Rapid Quaffing
Potions may be drank as either a bonus action or a regular action.
Resurrection: Fading Spirits
This resurrection rule set is designed to add an element of party roleplaying and narrative to the resurrection attempt, as well as the creeping threat of permanent death to a character.
If magic is used to bring a character back from the dead (except for the
revivify spell; see below), everyone present becomes part of a resurrection ritual. Up to three characters present for the ritual—typically members of the deceased's adventuring party—can contribute to the ritual by attempting to call their ally's spirit back. This could involve delivering a stirring speech, playing a song from their shared childhood, goading a rival back with a display of sword skills, confessing undying love for them, or anything else that the players or the DM consider emotionally stirring.
Participating in the Ritual
Each of the participating characters makes an ability check. A player can tell the DM what kind of check they want to make, but ultimately the DM decides what check is appropriate based on the character's contribution to the ritual. The baseline DC of this check is 15, but the DM can raise or lower the DC (typically anywhere between 10 and 20) if the contribution seems particularly appropriate or particularly insincere.
For example, praying to a fallen paladin's god for mercy might require a participant to make a DC 10 Intelligence (Religion) check, whereas shouting at a dead friend's corpse to get back up and stop lazing around might require a DC 20 Charisma (Intimidation) check. If the contribution is roleplayed in a particularly touching way, the DM can grant advantage on the check—even if the check's DC remains high.
Resurrection Check
After all the characters' contributions are completed, the DM rolls a single, final resurrection check with no modifier. The base DC of this check is 10, but it is modified in three ways:
- The DC is increased by 1 for every time the character has returned to life before, as the soul's connection to this world is slowly eroded by repeatedly dying and returning.
- The DC is reduced by 3 for each successful contribution from the other participants in this ritual.
- The DC is increased by 1 for each failed contribution to the ritual.
If the resurrection check is successful, the character's soul is returned to their body (if the soul is willing). If the check fails, the soul does not return—and the character is permanently unable to be raised from the dead.
True Miracles
If a character is brought back from the dead by the
true resurrection spell or the
wish spell, or by a god, they instantly return to life without the need for a resurrection ritual. Additionally, if a character has been permanently lost due to a failed resurrection ritual, the DM can allow a casting of
true resurrection or
wish to begin a last-chance resurrection ritual—one that can't be repeated if failed.
Revivify
If a spell with a casting time of 1 action is used to restore life to a creature (including the
revivify spell), no one but the caster can participate in the resurrection ritual. The caster makes a quick resurrection check by rolling a d20 and adding their spellcasting ability modifier, against a DC equal to 10 + 1 for every time the character has returned to life before. On a failure, the character's soul is not lost, but the resurrection fails and increases the DC of any future resurrection checks by 1. Further attempts to bring the character back to life must involve a spell with a casting time longer than 1 action (such as
raise dead or
resurrection).
Shape Water Spell
Instead of a cantrip, this is now a level 1 spell.
Weapon Switching
The official DnD rules for what is in your hands, drawing weapons, etc. are excessively complex and punitive.
Instead, we will trial doing it like this:
You can do a complete swap of what is in your hands (or a partial one) by using your action. If you character has the Extra Attack feature, you may instead swap weapons by "spending" one of your attacks.
Exception: donning a shield requires your full action, always.
