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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

Gazer

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

kill. Gazer (Familiar Variant);Variant: Gazer Familiar Spellcasters who are interested in unusual familiars find that gazers are eager to serve someone who has magical power. Unless its master is

strict, a gazer familiar can be unruly, behaving aggressively toward other Tiny creatures. A gazer serving as a familiar has the following trait: Familiar. The gazer can serve another creature as a

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.

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

Tsucora Quori

Monsters Eberron: Rising from the Last War

competitors as they are on the furthering of il-Lashtavar's plans. When they aren't serving in the cities of their nightmare realm, they hunt the dreaming spirits of mortals. Fearmongers. Their ability

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

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

Gazer (Familiar Variant)

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

’t kill. Variant: Gazer Familiar Spellcasters who are interested in unusual familiars find that gazers are eager to serve someone who has magical power. Unless its master is strict, a gazer

familiar can be unruly, behaving aggressively toward other Tiny creatures. A gazer serving as a familiar has the following trait: Familiar. The gazer can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a

Sibriex

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

their incredible intellects and stores of information that many seek them out, including demon lords. Some sibriexes act as advisors and oracles, manipulating demons into serving their ends, while others

-shaping they provide. Variant: Flesh Warping Creatures that encounter a sibriex can be twisted beyond recognition. Whenever a creature fails a saving throw against the sibriex’s Warp Creature

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

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

Valenar Elf

Species Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

instead of serving in a Valenar warband. Are you driven by visions from your patron ancestor? Are you pursuing an epic quest that mirrors their legendary deeds? Do you seek vengeance for the death of a

to Khorvaire over the years and have integrated with the cultures of the Five Nations. As a whole, elves are driven by tradition and respect for the past. Where humans value innovation, elves strive

Hexblood Legacy

Species Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

unusual crown, often called an eldercross or a witch’s turn. This living, garland-like part of a hexblood’s body extends from their temples and wraps behind the head, serving as a visible

player, unless the DM rules otherwise. Creating Your Character At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of one of the game’s fantastical races

Arasta

Monsters Mythic Odysseys of Theros

; petty rivalries, Arasta was once one of Nylea’s most beloved dryad companions. Phenax’s bitterness saw her transformed into an arachnid monstrosity and driven into the darkest depths of the

her hatred of the gods and their servants. She doesn’t do so alone, though, as innumerable arachnids fawn over her, serving as her eyes throughout the wilderness, disposing of victims trapped

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

Yuan-ti Pureblood Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

get into places their normal forms couldn’t enter. Their immunity to poison gives all yuan-ti a tactical advantage in dealing with other creatures. A pureblood serving as a food taster for a

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

12. Residential Caves

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Out of the Abyss

12. Residential Caves Map 6.3: Inner Blingdenstone These caverns branch off into smaller caves serving as hovels for families of svirfneblin. Tunnels lead to secondary chambers that branch out

his home, then began to throw fits and terrorize any creatures coming near. Vazuk is a specter (use the poltergeist variant). He can’t be turned while inside his former home. He attacks the characters

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

Creating a Shadow Dragon

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

Creating a Shadow Dragon Use the Shadow Dragon Personality Traits and Shadow Dragon Ideals tables to inspire your portrayal of distinctive shadow dragon characters. If you use the variant rule in the

others. (Evil) 4 Aspiration. I will one day find an escape from this condemnation. (Any) 5 Self-Serving. The petty concerns of other creatures are of no concern to me. I have enough to

Tieflings

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron

you were destined to serve an evil purpose—perhaps even serving as an avatar for an imprisoned demon Overlord—and you are fleeing from that destiny. Other tieflings are shaped not by demonic powers

character could be an envoy, an exile, or simply an adventurer driven by a desire to see what lies beyond your magical kingdom.

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.

Nagas

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

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

days, ready to continue its eternal work. Benevolent Dictators and Brutal Tyrants. A naga rules its domain with absolute authority. Whether it rules with compassion or by terrorizing its subjects, the

Tieflings

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

, and the tribes consider them to be blessed. If you’re playing such a tiefling, why have you left the Wastes? It could be that you were destined for some evil purpose — perhaps even serving as an

Demesne has had no significant contact with the Five Nations and few know it exists. Your character could be an envoy or exile from it, or simply an adventurer driven by a desire to see what lies beyond your homeland.

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