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YOU ARE DEAD (or Hardcore/AD&D for D&D 5e House Rules)

COLLECTED RULES FOR MY 5E GAME

To keep the game feeling like sword and sorcery (and challenging the whole campaign), the following AD&D-inspired rules will be in play.

General Changes

  • Everyone starts at level 0 as a nobody.
  • Character stats and races are determined randomly via a character funnel.  Though there is no restriction on class, your ability scores should influence what you pick – no point in becoming a cleric with 8 Wisdom.
  • There is no Darkvision, all references to Darkvision are replaced with Infravision:
    • Infravision.  Infravision is the ability to see into the infrared spectrum. Thus heat radiation becomes visible, and temperature differences allow infrared sight. Warm things are bright, cool things grey, and very cold things are black. Dungeon-dwelling monsters tend to have infravision to 120 feet. All infravision is spoiled if a light source is shedding illumination upon the creature possessing the infrared sight capability. Similarly, great heat will spoil the capability. Thieves hiding in shadows are successful concerning infravision only if there is a heat/light source nearby to mask their body heat or a very cold object or radiation to provide similar cover.
  • Ability score bonuses from class progression cap out at 18, not 20. Racial bonuses modify these. For example, an elf has +2 Dexterity. Therefore, they can use ability score improvements up to 20 instead of 18.
  • Death’s Door. When reduced to 0 hit points, your party has until your next turn to save you; if not, you die.
  • Resurrection magic exists, but it always drains 1 “will to live” from the target and permanently fails if the target fails to make a DC 15 CON saving throw using their WILL TO LIVE number instead of their CON number. Will to live is your original CON score. Familiars and animal companions can be automatically resurrected and automatically lose 1 CON. True resurrection grants advantage on the CON saving throw. Reincarnation always works (no saving throw is required), but it’s a one-time spell.
  • Thou shall not feats (i.e., no feats). Feats are narrative-driven and rewarded via story/gaming directly. For example, a colossal magic axe provides the iron-hand feat.
  • Thou shall not skills (i.e., no skills). Don’t look at your character sheet for answers.  If required, the DM will call for an ability check.  You get a boon if there is a skill you would normally be an expert in, for example, rogues with Thieves Tools. 
  • A long rest outside of town consumes one ration per character. If within a town (or similar civilized area) it is assumed the monthly character maintenance covers living expenses, including food.
  • New characters roll 3d6 for attributes and assign each any order the player desires.  The new character starts at (average party level – 2).

 

  • Encumbrance is a thing. You can carry a number of items equal to your STR with no issues. These gear slots represent your backpack/storage items on hand. Carrying over this amount means you gain the Encumbered condition. While you have this condition you have Disadvantage on all STR, CON and DEX ability checks (and related skills and combat checks). Your movement Speed is halved (this should trigger more random encounters, for example as a consequence). 
    • For more generic items like treasure (or other edge cases), 100 gp (or equivalent in treasure) or 5 generic items (like rations and torches) is equivalent to 1 slot.  
    • Backpacks give you a bonus of 5 slots. To retrieve an item in combat, you roll 1d6; you retrieve your item on a 6 and can use it the same turn.  You get a +1 per free slot and +1 for each round spent rummaging.  
    • Fighters (and their subclasses) can add their STR and CON together to determine the number of gear slots they have.
    • Light armor is 1 slot, medium is 2, heavy is 3. Two-handed weapons consume 2 slots.  Everything else consumes 1 slot (within reason).

 

  • There is no attunement.
  • Shooting into melee is done with disadvantage. On a natural 1, the archer rolls a 1d6, on a 1-4 they hit another target instead of the intended target.  Determine the new target randomly.
  • All natural 1s are automatic failures, and all natural 20s are automatic successes. Critical hits do an additional 1d12 damage.
  • Only Rogues can disarm/detect/set traps.
  • There is a 100 gp per level per month of living expenses to be paid on the 1st of each month. This cost covers mundane things and the cost of identifying magic items (either through a sage or the spell).
  • GP = XP.
  • Magic items also provide XP (per the 1e DMG or C&C CK Guide).
  • Use 1e AD&D style XP progression charts (link, see the table to the right). Once you gain enough XP to reach your next level, you stop gaining XP until you train (if you use the 5e xp tables, all monster xp should be reduced by 90%).
  • Characters with 16 or more in their “prime requisite” get a 10% XP bonus.  A prime requisite is the two ability scores the class is proficient in when it comes to saving throws.
  • The optional morale rules are in effect (link).
  • Item wastage due to massive damage can happen when a character is struck with enough force. If the attack affords a saving throw and you fail, you must roll for each item you carry to see if it’s destroyed.  You do this by slot, but containers that make the saving throw protect items stored in them. The DC is the CR of the attacking creature or a minimum of 10 by default. Magic items have an advantage on this saving throw and can add their plusses (if any) to the roll.  A natural 1 is always a failure, and a natural 20 is always a pass. Examples of damage types that can cause item destruction:
    • AOE. Any effect that requires a saving throw to avoid or mitigate the damage can destroy items on a failed saving throw – fireballlightning boltdragon breath etc.
    • Blow, Massive. If you suffer massive damage, that causes instant death.
    • Force. For example, disintegration spell. If the damage type is force, non-magical items are instantly destroyed, and magic items only get their plusses (if any) to the item saving throw.
  • It costs time and money (training) to level up, similar to AD&D 1e/2e rules. You use your current level for all calculations.
      • It takes 1 week per level modified by your WIS ability score bonus to train for your next level (1-week minimum, 4 weeks maximum).
      • It costs 100 gp per level per week.
      • You can self-train for free, but it always takes you 8 weeks.
      • You can also condense the training to 1 week by doubling the final cost of training. For example, training for level 5 as a fourth-level character will cost 400gp (current level * 100gp) and take 4 weeks for a character with a +0 WIS bonus. Say the same character wants to push themselves and finish the training in 1 week. The final cost will be 800gp.
      • Once you get to named level (level 10), you no longer need a mentor to train, and it costs the following:
        • DIVINE/HYBRID = 2,000/level/week (vestments & largess).
        • MARTIAL = 1,000/level/week (tithes & largess).
        • ARCANE = 4,000/level/week (equipment, books, experiments, etc.)
        • THIEF/MONK (Rogue) = 2,000/level/week (tools, equipment, etc.)
  • The 9 cardinal alignments are used, but the emphasis is on Law, Neutrality and Chaos. Alignment defines your role in the clash between good and evil. All creatures are connected to the eternal conflict waged
    by Law, Chaos, and Neutrality, whether they know it or not. Law is benevolence, Chaos is malevolence, and Neutrality is impartial, favouring neither.

    • LAW. Lawful characters align themselves with fairness, order, and virtue. Lawful characters operate from a “good of the whole” mentality.
    • NEUTRAL. Neutral characters find balance between Law and Chaos. They align with the cycle of growth and decline, adopting a “nature must take its course” mentality. Some tend to believe in the “survival of the fittest”.
    • CHAOS. Chaotic characters align themselves with destruction, ambition, and wickedness. Chaotic characters adopt a “survival of the fittest” mentality.

Classes

Class/race restrictions are as follows. Humans can be any class except where noted below. This applies to player races only, and specific sub-races may have exceptions. For example, drow can be clerics.  

  • Halfling can not be spell casters except for cleric and druid.
  • Dwarfs cannot be any class/subclass that uses arcane spells (eg wizard, sorcerer and warlock) or barbarians except for the battle rager. They cannot be rangers or cavaliers.
  • Elves can’t be clerics (druids are fine) or barbarians. Only elves can be arcane archers, eldritch knights and arcane tricksters.
  • Gnomes have the same restriction as elves, with the addition of being unable to take the warlocks.
  • Only humans can be paladins and are always Lawful Good. There are other types of paladins, but they have different names and abilities. 
  • Only humans can be monks.
  • Only humans can be bards.

Spellcasting

  • Concentration exists but concentration spells stack.  That is, you can cast multiple concentration spells at once, but if you are forced to make a check, you make a check for all of them.
  • Spellcasting and shooting a bow in melee reach of an enemy provokes an attack of opportunity.
  • PHB spells only.  Other spells may be discovered via adventuring, a mentor/master/teacher, or research. Wizards do not gain spells automatically – they must discover them through adventuring, learn them from a master or research them themselves (divine casters can also research new spells).  Research rules are here (replace any mention of silver pieces with gold pieces).  The following spells are banned/modified (you can still get these effects via magic items):
    • Invisibility removed.
    • Fly removed.
    • All resurrection magic except True Resurrection.
  • Where there is a mechanical effect or flavour related to a spell in AD&D that does not exist in 5e, the restriction/mechanics from 1e take precedence.  Notable examples:
    • haste ages the recipient by one year.
    • resurrection magic cripples a cleric for one day per level of the raised character (no spellcasting, bed rest only).
    • goodberry provides sustenance for one meal OR heals for one hp.
  • There are no slots, and you roll to cast.  The spell slots shown in your class entry are how many spells you have prepared, but you can cast those prepared spells as many times as you like during a single day – pending the roll-to-cast result. Spell casters can select from any spell they know (for example, for a wizard, it’s what you have in your spell book, for divine casters like clerics it’s the entire PHB spell list for each level). 
    • To successfully cast a spell, make a spell check using your Spell attack modifier vs a DC equal to 10 + the spell level. If you fail the check, the spell fizzles and is lost for the day, and your action is wasted. If you roll a natural 20 you score a critical with your spell, and you can maximize one variable of the spell (if applicable). On a natural 1:
      • Divine casters lose that spell until they make atonement for their sins. This could be something determined by their church (for example, performing charity work) or making the appropriate oblations by spending 1 hour (short rest) and sacrificing gold/items worth (10 * your level) * the level of the spell lost in gold, jewels, fine wine etc. Each failed cast increases the critical failure rate of all spells for the rest of the day by 1.  So spells automatically fail and require atonement 1-2 after the first failure, 1-3 after the third and so on.
      • Arcane casters misfire on a natural 1; roll on the miscast table here. Gaining mutations is possible when a misfire occurs.  Generally, I will use DCC misfire tables if there is an equivalent spell; if not, I will use something else (q.v.).
    • If the spell uses your spell attack (to-hit) number, the casting roll is the same as your to-hit roll. If the spell is saving throw based, the DC is the normal DC of the spell or your roll, whichever is higher (this is to reflect you do get better as you get more experience, reflected in your proficiency bonus).
  • Sorcerers are a unique class that can be found here and follow their own casting rules.
  • Bards are also unique and have the same template as the geisha.
  • Dispel magic and counterspell must make a caster spell check against the opposing caster’s spell save DC to counter/dispel a spell that is higher level than the dispel/counterspell. For example, a third-level dispel magic vs a 5th level spell would have to beat a DC 17 (based on the original casters save DC).
  • NPC spell casters exist and will charge based on level + material component.  A spell caster will charge 500gp per level of the caster + material components.  This exact cost should be flexible and paying in magic items or favours (quests) would work as well.

Healing & Death

  • If a character starts his turn at 0 hit points, he dies. If, while at zero hit points, a character is damaged again (assuming massive damage from the attack doesn’t kill him), the character must make a death saving throw. If the character fails, he dies.
  • A character that is dropped to 0 hit points but is then brought back through magic has disadvantage on all d20 rolls until they take a long rest. This reflects major physical damage taken by the character that magic can not fully heal on the spot.
  • Use the slow healing rules from the 5e DMG (link). That is, Characters don’t regain hit points at the end of a long rest. Instead, a character can spend Hit Dice to heal at the end of a long rest, just as with a short rest.
  • New characters join the group at average party level -1.  Alternatively, the player can play a game of chance to start higher level but at the risk of starting lower than the average.
  • A cleric’s healing spells have full effect only on characters of the same alignment. Characters that share the prime alignment axis (Lawful, Neutral or Chaotic) are considered adjacent and healing is half effective. All other alignments are considered opposed, and healing for that target is at 1/4 effectiveness. Targets that worship the same power as the cleric gains +1 healing per die.

Combat

  • Standing from Prone uses your entire Action.
  • Standing up from Prone triggers an attack of opportunity.
  • The “Use an Object” action triggers an attack of opportunity – except for rogues with the Fast Hands class ability.
  • Disengage only affects the threatened square you withdraw from; if you move past other enemies, you still trigger an opportunity attack.
  • You can only use Extra Attack if you don’t move (the assumption here is it takes the whole six seconds and your movement to make more than one attack).

Rules of Convenience

All loot will be measured in gp, and the gp price quoted is the item’s sale price. Purchasing goods and services will still use all denominations (cp, sp, ep, gp and pp).

Ninth World Specific changes

  • Females of each race have -1 to STR but gain +1 to either INT or WIS. Players are encouraged to play their own biological gender as characters to maintain verisimilitude. 
  • Advantage is generally replaced by boons & banes.
  • Real-time passes in between sessions.  That is, one week of real-time means one week has passed in the game world.  At the table, any number of days can be abstracted away.
  • We use group initiative. Everyone rolls a raw d20; the highest number goes first, and then combat proceeds clockwise around the table. The DM may use advantage or other mechanics to even the playing field, but typically, it should just roll a single d20.  If a player is running multiple characters (including henchmen or summoned creatures), the PC can decide the order their characters move in. However, if it ever matters, for example, order matters for death, initiative is rolled normally (1d20 + DEX).
  • I use Target DCs for all encounters, that is, 1 number representing all the creatures, traps etc., AC and DCs. A boon and/or bane may influence this number. A 1d4 timer will also be used to indicate how many rounds before something (usually) bad happens.
  • Rangers may add their proficiency bonus to damage rolls against their favoured enemy.
  • Clerics are pure spell casters.  They do not start with any armour proficiency.  However, their spells are not limited by armour.  This puts them in the same camp as priests at a church/temple or cathedral.  The warrior priest and undead hunter archetypes are filled by the paladin class.
  • Depletion. When used, all non-consumable magic items (including items with charges) fail on a natural 1 in 20.  This reflects the fact that all magic is actually ancient technology with the current population of the world, with some exceptions like magic users, having no idea how to recreate or recharge these items.  There may be ways to recharge them, but it won’t be easy.  The exception are “plusses”.  Even if other traits fail, items with plusses always retain them.
  • Carousing is a generic term used to reflect a PC’s downtime activity.  If a character spends downtime doing things appropriate for their class, they gain XP equal to the number of gp spent.  For example, a wizard building a laboratory and spending time researching would gain XP, a rogue doing a heist, a fighter training a squire and so forth.
  • When a character gets an ability score improvement, they can instead decide to gain a racial trait based on their species.  The DM can provide the list.
  • The world has a lot of psionics; for simplicity’s sake, apart from having a different power source, both magic and psionics are interchangeable. For example, an anti-magic field shutdown psionics as well.  This does not preclude specific items that specifically affect psionics or magic.
  • Dragon breath weapons do their current hit points in damage. An unprepared party can be one-shot by a dragon breath weapon.
  • Certain undead have energy drain abilities, vampires for example.  When a creature with energy drain hits a PC with a natural attack (not with a spell or weapon), he drains 10% of the PCs XP.  For NPCs/Monster the undead drains 1 HD.
  • The identify spell does not reveal curses or significant flaws in magic items.  
  • Healing spells damage undead and necrotic damage heals them.  Depending on the spell’s description, either an attack roll needs to be made (if a touch spell), or the target gets a saving throw to half the damage.
  • There are certain custom race and classes used:

Reaction Rolls

A modified version of the 1e reaction rules.  The DM should use this table whenever he is unsure what a monster or NPC would do in a particular situation.  The PC makes a Charisma (Persuasion, Deception or Intimidation) check as appropriate and consults the table below:

Adjusted Die Score Reaction
1 Violently hostile, immediate attack (or morale check if appropriate)
2-7 Hostile, immediate action (or morale check if appropriate)
8-14 Uncertain, but 55% prone toward negative
15 Neutral – uninterested – uncertain
16-19 Uncertain but 55% prone toward positive
20-24 Friendly, immediate action
25+ Enthusiastically friendly, immediate action

Defunct Rules

These rules were tested but rejected for various reasons. Generally they either added too much extra time or they just didn’t fit the nature of 5e rules very well.

  • Every character gets one action per round only. There are no bonus actions; reactions are OK. Edge cases will be adjudicated by the DM. Examples:
    • Disengage bonus action for rogues is fine.
    • Healing word bonus action is fine.  Though 5e has a ton of healing, the other rules already make the game deadly.
  • Martial classes with extra attacks are a little different. For each attack they make, they instead add a die of damage to their attack. This extra die can be applied to the same or adjacent target. The following exceptions/changes per class:
    • Monk. No change; they work exactly like the 5e class reflecting their speed with their fists and feet.
    • Fighter. You gain the through damage trait. If you overkill an enemy (do more damage than the target has), additional damage spills over against another target within range and of the same AC.
    • Ranger. You gain your full complement of attacks against your favoured enemy.
    • Paladin. You gain your full complement of attacks against the “unholy” creature of your oath/religion.  This will usually be undead.
  • Humans can dual class. Unlike multi-classed characters who are of non-or semi-human race, the character with two classes must be human. To attain the second class, the character must switch his or her profession at some point. Thereafter no progression in the original class is possible. You must have a 13 in the class you are switching to’s prime ability score (INT for magic-users, WIS for clerics, STR or DEX for fighters, STR and DEX for monks etc.) You retain the hit points and HD of the original class but otherwise lose all class abilities of the original class until your new class is higher level.  So a 10th-level thief that switches to become a wizard gains back all the class abilities of the thief at level 11.
  • XP is just split between the classes, but progression is tracked separately.  Alternatively, for simplicity’s sake, players are free to combine the XP total per level for both classes and both level up at the same time once this amount is reached.
  • For humans, dual/multi-classing and demi-humans taking a second or third class after level 1 will have to have a narrative reason to do this. Multiclassing requires DM approval.
  • Cantrips and Orisons (level 0 spells) can only be cast if the caster makes a DC 10 ability check using their casting ability; otherwise, they are lost for the day.
  • Magic is different by class:
    • Wizards and Druids use Vancian  That is, spells are memorised by slots; once cast, they are gone.
    • Clerics use standard 5e rules.  However, their spells fail on a natural 1, and they lose them for the day (or long, at the DM’s discretion) and must pay penance.  During a long or short rest, the cleric can spend 100gp per spell level (representing sacrifices) to appease their god and get their spell back.
    • Sorcerers are a unique class that can be found here.
    • Warlocks also use the base 5e class but are more heavily customised to match their patron, an example here.
  • If you move in your turn as a spellcaster, you can not also cast a spell – it’s one or the other.
  • Spells that use an action or bonus action always go last in a turn. That means if the spell caster is hit during the turn they need to make a Concentration check to see if they lose the spell.  They do not benefit from DEX when casting a spell if attacked (you can not doge while casting). You must also declare what you are casting after initiative is rolled but before it’s executed. These rules do not apply to the innate spellcasting trait but do apply to NPC spellcasters.
    • Exception, any time a spell caster wins initiative their spell triggers on their turn.
    • Exception, this rule does not apply to magic items (for example wands and scrolls).  They trigger on the casters turn and do not have to be pre-declared.
  • Arcane magic can misfire on a natural 1; roll on the miscast table here.
  • Max HP level is 10. This is to avoid the silliness of high-level play and keep the math simple. No more HPs after this except through in-game rewards. You do get max HPs at level 1. Monsters are unchanged, which makes them truly deadly at higher levels. Martial characters get 3 hps for each level after 10, and non-martial characters get 1 hp per level from 11 to 20+; others get +2.  CON bonus no longer applies to hps from level 11.
  • Classes, Levels and Multiclassing

    • AD&D 1e race and class restrictions apply with some exceptions.  For example, dwarfs can’t be barbarians except if they take the Vow of the Slayer.  Consult the 1e AD&D PHB and Unearthed Arcana for these limits.
    • Demi-humans are level capped but can take a second or even third class. See this table for details.
    • Humans have no level limit and can multiclass in one other class.
    • Standard rules apply for multiclassing (link), with the following qualifications:
      • Weapons: Multi-class characters can use any weapon from any of the combined classes’ weapons allowed list at no penalty.
      • Armor: Multi-class characters can use any armor from any of the combined classes’ armor allowed list; however, they still suffer any penalties mentioned for a class ability such as with the rogue’s pick pocket.
      • Proficiency Bonus: Multi class characters use the most favorable proficiency bonus of the classes chosen.
      • Hit-Points and Ability Score Improvement: You don’t get any hit-points or ability score improvements from your lowest level class. You only gain class and archetype features.
      • XP: You always split XP between your classes.
Posted in 5e, AD&D, Dungeons & Dragons, House Rules, OSR 5e, The Ninth World

29 Comments

  1. solomani

    Changed CON drain to will-to-live, the idea being you have a hard limit when it comes to resurrections, but it doesn’t make you weaker over time. Since I am already capping hit points and have multiple ways of insta-killing already.

  2. solomani

    Group Init updated to avoid gaming the death system:

    We use group initiative. Everyone rolls a raw d20; the highest number goes first, and then combat proceeds clockwise around the table. The DM may use advantage or other mechanics to even the playing field, but normally, it should just roll a single d20.  If a player is running multiple characters (including henchmen or summoned creatures), the PC can decide the order their characters move in. However, if it ever matters, for example, order matters for death, initiative is rolled normally (1d20 + DEX).

  3. solomani

    Change log

      Use the gritty realism rules for healing (change from slow healing which really didn’t have an impact).
      Spellcasting changes – can’t move and cast, always go last in a turn unless spell caster wins initiative.
  4. solomani

    Added:
    Characters with 16 or more in their “prime requisite” get a 10% XP bonus.  A prime requisite is the two ability scores the class is proficient in when it comes to saving throws.

  5. solomani

    Added:
    A character that is dropped to 0 hit points but is then brought back through magic has disadvantage on all d20 rolls until they take a long rest. This reflects major physical damage taken by the character that magic can not fully heal on the spot.

  6. solomani

    Updated:

    I am also restoring multi-attack for everyone and removing the “one action” limitation. I initially changed this to reduce the number of dice rolled and therefor speed up combat. But, everyone is very good at keeping on top of their turns. Just adding damage also has downsides for both DM and PC:

    • The PC has actually less chance of hitting a target, but when they hit they hit hard but do less damage overall. When you roll multiple times to hit as a PC you have an increased chance of hitting and doing more damage as weapon damage is higher than the bonus damage.

    • All my robots have damage reduction, when you hit in one big hit, it bypasses some of this damage reduction so its not as effective as I originally designed it to be. And since robots are consistently present in my campaigns its a big difference over time.

    • Finally, I think the less I change from the original 5e the better, as thats simpler. Their are some non-negotiables, like removing death saves, but, extra-attack is an edge case I think can be removed without hurting the 1e experience/aesthetic.

  7. solomani

    For those interested, in 5e, the benefits of dual-classing over multi-classing for a human in 5e when using 1e XP tables:

      Depending on the combination of classes you will end up with more hit points.
      It allows you to control how xp is distributed.
  8. solomani
      Reverted back to slow healing instead of gritty healing.
      Reverted back to standard 5e spellcasting rules.

    Both rules added complexity and impacted the flow of combat without adding any real benefit IMO.

  9. solomani

    Added:

    New characters join the group at average party level -1.  Alternatively, the player can play a game of chance to start higher level but at the risk of starting lower than the average.

  10. solomani

    “Demi-humans are level capped but can take a second or even third class. See this table for details.” rule removed. 5e classes are already well balanced and this isn’t required. The main reason for the rule is to promote a human centric world, however, this happens already through the character funnel where races are rolled randomly and 90% are human already. No need to double dip.

  11. solomani

    New additions:

      A cleric’s healing spells have full effect only on other believers. Characters that share one of the same alignment axis have half effectiveness. All others are at 1/4 effectiveness.

      Thou shall not skills (i.e., no skills). Don’t look at your character sheet for answers. If required, the DM will call for an ability check. Exception, rogues do have skills.

  12. solomani

    Removed:
    Max HP level is 10. This is to avoid the silliness of high-level play and keep the math simple. No more HPs after this except through in-game rewards. You do get max HPs at level 1. Monsters are unchanged, which makes them truly deadly at higher levels. Martial characters get 3 hps for each level after 10, and non-martial characters get 1 hp per level from 11 to 20+; others get +2.  CON bonus no longer applies to hps from level 11.

    Fights started boiling down to one shot attacks. Instead, I updated dragons and potentially other powerful creatures to do their hit-point in damage with breath weapons. Make sure to telegraph this to your PCs.

  13. solomani

    Added:
    Females of each race have -1 to STR but gain +1 to either INT or WIS. Players are encouraged to play their own biological gender as characters to maintain verisimilitude. 

  14. solomani

    Unified the XP table. All classes now use the AD&D 1e rogue XP table. I changed this back to a unified table because:

    In 1e the different xp tables were used to balance classes, that’s not needed in modern RPGs, the monk is no stronger than a fighter, and even the edge the wizard had in previous editions vs fighters is not so pronounced. So they make sense in 1e but not 5e.

    It complicates multi classing for no benefit.

    I still want XP to equal GP and for levelling to be slower and more akin to 1e, hence I didn’t use the default 5e numbers, but kept the 1e thief table which is still 10x the XP of 5e at certain points even if its the lowest/easiest progression for a 1e class.

  15. solomani

    Added:
    Dispel magic and counterspell must make a caster spell check against the opposing caster’s spell save DC to counter/dispel a spell that is higher level than the dispel/counterspell. For example, a third-level dispel magic vs a 5th level spell would have to beat a DC 17 (based on the original casters save DC).

    Embedded XP table.

  16. solomani

    Formalised long-standing house rule “Healing spells damage undead and necrotic damage heals them.  Depending on the spell’s description, either an attack roll needs to be made (if a touch spell), or the target gets a saving throw to half the damage.”

  17. solomani

    The following spells are banned/modified (you can still get these effects via magic items):
    Invisibility removed.
    Fly removed.
    All resurrection magic except True Resurrection.

  18. solomani

    Added:
    New characters roll 3d6 for attributes and assign each any order the player desires.  The new character starts at (average party level – 2).

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