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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.

Biha Babir

Monsters Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn

again until the start of her next turn.Scheming Marid Ruler The calculating Biha Babir rules the pelagic city of Maran Saya in Calimshan. Though her physical form is as fluid as the ocean itself, she

punished.Acid, Cold, LightningFluid Form. Biha Babir Shape-Shifting;shape-shifts into a form resembling a Beast or Humanoid that is Medium or smaller, while retaining her game statistics (other than her size), or returns to her true marid form.

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

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

behold, radiating heat from the shell to boil the surrounding water—and any creatures in it. And even if an enemy wears down the dragon turtle’s defenses, magical storms manifest to

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’s defenses, magical storms manifest to shield the dragon turtle and strike at foes. Creating a Dragon Turtle Use the Dragon Turtle Personality Traits and Dragon Turtle Ideals tables

Lazav

Monsters Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica

equipment he is wearing or carrying isn't transformed. Psychic Defenses. Unless Lazav is incapacitated, he is immune to magic that allows other creatures to read his thoughts, determine whether he is

innate spells. Shifting Nightmare (Costs 3 Actions). Lazav rapidly takes the form of several nightmarish creatures, lashing out at all nearby. Each creature within 10 feet of Lazav must succeed on a DC

Shifter Legacy

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

they can temporarily enhance their animalistic features by entering a state they call shifting. Shifters are similar to humans in height and build but are typically more lithe and flexible. Their

choose the kind of lycanthrope in your past, or you can determine it randomly by rolling on the Lycanthrope Ancestor table. The table also provides a suggestion for the Shifting option you might have

Spitting Mimic

Monsters Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

damage on a successful one.Mimics are shape-shifting monsters described in the Monster Manual. The variant presented here is a particularly large and voracious specimen—the result of Netherese experiments on ordinary mimics—that spits acid.Acid

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.

Otherworldly Corrupter

Monsters The Book of Many Things

dissolves into a shifting mass of flesh, tentacles, eyes, claws, and mouths. Up to two creatures the corrupter can see within 20 feet of itself must make a DC 20 Intelligence saving throw, taking 18

Lair This villain resides in a place of power and safety, whether that’s a hidden thieves’ guildhall or a lavish manse. The lair is filled with clever defenses to disorient, weaken, and

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

the surrounding water—and any creatures in it. And even if an enemy wears down the dragon turtle’s defenses, magical storms manifest to shield the dragon turtle and strike at foes

High Fae Noble

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

mocking phrases that magically stun and ridicule their opponents. High fae nobles will spend countless years in mind-bendingly complicated games of political calculus, their alliances ever-shifting as

untamed wilderness. High fae have no regard for mortal values of honor and law, but they nonetheless operate under inviolable rules of their own: gifts must always be repaid, promises must be honored

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

Changeling Legacy

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

changelings today—even in those changelings who have never set foot in the fey realm. Each changeling decides how to use their shape-shifting ability, channeling either the peril or the joy of the

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. Ability

Lizardfolk

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

have lived on the worlds of the Material Plane since the worlds’ creation. Gifted by the gods with remarkable physical defenses and a mystical connection to the natural world, lizardfolk can

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. Ability Score

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

Adult Emerald Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

. Eventually, the scales become translucent and shimmer in the light, rippling as the dragon moves. The dragon’s horns and spines hover above the body, moving and shifting along the back and tail

defenses. Emerald Dragon Lair Features The emerald dragon lair shown in map 5.8 is a series of ancient vaults situated beneath a city built in the caldera of a dormant volcano. The vaults fell into disuse

Ancient Emerald Dragon

Monsters Fizban's Treasury of Dragons

scales become translucent and shimmer in the light, rippling as the dragon moves. The dragon’s horns and spines hover above the body, moving and shifting along the back and tail to mirror the

(and more paranoid) dragons employing several layers of such defenses. Emerald Dragon Lair Features The emerald dragon lair shown in map 5.8 is a series of ancient vaults situated beneath a city

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.

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

Fortress Cities

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

city or its inhabitants. Teleportation circles are barred except on the fringes of the place, at always-guarded locations beyond the city’s outermost defenses. Those who use plane-shifting magic to

arrive at these sites or who approach through the chaos of Limbo aren’t admitted to the city without the approval of an anarch. Beyond the entrance to the city wait six layers of nested defenses. Each

Use an Object

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

chapter, such as breaking down doors, intimidating enemies, sensing weaknesses in magical defenses, or calling for a parley with a foe. The only limits to the actions you can attempt are your imagination

and your character’s ability scores. See the descriptions of the ability scores in chapter 7 for inspiration as you improvise. When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in the rules, the

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

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.

Use an Object

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

section, such as breaking down doors, intimidating enemies, sensing weaknesses in magical defenses, or calling for a parley with a foe. The only limits to the actions you can attempt are your imagination

elsewhere in the rules, the DM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure.

Dark Fantasy Villains

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

subterranean people who plots to manipulate the moon to blot out the sun’s searing light 3 A high priest intent on shifting an entire nation into their god’s otherworldly realm 4 A desperate general

blood of angels 8 The commander of a legion of soul-addicted templars who punish crimes by burning criminals into psychoactive spirit dust 9 An ancient dragon whose godlike magic drains the domain of life 10 A god who killed all their peers and now rules the mortal realm

Evil Inchoate

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

bend to its will, shifting to bring about its vision of a world of absolute perfection with the demon at its center. One Cosmos, Infinite Visions All demons seek to satisfy their whims and force others

. Such a site is usually protected with intricate traps, mindless servants, and other defenses that bring no risk of subversion or betrayal. If an archdevil were ever to acquire a demonic amulet

Mimic

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Mimic Mimics are shape-shifting monsters described in the Monster Manual. The variant presented here is a particularly large and voracious specimen—the result of Netherese experiments on ordinary

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

Actions in Exploration

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

assist each other in these actions. Other actions come up only rarely. It’s seldom necessary to rely on the action rules during exploration, except to remember that a character can do only one thing at a

encounter by shifting focus right before a character makes an ability check or opens a chest, leaving everyone eager to hear what happens next. Ability Checks in Exploration When a character tries to do

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