Feel free to comment.
Some boring context most of you will skip:
Generally, I am a more game-y GM who likes powergaming, rules-based tactics and crunchy bits that are viable, especially when it are so central bits as classes and sub-classes. I prefer to adress rule issues as simply and straightforward as possible, rather than with complex patches riddled with smaller patches with tiny patches on top.
Verisimiltude, realism and the like take a backseat.
I am overall very, very happy with 5e, and could run it RAW without major complaints, but there are some minor tidbits that tickle me.
Without further ado:
General:
- Multiclassing allowed
- Feats allowed
(Reasoning: I like me games crunchy, with extra ketchup and extra layers of cheese. Needs no more reasoning than that :p )
Short Rests:
Short Rests take only half an hour.
(Reason: Boring stochastics.
My general rule for random dungeon encounters is 1 in d6 for every 10min turn. A full hour rest would be interrupted in 66.51% of all cases, a half hour rest in 42.13%. Giving a short rest a higher chance to be uninterrupted than to be interrupted makes it more attractive. A ~40%-chance of someone getting the drop on you with your pants down still makes special precautions like barricaded rooms, Wall of Stone or Rope Trick highly desirable.)
Skills:
Animal Handling
Control tamed creatures of Animal intelligence (e.g., Ranger's Animal Companion, Paladin's Steed, magic-user's Familiar, steeds in general) without expending actions by beating the Wis-Save of the beast.
99% of the time a comparison of your Take-10-AH vs the Take-10-Wis-Save is sufficient. Rolls may be called for when your Take 10 slips below that treshold (e.g. sudden disadvantage to your Wisdom), or critical situations calling for a morale check arise.
This explicitely doesn't extend to Undead created with Animate Dead, Create Undead or similar means - they are more like robots awaiting and following orders, than like animals driven by instinct.
(Reasoning: Animal Handling is pretty useless as it currently is, and hardwired pets like Animal Companions are pretty useless as they currently are. My approach was to take the weaknesses of both crunchy bits and marry them to make them both actually useful in play.
While it has the most mileage for Beastmaster Rangers, every character could profit from a mount with free extra actions like Dash or Disengage... Which makes it universally useful enough as far as I am concerned.
Animated Dead are excluded, because by sheer numbers they are already very strong and useful as they are, even with the necessary bonus action and spell-slot tax to keep them under control. No need to hand even more candy to them.)
Medicine
Using an Action, you can restore your Proficiency Bonus + Wis modifier HP to any creature including yourself (minimum of 1HP). The patient will need a Long Rest before being able to be treated with Medicine again, save for stabilizing.
(Reasoning: Medicine is extremely useless as it currently stands - everyone who spends a few dozen GP on a healer kit or knows the Spare the Dying cantrip can do the same shtick better without wasting a sharply limited skill slot on it. Some minor HP regain is nice and universally interesting, but nothing so fancy that it outshines Bards, Clerics or Druids.)
Classes:
Monks:
Hit Die gets increased to D10
Martial Arts die is always at least d6
Ki-Points: 4 on 2nd, 3rd and 4th level - all other levels unaltered
The need to meditate during short rests to regain Ki is waived. You still need a short rest to regain your Ki.
Additional 2nd level feature: Moment of Zen. You can spend a bonus action to regain your Martial Arts die in Ki (rolled or half die size - your call). You need a Short or Long Rest to be able use this feature again.
On level 20, you don't need to wait for a rest to be able to use this class feature, but can always spend a bonus action to regain your martial arts die in Ki.
(Reasoning: Monks eat through Ki like candy even if they limit themselves to do their main job of stunning and/or Open-Hand-flurrying the most dangerous foe, and just make for very squishy and weak melee types whenever they run out of it.
Stretching their Ki between rests out, letting them have more Ki on low levels and adding +1HP/level should make them more reliable contributors to the party and provide some leeway for less efficient uses of Ki like the Shadow Monk pseudo-spells.
Increased Martial Arts die at the beginning is mostly to make completely weaponless monks a viable choice from the beginning on. It won't influence long-term play at all, as MA d6 is very quickly reached.
As for waiving meditation... That is just getting rid of an unnecessary fluff restriction that isn't vital to the game.)
Ranger:
For the Beastmaster, see Animal Handling (which will greatly increase the effectiveness of your companion).
Size restrictions on companions are waived. The CR 1/4 restriction still stays in place.
At 7th level, Exceptional Training results in the attacks of the Companion becoming magical instead of the normal benefit.
Additionally, the companion becomes proficient in one saving throw you are proficient in.
At 11th level, Bestial Fury results in an Extra Attack for you companion instead of the normal benefit.
Additionally, the companion becomes proficient in a 2nd saving throw you are proficient in.
(Reasoning: My house-ruled Animal Handling takes care of many Beastmaster weaknesses much more effectively than the official class features. Instead, I focused on adding stuff that goes beyond just buying a war-trained dog or bear.
Magical attacks will make the companion more useful on mid- and high-levels when enemies resistant or immune to mundane damage show up.
The major achilles heel of Companions are saving throws - hardly any beasts have any save proficiencies, and the vanilla Beastmaster features don't rectify that. Giving them some save proficiencies will at least give them a fighting chance against save-or-suck/die effects like Dominate Beast or Flesh to Stone...
As for size: I like to give players the option to have a companion that can double as a mount, without limiting them to Halflings and Gnomes as PC races or needing to pull off cheese like Polymorph spells. Where size influences raw power, it should already be reflected by the CR, so I see no balancing issue in that.)
Sorcerer:
Sorcery Pool: 4 on 2nd, 3rd and 4th level - all other levels unaltered
Additional 2nd level feature: Sorcery Surge. You can spend a bonus action to regain d6 (or 3) in your Sorcery Pool. You need a Short or Long Rest to be able use this feature again.
(Reasoning: Aiming for a more 3.x feel, where Sorcerers make up for their lack of versatility by more raw spells per day and standing power than Wizards. The current amount of sorcery points per adventuring day seems hardly like much, especially now when cantrips have become at-will and Warlocks are the better all-day-long blasters.
I actually think that sorcerers may need even more SP than that to stay a viable choice between both Wizards and Warlocks, but I first want to try a very conservative power-up and then maybe go up from there after some more play-testing...)
Warlock
Pact of the Chain:
See Animal Handling fpr general changes to beast henchmen.
Instead of the ability to grant your familiar an attack by foregoing one of your own, you gain proficiency in Animal Handling for free.
(Reasoning: Old pact feature became virtually useless with my changes to animal handling. A free animal handling skill has much of the same effect without being overpowered.)
Some boring context most of you will skip:
Generally, I am a more game-y GM who likes powergaming, rules-based tactics and crunchy bits that are viable, especially when it are so central bits as classes and sub-classes. I prefer to adress rule issues as simply and straightforward as possible, rather than with complex patches riddled with smaller patches with tiny patches on top.
Verisimiltude, realism and the like take a backseat.
I am overall very, very happy with 5e, and could run it RAW without major complaints, but there are some minor tidbits that tickle me.
Without further ado:
General:
- Multiclassing allowed
- Feats allowed
(Reasoning: I like me games crunchy, with extra ketchup and extra layers of cheese. Needs no more reasoning than that :p )
Short Rests:
Short Rests take only half an hour.
(Reason: Boring stochastics.
My general rule for random dungeon encounters is 1 in d6 for every 10min turn. A full hour rest would be interrupted in 66.51% of all cases, a half hour rest in 42.13%. Giving a short rest a higher chance to be uninterrupted than to be interrupted makes it more attractive. A ~40%-chance of someone getting the drop on you with your pants down still makes special precautions like barricaded rooms, Wall of Stone or Rope Trick highly desirable.)
Skills:
Animal Handling
Control tamed creatures of Animal intelligence (e.g., Ranger's Animal Companion, Paladin's Steed, magic-user's Familiar, steeds in general) without expending actions by beating the Wis-Save of the beast.
99% of the time a comparison of your Take-10-AH vs the Take-10-Wis-Save is sufficient. Rolls may be called for when your Take 10 slips below that treshold (e.g. sudden disadvantage to your Wisdom), or critical situations calling for a morale check arise.
This explicitely doesn't extend to Undead created with Animate Dead, Create Undead or similar means - they are more like robots awaiting and following orders, than like animals driven by instinct.
(Reasoning: Animal Handling is pretty useless as it currently is, and hardwired pets like Animal Companions are pretty useless as they currently are. My approach was to take the weaknesses of both crunchy bits and marry them to make them both actually useful in play.
While it has the most mileage for Beastmaster Rangers, every character could profit from a mount with free extra actions like Dash or Disengage... Which makes it universally useful enough as far as I am concerned.
Animated Dead are excluded, because by sheer numbers they are already very strong and useful as they are, even with the necessary bonus action and spell-slot tax to keep them under control. No need to hand even more candy to them.)
Medicine
Using an Action, you can restore your Proficiency Bonus + Wis modifier HP to any creature including yourself (minimum of 1HP). The patient will need a Long Rest before being able to be treated with Medicine again, save for stabilizing.
(Reasoning: Medicine is extremely useless as it currently stands - everyone who spends a few dozen GP on a healer kit or knows the Spare the Dying cantrip can do the same shtick better without wasting a sharply limited skill slot on it. Some minor HP regain is nice and universally interesting, but nothing so fancy that it outshines Bards, Clerics or Druids.)
Classes:
Monks:
Hit Die gets increased to D10
Martial Arts die is always at least d6
Ki-Points: 4 on 2nd, 3rd and 4th level - all other levels unaltered
The need to meditate during short rests to regain Ki is waived. You still need a short rest to regain your Ki.
Additional 2nd level feature: Moment of Zen. You can spend a bonus action to regain your Martial Arts die in Ki (rolled or half die size - your call). You need a Short or Long Rest to be able use this feature again.
On level 20, you don't need to wait for a rest to be able to use this class feature, but can always spend a bonus action to regain your martial arts die in Ki.
(Reasoning: Monks eat through Ki like candy even if they limit themselves to do their main job of stunning and/or Open-Hand-flurrying the most dangerous foe, and just make for very squishy and weak melee types whenever they run out of it.
Stretching their Ki between rests out, letting them have more Ki on low levels and adding +1HP/level should make them more reliable contributors to the party and provide some leeway for less efficient uses of Ki like the Shadow Monk pseudo-spells.
Increased Martial Arts die at the beginning is mostly to make completely weaponless monks a viable choice from the beginning on. It won't influence long-term play at all, as MA d6 is very quickly reached.
As for waiving meditation... That is just getting rid of an unnecessary fluff restriction that isn't vital to the game.)
Ranger:
For the Beastmaster, see Animal Handling (which will greatly increase the effectiveness of your companion).
Size restrictions on companions are waived. The CR 1/4 restriction still stays in place.
At 7th level, Exceptional Training results in the attacks of the Companion becoming magical instead of the normal benefit.
Additionally, the companion becomes proficient in one saving throw you are proficient in.
At 11th level, Bestial Fury results in an Extra Attack for you companion instead of the normal benefit.
Additionally, the companion becomes proficient in a 2nd saving throw you are proficient in.
(Reasoning: My house-ruled Animal Handling takes care of many Beastmaster weaknesses much more effectively than the official class features. Instead, I focused on adding stuff that goes beyond just buying a war-trained dog or bear.
Magical attacks will make the companion more useful on mid- and high-levels when enemies resistant or immune to mundane damage show up.
The major achilles heel of Companions are saving throws - hardly any beasts have any save proficiencies, and the vanilla Beastmaster features don't rectify that. Giving them some save proficiencies will at least give them a fighting chance against save-or-suck/die effects like Dominate Beast or Flesh to Stone...
As for size: I like to give players the option to have a companion that can double as a mount, without limiting them to Halflings and Gnomes as PC races or needing to pull off cheese like Polymorph spells. Where size influences raw power, it should already be reflected by the CR, so I see no balancing issue in that.)
Sorcerer:
Sorcery Pool: 4 on 2nd, 3rd and 4th level - all other levels unaltered
Additional 2nd level feature: Sorcery Surge. You can spend a bonus action to regain d6 (or 3) in your Sorcery Pool. You need a Short or Long Rest to be able use this feature again.
(Reasoning: Aiming for a more 3.x feel, where Sorcerers make up for their lack of versatility by more raw spells per day and standing power than Wizards. The current amount of sorcery points per adventuring day seems hardly like much, especially now when cantrips have become at-will and Warlocks are the better all-day-long blasters.
I actually think that sorcerers may need even more SP than that to stay a viable choice between both Wizards and Warlocks, but I first want to try a very conservative power-up and then maybe go up from there after some more play-testing...)
Warlock
Pact of the Chain:
See Animal Handling fpr general changes to beast henchmen.
Instead of the ability to grant your familiar an attack by foregoing one of your own, you gain proficiency in Animal Handling for free.
(Reasoning: Old pact feature became virtually useless with my changes to animal handling. A free animal handling skill has much of the same effect without being overpowered.)
(5e) current draft of my current house-rules
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