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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

Raezil

Monsters The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

a petrified high elf named Raezil Uthemar (neutral). Raezil served as Zybilna’s spy in other fey courts. She returned from a mission to find nearly everyone in the palace trapped in temporal

on the politics of Prismeer. Once she is no longer petrified, Raezil is bound by the rule of reciprocity (see “Rules of Conduct” in chapter 2) to help the characters complete any

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.

Wereraven Legacy

monsters Curse of Strahd

, modestly give money to charity. They take steps to keep magic items out of evil hands by stashing them in secret hiding places. Characters as Wereravens. The Monster Manual has rules for characters

piercing damage (no ability modifier applies to this damage) and carries the curse of lycanthropy; see the “Player Characters as Lycanthropes” sidebar in the lycanthropes entry in the Monster Manual for details.

Tsucora Quori

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

, or the Dreaming Dark. Il-Lashtavar is served by a host of aberrations that are the embodiments of dreams and nightmares — the quori. Because it is difficult for anything to physically travel to or

to manipulate the fears of mortals sees tsucoras often sent to Eberron as Inspired (Tsucora variant);Inspired. Nothing keeps humanoid chattel in line like fear, and the tsucoras are the masters of

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

Sailor - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

you served on, or another ship you have good relations with (perhaps one captained by a former crewmate). Because you’re calling in a favor, you can’t be certain of a schedule or route

the Gray Wavers—the Flaming Fist harbor guards—and have a sense of how to operate the city’s mechanized cranes. Variant Sailor: Pirate You spent your youth under the sway of a

Sailor Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

’s Passage When you need to, you can secure free passage on a sailing ship for yourself and your adventuring companions. You might sail on the ship you served on, or another ship you have good

Master will determine how long it takes to get where you need to go. In return for your free passage, you and your companions are expected to assist the crew during the voyage. Variant Sailor: Pirate

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

Hashalaq Quori

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

served by a host of aberrations that are the embodiments of dreams and nightmares — the quori. Because it is difficult for anything to physically travel to or from Dal Quor, quori in Eberron are typically

. Hashalaq quori have studied their mortal prey for centuries. Inhabiting human bodies as Inspired (Hashalaq variant);Inspired has granted the hashalaq a deep understanding of the hedonistic urges of

Kalaraq Quori

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

after the possession ends.Quori Dal Quor is the plane of dreams and is currently dominated by a dark power known as il-Lashtavar, or the Dreaming Dark. Il-Lashtavar is served by a host of aberrations

Inspired (Kalaraq variant);Inspired.Cold, Necrotic, Poison, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Lord Soth of Sithicus (DMR)

monsters

to challenge him. So Soth broods on his throne in Nedragaard Keep, haunted by banshees that sing the tale of his disgrace and by rotted, undead copies of the knights who once served him. Lord Soth

, promising to restore his glory and avenge him against the heroic knights who banished him long ago, Soth answered and served Takhisis. During this time, he called on his undead servants, including the

Noble Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

your line or even a spiritual member of the family? These details help establish your family and your title as features of the world of the campaign. Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion Tool

. Variant Noble: Knight A knighthood is among the lowest noble titles in most societies, but it can be a path to higher status. If you wish to be a knight, choose the Retainers feature (see the sidebar

City Watch / Investigator

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

You have served the community where you grew up, standing as its first line of defense against crime. You aren’t a soldier, directing your gaze outward at possible enemies. Instead, your

Silverwatch or even one of the magic-wielding Spellguard. Perhaps you hail from Neverwinter and have served as one of its Wintershield watchmen, the newly founded branch of guards who vow to keep safe the

Aarakocra

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

A winged people who originated on the Elemental Plane of Air, aarakocra soar through the sky wherever they wander. The first aarakocra served the Wind Dukes of Aaqa—mighty beings of air&mdash

At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation

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

Noble - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

your line or even a spiritual member of the family? These details help establish your family and your title as features of the world of the campaign. The patriars of Baldur’s Gate live in the

; without question, and any corruption among guards or government officials tends to work in your favor, not against you—at least until you make some effort to expose it. Variant Noble: Knight A

Reborn Legacy

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Memories table to inspire its details. Lost Memories d6 Memory 1 You recall a physically painful moment. What mark or scar on your body does it relate to? 2 A memory brings

, but you aren’t any longer. You now possess only your lineage’s racial traits. When you create a character using a lineage option, follow these additional rules during character creation

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

Inheritor

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

determine your inheritance from among the possibilities in the table below. Work with your Dungeon Master to come up with details: Why is your inheritance so important, and what is its full story? You might

prefer for the DM to invent these details as part of the game, allowing you to learn more about your inheritance as your character does. The Dungeon Master is free to use your inheritance as a story

Goblin

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

A subterranean folk, goblins can be found in every corner of the multiverse, often beside their bugbear and hobgoblin kin. Long before the god Maglubiyet conquered them, early goblins served in the

character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your

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.

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.

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

The Doomvault

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a5

originally produced in 2014 as an adventure for the D&D Encounters organized play program. At that time, it also served as a playtest for the rules that eventually became the fifth edition of the game. This

network of which the Bloodgate was a part gave her the ability to open portals directly into the Doomvault. The following sections contain details on the logistics of running an adventure set there. When

Vecna's History

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin

garner the attention of powerful individuals. One is Kas, a vampire warrior who once served Vecna but is now Vecna’s eternal enemy. Kas learns the details of Vecna’s plans and plots to co-opt the ritual for himself.

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

Villains of the Last War

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

Villains of the Last War Just as adventurers are shaped by their experiences in the Last War, villains often carry the physical and mental scars of the conflict. When developing the details of a

brilliant artificer might have designed arcane weapons that violated the rules of engagement. A Karrnathi bone knight (see chapter 6) could have overseen a camp where prisoners of war were used as

Kenku Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

reputation that is not wholly unearned, but they can prove to be valuable allies. An Ancient Curse The kenku once served a mysterious, powerful entity on another plane of existence. Some believe they

a talent for learning and memorizing details. Thus, ambitious kenku can excel as superb spies and scouts. A kenku who learns of clever schemes and plans devised by other creatures can put them to use

Operating an Airship

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

Eberron. Supplementing the rules for vehicles in the Player’s Handbook, this section details rules for handling airships. The rules for specific ships appear later in this chapter.

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.

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

Something to Lose

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

such details). A DM who introduces an old buddy who served with the player characters during the war could describe the person and then ask each player to define a connection to them. Present each

. Character relationships require players to invest in the story and work best when the DM and player collaborate to develop details (the group patrons in chapter 1 provide a framework for fleshing out

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