can use your bonus action to dodge attacks. You can make an acrobatics check in a contest to your opponents acrobatics check. If you succeed in the contest, your opponent has disadvantage to attack you, but if your opponent wins, it has advantage on attack rolls and crits if a 19 or 20.
Guillotine
When you attack a creature with a 2-handed weapon that deals slashing damage, and you kill a creature with the weapon, you can make another attack to a creature that is within 5 ft of you, and has no obstacles between the original creature you killed and the new target. If you kill that target, you can use the effect again, and you can only use this effect to kill 3 creatures within 5 ft of you.
Critical Hit (Alternative)
When you roll a natural 20, you can use this alternative rule. You can upgrade the dice once, by using the table bellow, instead of rolling the dice twice.
When an attacker you can see attacks you with a sword and you are currently wielding a sword with 2 hands, you can add your wisdom modifier to your AC. You must be proficient with the sword your are using to parry to use this rule.
Parry (With Daggers)
When an attacker you can see attacks you with a sword and you are currently dual wielding 2 knives, you can add your wisdom modifier to your AC. You must be proficient with martial weapons to use this rule.
Extra Power
When your current HP becomes half as much as your maximum HP, you can spend 1 hit dice to attack twice on your turn, or roll that hit dice and add it to any attack roll. You can only use this ability once per long rest.
Leaping
You can spend 5 ft to leap over a creature. You appear in a square next to a creature you were within 5 ft. of, and can attack the creature with advantage. To use this feature you must have a passive acrobatics of 13 or higher.
Anger, Rage, and power through Emotions.
Once per character, you can enter emotional rage. When this happens is up to your DM, but some examples include a NPC that your character has a connection with dies, your animal companion dies, someone your character sacrifices themselves, your hometown gets burned, so on and so forth. While in this rage, you gain the following benefits:
You become resistant to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage dealt by non-magical weapons.
A magical haze surrounds you, and all attack rolls to hit you are at disadvantage.
You gain a +3 to all attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws. If your strength bonus is higher, you add that instead.
You take half damage from saving throws on a failed save, and no damage on a successful one.
When your hit points are reduced to 0, you can make a DC 10 + the damage taken Constitution saving throw, and on a successful save your hit points become 1 instead.
The effect ends in 3 minute, or you are knocked unconscious. When the effect ends, you gain 4 levels of exhaustion.
Shielding
While you are wielding a shield, and another creature that is facing the same direction as you is also wielding a shield, you gain the following benefits:
You can use reaction to attack a creature that is trying to leap over you.
You gain a +1 to AC
When asked to make a dexterity saving throw, you can instead use your AC as roll with your bonus instead. (i.e. When you need to make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, but your AC is 19, you can use your AC instead of rolling.) You can use this ability after you have rolled the dice, but before you are told if the roll was a success or a failure. You must be facing the point of origin for this effect to work.
When using the shove action, you have advantage.
Hopefully these rules will help your combat be more dynamic! Please tell me what you think on these alternative rules!
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I have always thought that combat in D&D is a bit lack luster, and while some of that has to do with how a DM sets up an encounter, the mechanics of the game don't help, as opportunity attacks and having to take actions to dodge those attacks discourage movement. So I've made some Homebrew rules on combat, that hopefully will make combat more Dynamic.
Sacrifice
When an attack requires a creature that you can reach with your speed, to make a dexterity saving throw, you can use your reaction to cover the creature. You automatically fail the saving throw, and the creature you are covering takes no damage. You also provoke all opportunity attacks along the way.
Dodging
When you provoke an opportunity attack, you can use your bonus action to dodge attacks. You can make an acrobatics check in a contest to your opponents acrobatics check. If you succeed in the contest, your opponent has disadvantage to attack you, but if your opponent wins, it has advantage on attack rolls and crits if a 19 or 20.
Guillotine
When you attack a creature with a 2-handed weapon that deals slashing damage, and you kill a creature with the weapon, you can make another attack to a creature that is within 5 ft of you, and has no obstacles between the original creature you killed and the new target. If you kill that target, you can use the effect again, and you can only use this effect to kill 3 creatures within 5 ft of you.
Critical Hit (Alternative)
When you roll a natural 20, you can use this alternative rule. You can upgrade the dice once, by using the table bellow, instead of rolling the dice twice.
1d4 -> 1d6 -> 1d8 -> 1d10 -> 1d12 -> 2d6 -> 2d8 -> 2d10 -> 2d12 -> 3d8 -> 3d10 - > 3d12
Parry
When an attacker you can see attacks you with a sword and you are currently wielding a sword with 2 hands, you can add your wisdom modifier to your AC. You must be proficient with the sword your are using to parry to use this rule.
Parry (With Daggers)
When an attacker you can see attacks you with a sword and you are currently dual wielding 2 knives, you can add your wisdom modifier to your AC. You must be proficient with martial weapons to use this rule.
Extra Power
When your current HP becomes half as much as your maximum HP, you can spend 1 hit dice to attack twice on your turn, or roll that hit dice and add it to any attack roll. You can only use this ability once per long rest.
Leaping
You can spend 5 ft to leap over a creature. You appear in a square next to a creature you were within 5 ft. of, and can attack the creature with advantage. To use this feature you must have a passive acrobatics of 13 or higher.
Anger, Rage, and power through Emotions.
Once per character, you can enter emotional rage. When this happens is up to your DM, but some examples include a NPC that your character has a connection with dies, your animal companion dies, someone your character sacrifices themselves, your hometown gets burned, so on and so forth. While in this rage, you gain the following benefits:
The effect ends in 3 minute, or you are knocked unconscious. When the effect ends, you gain 4 levels of exhaustion.
Shielding
While you are wielding a shield, and another creature that is facing the same direction as you is also wielding a shield, you gain the following benefits:
Hopefully these rules will help your combat be more dynamic! Please tell me what you think on these alternative rules!