Houserules

A brief collection of houserules for my game. Subject to change/whims as time goes on and new stuff gets identified needing a 'fix'.

General Rules

27 Point Buy for stats
I've got access to all the official books for options, but some (eg. Ravnica Backgrounds) may still be setting specific.
UA is usually allowed on the basis of 'latest version'. Homebrew is case-by-case basis. Chances are I'm more likely to approve a race, than a subclass, than a full class.
Potions can be consumed as a Bonus Action, unless otherwise specified.
Non-lethal damage can be caused by ranged attacks and spells (within reason).
Death saving throws are only 'reset' on a long rest.
Dexterity no longer gives a bonus to initiative rolls.
Any character can choose to subtract their proficiency bonus from a weapon attack roll to add twice that much to the damage dealt.
A character can take a short rest at any time they are not in initiative. Doing so restores half of their hit points immediately, instead of expending hit dice. An individual character can take up to two short rests, before requiring a long rest. Spells with a duration of 1 hour or less end early if you complete a short rest.
If you gain the Extra Attack feature a second time via a multiclass, instead of this being obsolete as a feature you instead gain an Ability Score Improvement.
Instead of rolling a second dice, a critical hit deals double damage, including ability modifiers, but not any damage you gained from sacrificing your proficiency bonus (as above).

Races

The flexible stat variant from Tasha's is in use, with the following caveats:
Half-Elves get +2/+1, but also gain one of the following traits: Cantrip (as the high elf trait), Elf Weapon Training (as the high elf or wood elf trait), Mask of the Wild (as the wood elf trait), Superior Darkvision (as the drow trait), or Drow Weapon Training (as the drow trait).
Mountain Dwarves get +2/+1.
Variant Human cannot be taken. Humans are now as specified here: Link
Custom Lineage cannot be taken.

Feats/Skills/Items

All characters get a free feat at 1st level. They also gain an additional feat at character level 5, 10, 15 and 20.
Racial feats can be taken by any race.
When choosing to use your Reaction to make an Arcana check to identify a spell being cast, you can choose to cast Counterspell (if you have it available) as part of the same reaction.
Instead of 3 attunement slots, characters have a number of attunement slots equal to their proficiency bonus.
Being shoved/forcibly moved into an impassable object (eg. a wall) adds d4 damage to the shove.
Scrolls can be cast by all characters, regardless of level or spell list, without any sort of check.
Weapons and armour can be enhanced, at a cost, with Exotic Materials
Crossbow Expert, Polearm Master, Sharpshooter and Great Weapon Master are now half feats, giving either +1 Dexterity or Strength. XBE and PAM no longer grants a bonus action attack. SS and GWM no longer offer the choice to take -5 on the attack roll for +10 damage.
The Wanderer background feature is now changed to: "While taking a short rest in the wilderness, you have a keen sense for secluded spots that prevent you and your party from being found, except by magical means."
Flails and Longswords are now Finesse weapons when wielded in one hand.
While dual wielding two Light weapons, the extra attack from two weapon fighting no longer requires a bonus action. This applies to non-light weapons if you have the Dual Wielder feat.
Heavy weapons now require 13 Strength (melee) or 13 Dexteriy (ranged) to use, or suffer disadvantage on the attacks. Small creatures can now use Heavy weapons.

Spells

Silvery Barbs is now a 2nd level spell.
Spells which summon multiple creatures (eg. Conjure Animals, Animate Objects, Conjure Minor Elementals) are now capped at 1 or 2 creatures summoned. The 4/8/10 options are disallowed.
Goodberries now lose their power either after 24 hours or when the spell is cast again.
Simulacrum is removed from the game.
Barkskin no longer requires Concentration.
True Strike no longer requires Concentration. In addition, instead of targeting an enemy you target either yourself or an ally you can see within 30ft to give them advantage on the next attack they make, until the end of your next turn. At 5th, 11th, and 17th level you can target an additional ally to a maximum of 4.
Blade Ward can be cast as a bonus action and has a range of touch. It now lasts for 1 minute or until you take 1/2/3/4 instances of BPS damage (based on character level).
Guidance is removed from the game.
Bless now also grants +1d4 to ability checks for its duration. Bane now also adds a -1d4 to ability checks for its duration.
Additional Spells and Additional Feats are in play.
Dispel Magic is now a ability single check for all spells above the slot expended, rather than one check per spell/effect.

Classes

Some changes are larger than others. Most are balance, some are flavour. Optionally, you can make use of my homebrew subclasses included in my Master Homebrew Index.

Artificer

When you use Experimental Elixir to create a Healing potion with a spell slot you may increase the healing by two additional dies for every spell slot level above 1st level.
The Alchemist can use an Experimental Elixir as part of the same action used to create it, and they can use them on other willing creatures that are not incapacitated.
Alchemical Savant: All Experimental Elixirs heal for the bonus amount.
Magic Item Adept (10th) now gives you Proficiency Bonus + 2 attunement slots. Magic Item Savant (14th) now gives you Proficiency Bonus + 4 attunement slots. Magic Item Master (18th) now gives you Proficiency Bonus + 6 attunement slots. Soul of Artifice is capped at a +6 bonus to saving throws.

Barbarian

Battlerager is not Dwarf exclusive
Battleragers no longer use spiked armor, instead they may add spikes to any armor they're wearing or to themselves (gaining the effect of spikes while unarmored) over the course of short or long rest. Magical armor makes the spikes magical, magical bonuses to armor work as a bonus to the spikes.
Berserker Barbarian's Frenzy can be used without incurring exhaustion once, refeshing on a short rest.
Barbarian Unarmoured Defense is now calculated as Strength and Constitution modifiers, instead of Dexterity and Constitution.
At level 6, Barbarian rage uses now refresh on a short rest.
Reckless Attack applies to attacks made when it isn't your turn.
Barbarian rage damage now scales as if it were proficiency bonus, however still requiring barbarian levels to scale.
At 9th level they add twice their Brutal Critical dice to their total jump, shove, and throwing distance in feet, and reduce any fall damage taken by the same amount.
At 13th level Barbarians gain the Focused Rage feature. When they fail an intelligence, wisdom, or charisma saving throw they can choose to immediately roll their Brutal Critical dice to the save, potentially turning the failure into a success. If it still fails, their rage immediately ends. This can be used once per rage.
At 17th level, Barbarians gain the Cut Faster feature. If a Barbarian ends a round with their Rage active, they can choose to roll their Brutal Critical dice and add it to their initiative count. This can be done at the end of each round, so long as their Rage is active.

Bard

Bard Magical Secrets can only be taken as the equivalent level of the class they're taking from. Eg. a 10th level Bard could only gain magical secrets that a 10th level Ranger could learn.
20th level bards additionally game the Choral Inspiration feature. When a creature with your Bardic Inspiration dice expends it, they may immediately take another action, even if it is not their turn. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Dodge, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action. If they take the Attack action and hit with their attack, you may immediately grant another creature (that did not just take an action) your Bardic Inspiration, at no action cost.

Cleric

Trickery Clerics gain the Minor Illusion cantrip and proficiency in one of the following at 1st level: Stealth, Sleight of Hand, or Deception.
Twilight Clerics darkvision from Eyes of Night is reduced from 300' range to 60' range. If you already have darkvision from another source (eg. race) it instead extends the range by +60'.
Twilight Clerics channel divinity now require Concentration, as if it were a spell, and doesn't end Charmed/Frightened effects, but instead grants a new save to end it, with Advantage.

Druid

Druids can take the Beastmaster subclass from Rangers. Features are gained at level 2, 6, 10 and 14, as with other druid subclasses.
Druids can expend a spell slot of 2nd level or higher as an action to regain a use of Wild Shape.
Spore Druid's Symbiotic Entity feature now lasts for 1 hour, or until completion of a short or long rest.
Dream Druid's 6th level feature is replaced with Sweet Slumber. As an action you can target a creature within 60ft and force them to make a Wisdom saving throw. If they fail, they fall asleep and become Unconscious for 1 minute, until they take damage, or until another creature takes an action to shake them awake. A sleeping creature may make a new saving throw to end the effect early at the end of each of their turns. While Sweet Slumber has no use limit, an individual creature can only be targetted by it once every 24 hours, regardless of success or failure. Once you reach 14th level in this class you can expend a use of Wild Shape to make it a a Restless Slumber. A restless sleeping creature takes 3d10 psychic damage at the start of each of their turns. This damage does not break Sweet Slumber.

Fighter

Instead of choosing spells from the evocation and abjuration spell schools the Eldritch Knight chooses spells from the abjuration school and one school of their choosing. This decision is made at level 3 and cannot be changed.
Arcane Archer can use Crossbows for their features. They regain a use of Arcane Arrow whenever they use their Action Surge or Second Wind features.
The Champion and Purple Dragon Knight/Banneret subclasses are now combined into one subclass, called the Champion.
Indomitable has been redesigned. It now gives a passive +1 to all saving throws at level 9, increasing to +2 and +3 at levels 13 and 17 respectively.
Fighter's 4th attack is moved to 17th level.
At 20th level they gain a new capstone - Legendary Warrior. Once per long rest when the fighter fails a saving throw they can choose to succeed it instead. If this has been expended, they can expend their Second Wind feature to instead use it again.

Monk

Monks may make their bonus action attack from Martial Arts in the same turn they use Patient Defense or Step of the Wind. From 13th level, Step of the Wind grants both Dash and Disengage simultaneously.
Standard Four Elements monk gets two Disciplines instead of one whenever they would gain a new Discipline. Ki cost for Disciplines are halved.
At 6th level monks gain an additional ASI.
At 7th level, the monk gains proficiency in Charisma and Constitution saves. They still gain all saving throw proficiencies at 14th level.
At 9th level, Deflect Arrows now works on melee weapon attacks. At 13th level, it works on spell attacks.
Monks now gain the Perfect Self feature at 9th level, however it restores a number of ki equal to your 1/3rd your monk level instead of 4. Their capstone at level 20 is replaced with Ascendant Form - You permanently gain an additional +2 to each ability score. This can make them exceed 20, but not 30.

Paladin

Oath of Vengeance Paladins recieve Zephyr Strike as an Oath Spell instead of Hunter's Mark
Oath of the Crown's Divine Allegiance changes to: "Starting at 7th level, when another creature within 5 feet of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to shield that creature. When you do so, the damage is split between you and the targeted creature. Further, this damage is reduced by your Charisma modifier + half your paladin level, before being split."
Paladins who take the Blessed Warrior style add their charisma modifier to damage done by the cantrips gained from that fighting style.

Ranger

Favored Foe no longer requires Concentration.
Tireless now grants 1d8+Ranger Level temporary hit points, instead of 1d8+WisMod.
Rangers who take the Druidic Warrior fighting style apply their wisdom modifier to damage done by the cantrips gained from that fighting style.
At 13th level, Rangers gain the Steady Aim Rogue feature.
Feral Senses is changed to: You gain Blindsight (30ft) and cannot make attacks at disadvantage if the target is within your blindsight range.
Foe Slayer is changed to the following: The first time you damage a Favored Enemy, they must make a constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a success, they take an additional 3d10 damage. On a fail, the creature dies; unless the creature has legendary actions or the DM otherwise deems them too important to immediately die. If so, they instead take 6d10 additional damage instead. Once a creature has been affected by Foe Slayer (whether the save is successful or not), it cannot affect them again for 24 hours.

Rogue

Instead of choosing spells from the Illusion and Enchantment spell schools the Arcane Trickster chooses spells from the Illusion school and one school of their choosing. This decision is made at level 3 and cannot be changed.
Soulknife blades stay manifested if you choose, allowing them to be used for opportunity attacks and the Dual Wielder feat. You may also take the feat Improved Soul Blades, which grant them an improvement to attack and damage rolls equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down).
Slippery Mind also grants Charisma saving throw proficiency.
Rogue's 20th level feature Stroke of Luck now allows you to turn any attack or ability check you roll into a 20, after seeing the result. In addition, it now refreshes whenever you naturally roll a 20 of any kind in addition to on a short or long rest.

Sorcerer

Sorcerer's spellcasting ability is now Constitution, instead of Charisma. This does not apply to the Sorcerer Redux homebrew class.
Sorcerers use the spell points variant (DMG) as standard.
Sorcerer spells cast have no component requirements - no verbal, somatic or material (except for Costly material components). The subtle spell metamagic is therefore removed as obsolete.
Wild Magic Sorcerer rolls 1d20 on every non-cantrip cast. If the roll is equal-to-or-less than the spell's level, a Surge occurs.
Wild Magic Sorcerer automatically has a Surge on the next non-cantrip spell cast after using Tides of Chaos. They then regain use of Tides of Chaos.
Fireball on the wild magic surge table is now replaced with Slow, centred on the caster, affecting the caster and up to five other creatures in the area of effect chosen randomly.
Sorcerers gain an additional Metamagic option at 7th and 13th level.
At 20th level Sorcerers also gain the Metamagic Master feature. You can now apply two Metamagics at the same time to a spell regardless of normal restrictions, and the cheapest Metamagic you apply costs no sorcery poitns. If you only apply one Metamagic, it costs no sorcery points still.

Warlock

Eldritch Blast is no longer a Cantrip, it is a level one class feature scaling off of your Warlock level.
Hex Warrior feature (Hexblade) is now moved to Pact of the Blade. They now gain proficiency in only one martial weapon (of their choice) instead of all martial weapons.
Pact of the Talisman's effect can be used on any ability check, not just a failed ability check.
Rebuke of the Talisman invocation no longer has a range or sight restriction on the attacker to activate.
Bond of the Talisman invocation now also enhances the numerical aspects of other Talisman features/invocations - dice rolls are increased from 1d4 to 2d4 and Rebuke of the Talisman's damage and pushback distance are doubled.
20th level warlocks gain an additional invocation known. In addition, when they use their Eldritch Master feature they roll a d4. They may regain an expended Mystic Arcanum equal to the roll+5, so rolling a 2 would allow them to regain either a 6th or a 7th level Mystic Arcanum they expended, but not both.