Variant and Optional Rules

Player's Handbook

• Variant Human p31 (used at character creation)- Increase two ability scores by 1, gain Proficiency in one skill f your choice. Select a Feat.
• Inspiration p125- Spend to gain advantage on one attack, saving, or ability check roll.
• Equipment Sizes p145 (and homebrew variant)- Equipment meant for a chracter of a certain size will not properly fit or be wielded by a character of a different size. Any rolls made that could pertain to using ill-fitting equipment (as determined by the DM) will be given Disadvantage, or attack rolls made against the character will be given advantage, whichever situation is appropriate. Visiting a an armorsmith, tailor, leatherworker, or similar expert to make the item wearable. The cost for such work varies from 10 to 40 percent of the market price of the item. The DM can either roll 1d4 x 10 or determine the increase in cost based on the extent of the alterations required.
• Multiclassing p163-as per the PHB including a role-playing reason why that character would multi-class.
• Feats p165- May select a Feat instead of Ability Score advancment when gaining a new level.
• Encumbrance p176
• Grids and maps p192

Dungeon Master's Guide

• Planar Effects pp50-66- Each of the Outer Planes has peculiar characteristics that make traveling through it a unique experience. A plane’s influence can affect visitors in various ways, such as causing them to take on personality traits or flaws that reflect the disposition of the plane, or even shift alignment to more closely match the native inhabitants of the plane.
• Tougher Identification p136-to use any "special powers" of a magic item that doesn't require attunment requires an identinfication spell, except for oils, potions, and scrolls.
• Scroll Mishaps p140-If the spell is on your class’s spell list but of a higher level than you can normally cast, you must make an ability check using your spellcasting ability to determine whether you cast it successfully. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a failed check, the spell disappears from the scroll with no other effect. A creature who tries and fails to cast a spell from a spell scroll must make a DC 10 Intelligence saving throw. If the saving throw fails, roll on the Scroll Mishap table.
• Using potions (homebrew)- Consuming a potion while under the effects of a previous one will cancel the effects of the previous potion, but the character will gain the effects of the new potion used.
• Wands That Don't Recharge p141-Wands with a number of charges cannot be recharged, but instead crumble to dust after the last charge is used.
• Flanking p251-When a creature and at least one of its allies are adjacent to an enemy and on opposite sides or corners of the enemy’s space, they flank that enemy, and each of them has advantage on melee attack rolls against that enemy. When in doubt about whether two creatures flank an enemy on a grid, trace an imaginary line between the centers of the creatures’ spaces. If the line passes through opposite sides or corners of the enemy’s space, the enemy is flanked.
• Madness p258
• Milestones & Levelling without XP p261- This game will be using the Story Advancement Without XP option.
• Fear & Horror p266
• Healer's Kit Dependency p266-A character can’t spend any Hit Dice after finishing a short rest until someone expends one use of a healer’s kit to bandage and treat the character’s wounds.
• Combat Actions p271-
  • Climbing Onto A Bigger Creature-Exactly what it says. Larger opponent treated as difficult terrain when attacker succeeds an Athletics or Acrobatics check vs. target's Acrobatics check.
  • Disarm-A creature can use a weapon attack to knock a weapon or another item from a target’s grasp
  • Overrun-When a creature tries to move through a hostile creature’s space, the mover can try to force its way through by overrunning the hostile creature.
  • Shove Aside-With this option, a creature uses the special shove attack from the Player’s Handbook to force a target to the side, rather than away.
  • Tumble-A creature can try to tumble through a hostile creature’s space, ducking and weaving past the opponent.
• Hitting Cover-When a ranged attack misses a target that has cover, you can use this optional rule to determine whether the cover was struck by the attack.
• Injuries p272-It’s up to the DM to decide when to check for a lingering injury. A creature might sustain a lingering injury may occur under the following circumstances:
  • When it takes a critical hit
  • When it drops to 0 hit points but isn’t killed outright
  • When it fails a death saving throw by 5 or more

Xanathar's Guide To Everything

• Character Options and Sub-Classes (with DM permission)
• Sleep
  • Waking Someone-A creature that is naturally sleeping, as opposed to being in a magically or chemically induced sleep, wakes up if it takes any damage or if someone else uses an action to shake or slap the creature awake. A sudden loud noise — such as yelling, thunder, or a ringing bell — also awakens someone that is sleeping naturally.
  • Sleeping In Armor-Sleeping in light armor has no adverse effect on the wearer, but sleeping in medium or heavy armor makes it difficult to recover fully during a long rest.
  • Going Without a Long Rest- Can suffer levels of exhaustion when going 24 hours or more without a long rest with failed Con checks.
• Adamantine Weapons-Adamantine is an ultrahard metal found in meteorites and extraordinary mineral veins. In addition to being used to craft adamantine armor, the metal is also used for weapons. Melee weapons and ammunition made of or coated with adamantine are unusually effective when used to break objects. Whenever an adamantine weapon or piece of ammunition hits an object, the hit is a critical hit.
• Invalid Spell TargetsIf you cast a spell on someone or something that can’t be affected by the spell, nothing happens to that target, but if you used a spell slot to cast the spell, the slot is still expended.

Tasha's Cauldron Of Everything

• The Artifcer Class
• Character Class Options and Sublasses (with DM's permission)
• Personalizing Spells
• Sidekicks (used as quick NPC Stat blocks)

Additional Homebrew

Killing Blow, Called Shots,and Narrative Combat

• Narrative Combat- The player's are encouaraged to describe in detail what their characters in combat. It's more exciting when a player says,

  I swing my rapier in a high arc towrds his head.

  rather than

  I swing my rapier.

  The attack role is then made. Making attacks at a foes body parts is fine, but a successful attack does not have an extra effect on game play (i.e. an attack at a hand does only the normal damage). This is for narrative purposes to enhance game play only.

Example 1

Theolin Windsplitter is fighting a group of orcs. It's Theolin's turn, and Mark describes his action as

"Theolin charges the lead orc and attempts to slide at the last second, aiming low with his falchion at the orc legs."

Mark makes an attack roll and hits. The DM says,

"Theolin rushes towards the orc, and he drops to the ground sliding towards his foe on his side. He swings his falchion ducking underneath the axe of the orc, and sinks the edge of his falchion deep into the orc's thigh."

But there is no extra effect other being descriptive and sounding cool. But if a critcal hit were rolled, then the DM has the option to describe the cut severing the orc's hamstring, and he drops to the ground writhing in pain.

• Called Shots
  An attack that is being specifically aimed at a foe's body part hoping for a specific result (aiming at a foe's hand to disarm them, aiming at the head to quickly drop a zombie, an unarmored part of a foe, etc.), then a "called shot" to that body part needs to be made.
  For a called shot to be successful, the roll must meet at least one of these requirements:
  1. Attack with disadvantage (can’t already have disadvantage)
  2. Attack with Inspiration (in lieu of advantage)
  3. A Critical Hit
  (see below)
  If the attack succeeds, the defender gets to negate the narrative effects of the called shot with a DEX saving throw with the DC being the amount of damage dealt. If the attack succeeds with a critical hit, then a saving throw cannot be made.
  A called shot may only be used once per target per encounter. The reason for this restriction is not to make D&D combat slower than it already is. From a narrative standpoint, your enemy will be expecting you to try the same trick again, and can better defend against it.
  On a critical hit , the target must check for a lingering injury (DMG).
  All called shot attempts and their narrative effects are up to the DM's discretion.
  

  Example 2

  If Mark had wanted Theolin's attack to hamper the orc's movement should he hit, Mark would have to do a called shot on his foe's leg, but would have to meet one of the requirements above. Mark makes an attack roll with disadvantage and hits. He rolls 11 damage for Thelion's falchion. The orc now must make a DEX save vs DC 11 or suffer the effects of the called shot as determined by the DM. If a critical hit were rolled, there would be no DEX save for the orc, and he suffers the effects as determined by the DM and, if he survives, will roll on the Lingering Injuries table.
• Killing Blow
Taken from the podcast, "Critcal Role," when a character lands the final blow to fell an opponent who happens to be the BBEG, they get to describe the "killing blow," which can be as descriptive or as simple a narrative as the player wants! The GM will embellish on the descriptive action. The player will know they will be narrating their killing blow when GM utters the phrase,

How do you want to do this?