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Variant Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Variant Rules A shared campaign might use some variant rules to handle certain aspects of the game. The Adventurers League, for instance, has variant systems for gaining levels and acquiring treasure

. These “house rules,” presented below, serve as a sort of common language, ensuring that the rewards all characters receive are equivalent no matter what kind of adventure a character experienced.

Kadroth

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

he's tight with Levistus. He rules the roost by sheer force of personality, though it chafes him that Hethyl Arkorran has more respect and influence within the cult. Kadroth doesn't involve Avarice

fireplace and drawing inspiration from its crackling flames. The slightest disturbance upsets him. Kadroth appreciates the wisdom of maintaining the illusion that Speaker Crannoc Siever is still in

Variant Aasimar

Species Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

This aasimar variant originally appeared in the Dungeon Master's Guide as an example for creating your own races. Whereas tieflings have fiendish blood in their veins, aasimar are the descendants of

goodness on the Material Plane without drawing undue attention to their celestial heritage. They strive to fit into society, although they usually rise to the top, becoming revered leaders and honorable heroes.

Amnizu

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

have no personalities or memories; they’re driven only by the desire to commit evil. The amnizus that patrol here drill the rules of the Nine Hells into the new arrivals’ minds and marshal

them into legions. Amnizu (Summoner Variant);Variant: Devil Summoning Some amnizus have an action that allows them to summon other devils: Summon Devil (1/Day). The amnizu summons 2d4

Cultist (Knights of the Black Sword)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Levistus, the archdevil who rules Stygia, the sixth layer of the Nine Hells, from the confines of an ice prison from which he cannot escape. Most of the cultists are Icewind Dale natives who would

, offering a second chance at life in exchange for their absolute devotion. After they agreed to follow Levistus, a pale glow caught their eye in the snow nearby, leading to the discovery of a sword

Heward's Hireling Armor

Magic Items Lost Laboratory of Kwalish

bonus to AC. In addition, the armor’s animated straps can assist with the drawing and sheathing of weapons, such that you can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able

armor always weighs 10 pounds, regardless of its pockets’ contents. Placing an object into one of the armor’s pockets follows the normal rules for interacting with objects. Retrieving an

Cult Fanatic (Knights of the Black Sword)

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage.The Knights of the Black Sword are a secret society of cultists devoted to Levistus, the archdevil who rules Stygia, the sixth layer of the Nine Hells, from the

’ stories are all the same: the archdevil reached out to them in their minds as they were freezing to death, offering a second chance at life in exchange for their absolute devotion. After they

Sahuagin Priestess Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

massive mutant males that grow second sets of arms. They are terrible foes in battle, and all sahuagin bow down before these powerful barons. Way of the Shark. Sahuagin worship the shark god Sekolah. Only

maritime trade and drawing other races into the bloody conflict. So intense is sahuagin hatred for the aquatic elves that the sea devils have adapted to combat their ancient foes. A sahuagin born near

Variant Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

If your campaign uses the optional feat rules from the Player’s Handbook, your Dungeon Master might allow these variant traits, all of which replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait.

Bel

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

the die is subtracted from the next attack roll made against Bel or an ally of his choice within the next minute. Summon Ice Devil (Costs 3 Actions). Bel magically summons an Ice Devil (Spear Variant

summon other devils if it has such power. The ice devil remains until Bel dies or until he dismisses it as an action.From his bastion, Zariel’s second-in-command and the former lord of Avernus

Sahuagin Baron Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

self-styled rulers of sahuagin ocean domains are massive mutant males that grow second sets of arms. They are terrible foes in battle, and all sahuagin bow down before these powerful barons. Way of

for centuries across the coasts and seas of the world, disrupting maritime trade and drawing other races into the bloody conflict. So intense is sahuagin hatred for the aquatic elves that the sea

Young Dragon Turtle

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

explicitly include dragon turtles in the variant rules for making a dragon a spellcaster, you can apply those rules to these aquatic dragons.) Dragon Turtle Personality Traits d8

Dragon Turtle Wyrmling

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

characters, and use the Dragon Turtle Spellcasting table to help select spells for a spellcasting dragon. (Though the Monster Manual doesn’t explicitly include dragon turtles in the variant rules for

making a dragon a spellcaster, you can apply those rules to these aquatic dragons.) Dragon Turtle Personality Traits d8;{"diceNotation":"1d8","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Trait"} Trait

Titivilus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Teleport. Assault (Costs 2 Actions). Titivilus makes one Silver Sword attack, or he uses Frightful Word.Dispater, the gloomy Lord of Dis, rules from his iron palace, seeming to hide behind its

archdevils, he compensates with cunning. A shrewd politician, he has clawed his way up through the ranks to become the second-most powerful devil in Dis, entirely by saying the right thing at the right time

Returned Palamnite

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

, where they serve the vicious will of Tymaret the Murder King (see chapter 3). Returned have escaped the Underworld and dwell among the living once more, but their second lives are rarely what they

. They think and speak and even feel emotions based on their new experiences, but given their circumstances, those emotions tend to be muted. VARIANT: RETURNED KAKOMANTIS Although the dead typically

Criminal / Spy Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

than most people to the world of murder, theft, and violence that pervades the underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society

; specifically, you know the local messengers, corrupt caravan masters, and seedy sailors who can deliver messages for you. Variant Criminal: Spy Although your capabilities are not much different

Lord Soth of Sithicus (DMR)

monsters

effects end immediately. Lord Soth’s Lair Lord Soth rules from Nedragaard Keep, a twisted, copy of his accursed fortress on Krynn, Dargaard Keep. Nedragaard Keep grows and withers over time like

Nightlund’s lord,” are admitted. Stairs beyond the gate climb several floors to the top of the keep’s walls.Garden. Gardens on the keep’s second floor are overgrown with thorny

Ancient Dragon Turtle

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

table to help select spells for a spellcasting dragon. (Though the Monster Manual doesn’t explicitly include dragon turtles in the variant rules for making a dragon a spellcaster, you can apply

those rules to these aquatic dragons.) Dragon Turtle Personality Traits d8;{"diceNotation":"1d8","rollType":"roll","rollAction":"Trait"} Trait 1 I speak slowly and deliberately

Azorius Functionary

Backgrounds Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

their manners in your presence and avoid drawing your attention; they assume you have the right to be wherever you are. Showing your Azorius insignia gets you an audience with anyone you want to talk to

mage in service of the guild. 3 I joined the Azorius hoping to impress an arrester whom I admire. 4 My former mentor is now a warden at Udzec, the new Azorius prison. 5 I was second

Criminal - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

underbelly of civilization, and you have survived up to this point by flouting the rules and regulations of society. Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth Tool Proficiencies: One

always occur in shady venues. Variant Criminal: Spy Although your capabilities are not much different from those of a burglar or smuggler, you learned and practiced them in a very

Rewards

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Rewards Adventures in a shared campaign that uses variant rules for gaining levels and acquiring treasure (such as those described below) don’t include experience point awards or specific amounts and kinds of treasure.

Warlock

classes Player’s Handbook

the influence of these beings can be felt. In no time, each Warlock is drawn into a binding pact with a powerful patron. Drawing on the ancient knowledge of beings such as angels, archfey, demons

level 1 features, which are listed in the Warlock Features table. See the multiclassing rules to determine your available spell slots. Warlock Features Level Proficiency Bonus Class Features

Inspiration for the DM

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->The Book of Many Things

Inspiration for the DM Another way to use the inspiration deck is to make its effects available to monsters and villains. In this variant, each time a player expends inspiration, the DM also draws a

after drawing them or save them for use in major encounters. Note that saving your cards might make players more reluctant to use inspiration, worrying they need to conserve it for later encounters. Your

Creating a Dragonmarked Character

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Creating a Dragonmarked Character Dragonmarks manifest on certain members of a few species, represented in the rules by variant race options: For humans and half-orcs, a dragonmark is a variant race

that replaces traits associated with those races. For half-elves, a dragonmark is a variant race that lets you keep some half-elf traits and replace others with the traits associated with your mark

Human Traits

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

HUMAN TRAITS If your campaign uses the optional feat rules from chapter 6, your Dungeon Master might allow these variant traits, all of which replace the human’s Ability Score Increase trait

with, including obscure dialects. They are fond of sprinkling their speech with words borrowed from other tongues: Orc curses, Elvish musical expressions, Dwarvish military phrases, and so on. VARIANT

Tying Knots

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Tying Knots The rules are purposely open-ended concerning mundane tasks like tying knots, but sometimes knowing how well a knot was fashioned is important in a dramatic scene when someone is trying

Sleight of Hand with Intelligence, rather than Dexterity. This is an example of how to apply the rule in the “Variant: Skills with Different Abilities” section in chapter 7 of the Player’s Handbook.

Crossbow Expert

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice Compendium

with your hand—the ammunition from a container. Second, the act of drawing the ammunition is included in the attack and therefore doesn’t require its own action and doesn’t use up your free

Crossbow Expert Is it intentional that the second benefit of Crossbow Expert helps ranged spell attacks? Yes, it’s intentional. When you make a ranged attack roll within 5 feet of an enemy, you

How to Use These Rules

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

How to Use These Rules These rules are organized in three parts. The first part helps you decide what kind of campaign you’d like to run. The second part helps you create the adventures — the stories

— that will compose the campaign and keep the players entertained from one game session to the next. The last part helps you adjudicate the rules of the game and modify them to suit the style of your campaign.

Draconic Races

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

section offers three variant dragonborn race options that can be used to create a character with clear connections to a specific draconic ancestry. When you’re making a new character using one of these races, use the rules under “Creating Your Character” to fill out the details.

Rest Variants

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

Rest Variants The rules for short and long rests presented in chapter 8 of the Player’s Handbook work well for a heroic-style campaign. Characters can go toe-to-toe with deadly foes, take damage to

within an inch of their lives, yet still be ready to fight again the next day. If this approach doesn’t fit your campaign, consider the following variants. Epic Heroism This variant uses a short rest

Strength

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

lift. For a Tiny creature, halve these weights. Variant: Encumbrance The rules for lifting and carrying are intentionally simple. Here is a variant if you are looking for more detailed rules for

determining how a character is hindered by the weight of equipment. When you use this variant, ignore the Strength column of the Armor table. If you carry weight in excess of 5 times your Strength score, you

Class Features (p. 164)

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata

Class Features (p. 164) The second sentence has been changed to “You don’t, however, receive the class’s starting equipment, and a few features have additional rules when you’re multiclassing: Channel Divinity, Extra Attack, Unarmored Defense, and Spellcasting.”

Adolescence

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

Adolescence Most elves experience their First Reflection in their second or third decade. It marks the beginning of the period when an elf must focus on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed for

frequently. The Drawing of the Veil is the name that elves give to the occasion when a young elf no longer experiences primal memories during trance but instead recalls only the events of its current mortal existence.

Horror Adventures

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

adventures benefit from an atmosphere of dread, conceived through a combination of terrifying narratives, dramatic presentation, and game elements encouraging fear. Drawing out the anxiety and anticipation

toolbox of horror-focused rules also provides options for what sort of grim adventures you might create. At the end of this chapter, a horror adventure puts these methods to use and leads characters on

Monk

classes Basic Rules (2014)

important mission beyond the cloister? Perhaps you were cast out because of some violation of the community’s rules. Did you dread leaving, or were you happy to go? Is there something you hope to

lawful in alignment. QUICK BUILD You can make a monk quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the hermit background

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