Default Houserules

These are the changes I usually make when DM'ing. Other than the racial restrictions these are not setting specific.

Game System & Sources

D&D 5e, 2014 version.

Allowed sources are: core books, Xanathar’s Guide, Tasha’s Cauldron, Fizzban’s Treasury of Dragons. Other sources not generally allowed.

External homebrew or 3rd party sources are generally not allowed, but I’m willing to brew something that meets needs.

Exclusions

The following list of items are not allowed, despite their source book being available generally. Some of my concerns are mechanical; most are thematic and aesthetic.

• Customizing Your Origin. (Tasha's)
• Circle of the Stars Druid (Tasha's)
• Peace Domain (Tasha's)
• Twilight Domain (Tasha's)
• Order of the Scribes (Tasha's)
• Aberrant Mind (Tasha's)
• Clockwork Soul (Tasha's)
• Bladesinging (Tasha's)
• Gnomes (PHB) -- they exist in-setting, but I'm not
• Drow (PHB)
• Artificer (Tasha's)
• Circle of the Shepherd (Xanathar's)

General Houserules and Persistent Rulings

Unseen Targets and Concealment: Attacking a target you cannot see is always at disadvantage (unless you have a feature that explicitly says otherwise), even if the target cannot see you. E.g. An archer shoots at a target in a fog cloud. Neither attacker nor target can see the other. Default rules would impose disadvantage (attacker cannot see target) and advantage (target cannot see attacker), canceling out. Under this houserule, the advantage does not apply and the attack is made at disadvantage.

Bloodied Status: I've imported the Bloodied pseudo-status effect from the 2024 rules. It has no consequences of its own, but other effects and abilities may be modified by it. A creature is bloodied if it has less than half its maximum hit points remaining.

Side note about inquiries as to monster health. I don't care if players use precise terms with each other (e.g. "I'm down to 5 hp"). On the flip side, I will not communicate precise HP numbers for NPCs. Any question about their health will be answered with one of the following (or equivalent terms):

• Unhurt. They are at their maximum HP.
• Been hit. 50% <= HP < 100%
• Bloodied. ~10-ish HP (if normally they'd have a lot more) or ~10-20% < HP < 50%.
• Really hurting. 0 < HP < ~10-20%.
• In death saves. 0 HP and the target (named NPCs only) is making death saves.
• Dead/Down. 0 HP and either not making death saves or has failed enough that they are dead dead.

Class Changes

UA and homebrew are available on a case-by-case basis except where noted.

Optional Class Features (Tasha's)

These are in play by default.

Barbarian (Path of the Berserker)

You may use frenzy up to once per short rest without incurring exhaustion--all subsequent uses cause exhaustion penalties as noted.

Fighting Styles

• Protection: Can be used after seeing the roll.

Spells

Summoning

All spells that summon, create, or animate creatures have the following addition: "Creatures created (or summoned or animated) by this spell cannot use any ability that would allow them to summon, create, or animate other creatures." This is categorical--no summon chains are allowed.

I strongly encourage use of Tasha's Summon X spells over the PHB (and other) Conjure X. If you choose to use the mass-conjure spells, please restrict yourself to either 1 or two creatures. I'll generally let you pick what you get, but please be prepared to run them quickly.

Note: pixies do not exist. So don't try to summon them.

Counterspell

Xanathar's identification rules (requiring a reaction and an Intelligence (Arcana) check to identify a spell) are in effect. You cannot, generally, hide a spell-casting that has verbal or somatic components--the volume is at least that of a normal speaking voice and is uniquely identifiable as "arcane words". If a monster is casting a spell, I will say "The <X> begins casting a spell...."--that's your opportunity to counterspell. Monsters with counterspell will (in the main, with very few exceptions) counterspell the first N spells they can counterspell. I won't metagame the fact that you're telling me what spell you're casting.

Force Barriers

Wall of force: It loses the "immune to all damage" line. It does not have hit points, but has AC 18 and threshold 8 (ie ignores any source of damage under that threshold), and immunity to all damage other than thunder, force, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. A single panel (10x10) breaks if it takes more than 40 damage during a single turn.

Forcecage: It loses the "immune to all damage" line. It does not have hit points, but has AC 20 and threshold 10 (ie ignores any source of damage under that threshold), and immunity to all damage other than thunder, force, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. It breaks and the spell ends if it takes more than 50 damage during a single turn.

Polymorph

Change "The new form can be any beast whose challenge rating is equal to or less than the target's (or the target's level, if it doesn't have a challenge rating)." to "the new form can be any beast whose challenge rating is equal to or less than the level of the spell."

Races

See Player's Guide--Character Creation for available races.

Dragonborn can use their breath weapon as a bonus action (instead of an action). They also get darkvision (60 ft) and can choose between +2 DEX or +2 STR.

At your option, you can use the Player Option--Variant Races and Player Option--Regional Backgrounds. This is not required, but you can only use the Regional Backgrounds if you use the Variant Race that matches (for those with variant races).

Inspiration

The party has a number of inspiration points equal to the number of players. These reset at the beginning of each session.

No player can use inspiration on themselves. Any other player may choose to use a point for someone else, allowing them to re-roll any d20-based check, attack, or saving throw. This can be done after the roll, and inherits any advantage/disadvantage from the first roll (ie if you had advantage before, roll again with advantage). You must use the second roll and no more than one inspiration can be used on any check.

Variant Rules

• Encumbrance is used normally (NO variant encumbrance)
• Alignment is not in use.
• Combat Maneuvers (Climb onto a bigger creature, Disarm, Overrun, and Shove Aside) are in use.
• Feats and Multiclassing are available without restriction, subject to source restrictions.
• XP is off--see below for level advancement.
• Resting is normal (1 hr short rests/8 hr long rests), although certain occasions may call for modified rest schedules.
• Skills may be used with non-traditional abilities.
• Xanthar's downtime rules are in play. For crafting, see Items and Crafting.

Advancement

Instead of using XP (in any fashion), you will advance in levels in the following manner.

Each session where the table feels something meaningful happened, each player present will mark one tic under the XP portion of their sheet. When a character has accumulated a number of tics equal to their current level (or 4, whichever is smaller), they will advance in levels.

So, for example, if Bob is level 4, he needs to attend 4 meaningful sessions to reach level 5. A meaningful session may involve combat (or not), exploration, social interaction with other characters, etc.