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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.

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

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.

Vampire Spawn Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

vampire takes 20 acid damage when it ends its turn in running water. Stake to the Heart. The vampire is destroyed if a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into its heart while it is incapacitated in

grasping claws and writhing serpents. If the vampire is destroyed, these effects end after 2d6;{"diceNotation":"2d6","rollType":"roll"} days.Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Amnizu (Summoner Variant)

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

, where it flows through Dis and Stygia. They collect the souls arriving in the form of lemure;lemures (see the Monster Manual). Lemures 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.Fire, PoisonCold; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks that aren't Silvered

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

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

Guild took over your family business, ran it into the ground, and burned the building for insurance money. You were driven into crime yourself, but you’ll never work for the Guild. You take

Zorak Lightdrinker

Monsters Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

acid damage if he ends his turn in running water. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into Zorak's heart while he is incapacitated in his resting place, Zorak is paralyzed

vampire's lair. The fog occasionally takes eerie forms, such as grasping claws and writhing serpents. If the vampire is destroyed, these effects end after 2d6;{"diceNotation":"2d6","rollType":"roll"} days.Necrotic, Poison; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

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

Vampire Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

water. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the vampire’s heart while the vampire is incapacitated in its resting place, the vampire is paralyzed until the stake is

grasping claws and writhing serpents. If the vampire is destroyed, these effects end after 2d6;{"diceNotation":"2d6","rollType":"roll"} days.Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Vampire Spellcaster Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

from one of the occupants. Harmed by Running Water. The vampire takes 20 acid damage if it ends its turn in running water. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the

eerie forms, such as grasping claws and writhing serpents. If the vampire is destroyed, these effects end after 2d6;{"diceNotation":"2d6","rollType":"roll"} days.Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Hobgoblin

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Hobgoblins trace their origins to the ancient courts of the Feywild, where they first appeared with their goblin and bugbear kin. Many of them were driven from the Feywild by the conquering god

fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score

Vampire Warrior Legacy

Monsters Monster Manual (2014)

from one of the occupants. Harmed by Running Water. The vampire takes 20 acid damage if it ends its turn in running water. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the

occasionally takes eerie forms, such as grasping claws and writhing serpents. If the vampire is destroyed, these effects end after 2d6;{"diceNotation":"2d6","rollType":"roll"} days.Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Goliath Legacy

Species Elemental Evil Player's Companion

the responsibility to earn a place in the tribe or die trying. Driven Competitors Every day brings a new challenge to a goliath. Food, water, and shelter are rare in the uppermost mountain reaches. A

skills. This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might

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

Nagas

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)

Nagas Nagas are intelligent serpents that inhabit the ruins of the past, amassing arcane treasures and knowledge. The first nagas were created as immortal guardians by a humanoid race long lost to

history. When this race died out, the nagas deemed themselves the rightful inheritors of their masters’ treasures and magical lore. Industrious and driven, nagas occasionally venture out from their

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

cannibalizing their victims, and then performed a sorcerous ritual while writhing in pools filled with living snakes that enabled them to mix their flesh with that of serpents, becoming like the gods in

rather than among other creatures, including my own kind. 4 I sometimes become consumed by philosophy. 5 I believe I am superior to others of my caste. 6 I am driven by wanderlust

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.

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

Mutated Apprentices

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

Mutated Apprentices Halaster handed over this level to his fervent pupils, almost all of whom were driven mad by their studies and mutated by the magic they wrought, becoming gibbering mouthers and

nothics. A mezzoloth summoned from the Lower Planes to serve as a wizard’s assistant now rules over them all.

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.

Monk

classes Basic Rules (2014)

seriously, approaching their adventures as personal tests of their physical and spiritual growth. As a rule, monks care little for material wealth and are driven by a desire to accomplish a greater

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

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

Strength

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

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 in chapter 5. If you carry weight in excess of 5 times your Strength score

18. Serpent Gate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage

18. Serpent Gate These 10-foot-high side caverns feature a standing gate that grants access to level 11. Strikingly beautiful carvings of serpents decorate the walls of these caverns. 18a. Trapped

muck. Chiseled into the lintel stone across the top are the words “DON THE CRYSTAL CROWN” in Dwarvish. This gate’s rules are as follows: The gate opens for 1 minute if a creature wears King Melair’s

Local Nuisances

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands

garbage that gathers in Sigil’s alleys and sewers. Common and giant rats are found throughout the Cage, as are variant cranium rats known as squeakers (further detailed in Morte’s Planar Parade). Adapted

razorvine strategically to deter intruders by letting it grow along estate walls or as carefully cultivated hedges. Rules for razorvine can be found in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Najara

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Najara Gone are the days when the tales of a kingdom of serpents were rumor and hearsay, stories concocted by adventurers and travelers who strayed far off the path and somehow managed to escape. It

to believe, for this area had always hosted such things. But a nation of such creatures? As we now know, the kingdom of Najara, as proclaimed by the serpents that live within, lies along the northern

Amnizu

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

amnizus that patrol here drill the rules of the Nine Hells into the new arrivals’ minds and marshal them into legions. Variant: Devil Summoning Some amnizus have an action that allows them to summon other

Dis and Stygia. They collect the souls arriving in the form of lemures (see the Monster Manual). Lemures have no personalities or memories; they’re driven only by the desire to commit evil. The

Amnizu

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

here drill the rules of the Nine Hells into the new arrivals’ pitiful brains and marshal the lemures into legions. VARIANT: DEVIL SUMMONING Some amnizus have an action that allows them to summon

blighted banks, where it flows through Dis and Stygia. Souls arriving in the form of lemures have no personalities or memories; they’re driven only by the desire to commit evil. The amnizus that patrol

Creating a Dragon Turtle

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

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 Trait 1 I speak slowly and deliberately, pausing to reflect after (or sometimes in the middle of) each utterance

1. Main Gate

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

1. Main Gate If characters approach this area from the north, read: A wide passage slopes down to a set of bronze doors. Coiled serpents decorate the metal, with a sliding hatch at head height. Four

the pits with a standing jump or running jump (see the Player’s Handbook for jumping rules), provided there are no broodguards lined up along the far side. Treasure Nahth has a crocodile skin pouch containing 28 gp and wears gold ceremonial bracers sculpted to resemble bats (150 gp for the pair).

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