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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.

Scrying

Spells Player’s Handbook

target and the sort of physical connection you have to it. The target doesn’t know what it is making the save against, only that it feels uneasy. Your Knowledge of the Target Is... Save

. Instead of targeting a creature, you can target a location you have seen. When you do so, the sensor appears at that location and doesn’t move.

Rifle, Hunting

Equipment

the training rules in the Player’s Handbook to acquire proficiency, assuming that they have enough ammunition to keep the weapons working while mastering their use. This weapon has the

the start of your next turn. If the creature is hit more than once by weapons that have this property, the Speed reduction doesn’t exceed 10 feet.

Rifle, Automatic

Equipment

the training rules in the Player’s Handbook to acquire proficiency, assuming that they have enough ammunition to keep the weapons working while mastering their use. This weapon has the

the start of your next turn. If the creature is hit more than once by weapons that have this property, the Speed reduction doesn’t exceed 10 feet.

Laser Rifle

Equipment

the training rules in the Player’s Handbook to acquire proficiency, assuming that they have enough ammunition to keep the weapons working while mastering their use. This weapon has the

the start of your next turn. If the creature is hit more than once by weapons that have this property, the Speed reduction doesn’t exceed 10 feet.

Mirage Arcane

Spells Player’s Handbook

You make terrain in an area up to 1 mile square look, sound, smell, and even feel like some other sort of terrain. Open fields or a road could be made to resemble a swamp, hill, crevasse, or some

appearance of structures or add them where none are present. The spell doesn’t disguise, conceal, or add creatures. The illusion includes audible, visual, tactile, and olfactory elements, so it can

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

a cunning mind. Biha Babir is politically savvy and prefers to outsmart her opponents rather than battle them, though she doesn’t shy from combat if necessary. Biha Babir covets opulence, but

Amnizu

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Devil’s Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the amnizu’s darkvision. Magic Resistance. The amnizu has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical

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

Drow Shadowblade

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Devil’s Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the drow’s darkvision. Fey Ancestry. The drow has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put the

-forming in the Abyss, siphoning its essence into themselves. drow shadowblade (summoner variant);Variant: Demon Summoning Some drow shadowblades have an action that allows them to summon a demon

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.

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

to inspire your portrayal of distinctive dragon turtle characters, and use the Dragon Turtle Spellcasting table to help select spells for a spellcasting dragon. (Though the Monster Manual doesn’t

Wildspacer

Backgrounds Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

gravity isn’t present, the following rules apply: Impeded Melee. When making a melee attack with a weapon, a creature that doesn’t have a flying or swimming speed (either naturally or

to adapt to zero gravity. Being weightless doesn’t give you disadvantage on any of your melee attack rolls (see “Weightlessness” below). WEIGHTLESSNESS In any location where

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

Boss Delour

Monsters The Book of Many Things

damage if he fails, provided he doesn’t have the incapacitated condition. Nimbleness. Delour can move through the space of a Medium or larger creature. Regeneration. Delour regains 10 hit points

at the start of his turn. If he takes damage from a silver weapon, this trait doesn’t function at the start of his next turn. Delour dies only if he starts his turn with 0 hit points and doesn

Noble Legacy

Backgrounds Basic Rules (2014)

authority that title carries. A noble title doesn’t stand on its own—it’s connected to an entire family, and whatever title you hold, you will pass it down to your own children. Not only do

. 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

Molydeus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

that doesn’t affect the weapon’s capabilities. Molydeus (Summoner Variant);Variant: Demon Summoning You can give a molydeus the ability to summon other demons. Summon Demon (1/Day

Madcap

Monsters Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

Iron Boots. While moving, the madcap has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. Outsize Strength. While grappling, the madcap is considered to be Medium. Also, wielding a heavy weapon doesn

been. A redcap’s desire to slay is rooted in its will to survive. VARIANT: MADCAPS A madcap is a redcap that soaks its hat in demon ichor instead of blood. Contact with demon ichor makes the

Vargouille Reflection

Monsters Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse

can’t increase. The curse doesn’t advance while the target is in sunlight or the area of a daylight spell. When the cursed target’s Charisma becomes 2, the target dies, and its head

disembodied Humanoid heads with wings. While most vargouilles roam the planes to curse Humanoids and create more vargouilles, a variant known as the vargouille reflection resides in Undersigil. When a

Noble - Baldur's Gate

Backgrounds Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus

among your equipment a banner or other token from a noble lord or lady to whom you have given your heart—in a chaste sort of devotion. (This person could be your bond.) Variant Feature

authority that title carries. A noble title doesn’t stand on its own—it’s connected to an entire family, and whatever title you hold, you will pass it down to your own children. Not only do

Firbolg

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

magic still thrums inside a firbolg, even one who has never lived under the boughs of a great forest. A firbolg’s magic is an obscuring sort, which allowed their ancestors to pass through a forest

Character 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

High Fae Kindguard

Monsters Monstrous Compendium Vol. 4: Eldraine Creatures

half damage if it fails, provided it doesn’t have the incapacitated condition. Magic Resistance. The high fae has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.Multiattack

operate under inviolable rules of their own: gifts must always be repaid, promises must be honored, and outright lies must never be spoken (though misdirection and riddles are always welcome). To

Uthgardt Shaman

Monsters Storm King's Thunder

it doesn’t replace the normal components of a spell. In addition to the spells that all Uthgardt shamans can cast, a shaman of a particular tribe gains additional spells based on tribal

require some sort of blood sacrifice, and their effects are usually transformative. For example, some Black Raven shamans know a ritual that allows them to hatch giant ravens from normal raven eggs, and

Wereraven Legacy

monsters Curse of Strahd

doesn’t function at the start of the wereraven’s next turn. The wereraven dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.Multiattack (Human or Hybrid Form

, 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

Geryon

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. Regeneration. Geryon regains 20 hit points at the start of his turn. If he takes radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of his next turn. Geryon dies only if he starts his turn

with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.Multiattack. Geryon makes one Claw attack and one Stinger attack. Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +16;{"diceNotation":"1d20+16","rollType":"to hit

Scissors of Shadow Snipping

Magic Items The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

next dawn. The shadow (variant);detached shadow is rooted to the spot where it was snipped until you use a bonus action to cause it to behave in one of the following ways, either of which is possible

vertical surfaces), provided it remains within your sight at all times. The shadow is harmless and unable to be harmed, and it is invisible in darkness. It can’t speak, and it doesn’t require

Owlin

Species Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos

some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the text of the cure wounds spell specifies that the spell doesn’t work on a creature that has the

additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or

Shapechange Legacy

Spells Basic Rules (2014)

, and you must have seen the sort of creature at least once. You transform into an average example of that creature, one without any class levels or the Spellcasting trait. Your game statistics are

rules for the original form, with one exception: if your new form has more hit points than your current one, your hit points remain at their current value.

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

Amnizu (Summoner Variant)

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Devil’s Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede the amnizu’s darkvision. Magic Resistance. The amnizu has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical

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

Titivilus

Monsters Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

. Regeneration. Titivilus regains 10 hit points at the start of his turn. If he takes cold or radiant damage, this trait doesn’t function at the start of his next turn. Titivilus dies only if

he starts his turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate. Ventriloquism. Whenever Titivilus speaks, he can choose a point within 60 feet of him; his voice emanates from that point.Multiattack

Knight Legacy

Backgrounds Player’s Handbook (2014)

authority that title carries. A noble title doesn’t stand on its own—it’s connected to an entire family, and whatever title you hold, you will pass it down to your own children. Not only do

noble lord or lady to whom you have given your heart—in a chaste sort of devotion. (This person could be your bond.) Skill Proficiencies: History, Persuasion Tool Proficiencies: One type of

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

Ancient Silver Dragon Legacy

Monsters Basic Rules (2014)

abandoned mines, silver dragons covet the lost outposts of humanoid civilization. An abandoned mountaintop citadel or a remote tower raised by a long-dead wizard is the sort of lair that every silver

doesn’t need to be outdoors; otherwise the effect is identical to the control weather spell. Within 1 mile of the lair, winds buoy non-evil creatures that fall due to no act of the dragon

Harengon

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead. Life Span The typical life span

fairy or the harengon in this section, follow these additional rules during character creation. Ability Score Increases When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2

Aarakocra

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

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

creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race tells you what

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