During your journey through various games, you will inevitably discover that certain aspects function differently than in the traditional D&D system. This realization stems from my extensive experience as both a player and a Dungeon Master, as I recognized the potential for enhancing and refining the game through personalized additions and alterations to the rules. While some of these changes may appear challenging at first, it is through overcoming these trials that truly memorable stories are born. Listed below are the key homebrew rules that I typically employ in my custom games. It's worth noting that when running published modules by WotC, I adhere to the default rules, ensuring consistency and familiarity.

Character Creation

Sourcebooks

• New Player's Handbook 2024 (PHB) - All material is allowed, few things have been modified.
• Xanathar's Guide to Everything (XGE) - Almost all material is allowed.
• Modified version of Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (MPMM). The modifications have already been applied to all the ancestries (races) and can be viewed here.
• Fizban's Treasury of Dragons (FTtD) - Almost all material is allowed.
• Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (VRGR) - Some material is allowed.
• Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (TCE) - Subclasses, Feats, Spells (exceptions exist).
  
• Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants (BGG) - Subclass allowed
  

Official sourcebooks that are not mentioned here, UA content and the older PHB (2014) are not used. Other 3rd party/Homebrew material than the ones found here, will not be used. If you have homebrew suggestion to add, that's fine, but beware there's long process and long waiting list.

For those not familiar with the sourcebooks above, here's a list of classes and subclasses that you can use

Additionally, there are various homebrew class, subclass, feat, and spell options available for use.

Official and Homebrew classes can be found in Arda's Classes

The following official subclasses have received a big boost:  Nature Domain, Arcane Archer, College of Whispers, College of Swords . Details for these boost can be found here

New Feats can be found in the Arda's Feats category (sidebar to the left), by applying the Homebrew tag as filter.

New spells can be found in the Spells category (sidebar to the left), by applying the Homebrew tag as filter.

Available Backgrounds can be found in Backgrounds (Official & Homebrew 2024)

Altered/Banned/Restricted Material

In order to maintain game balance and preserve the theme of the world, certain spells, subclasses, feats, and other character options have been altered, banned, or restricted. However, for closed-group games, the ban/alteration/restriction of these options can be discussed and adjusted as needed.

Banned / Altered / Restricted

Classes: Artificer

Backgrounds: Only the new PHB's backgrounds are allowed currently + any Homebrew we have.

Subclasses: Twilight and Peace cleric, Hexblade Warlock (cannot multiclass), Fey Wanderer Ranger, Fey Trailblazer Warden

Spells: Plane Shift, Tasha’s Mind Whip, Booming Blade, Summon Draconic Spirit, Conjure Minor Elementals

Feats: Fey Touched, Shadow Touched, Artificer Initiate, Eldritch Adept (requires to be achieved through a pact with a Patron), Gunner,

Fighting Styles: N/A

Maneuvers:: N/A

Races: Harengon, Changeling, Tortle, Fairy, Dhampir, Satyr, Reborn (restricted to ressurected dead characters)

Other: Custom Lineages/Origins, Optional Features, Sidekicks

Attribute Generation

You gain +2/+1 or +1/+1/+1 from your Background. You gain +1 from your Species. Then you choose one of the methods below to generate your attributes:

• Standard Array but the 8 is a 7.
• Point Buy with 26 total points to spent.
• 2024 Gambler's. Six sets of 2d10, with a total sum between 61 and 84. Each set represents one of your stats. (rolled during session 0 in front of everyone, not on your own). If the player does not like the rolled stats, they can opt to select Standard Array.
• Random Pool. This method is only applicable at the start of a campaign. Each player uses method #3 but adds the results to a pool. Then players take turns selecting stats from the pool, with the order reversing each round.

Synergies

At levels 5, 10, 15 and 20 your character can choose a Synergy and also replace an existing one with a new one. You can view them at Synergies 2.0

Extra proficiencies

If INT is not used as your spell-casting modifier for any of your subclasses, you get a number of extra skill proficiencies equal to your INT modifier. (applies only to skills you're not proficient with). Being smarter means you can pick up learning new stuff easier than others and it helps change INT from a dump stat into something a bit more useful.

Extra skills

Six more skills have been added to allow usage of some tasks that have been commonly attempted but no prior skills was specifically covering them or felt more of a miss than a hit. These new skills have no proficiencies at character creation, but proficiencies can be obtained through the game. All of them are more specialized than the official skills making them a bit more niche. The first version has the following skills:

Multiclassing

There are standard and exotic languages. When creating a character you can choose any of the standard languages. Exotic languages need approval and need to be justified through your backstory. More details on languages, like where are they spoken, can be found here. The Sage background can justify exotic languages.

Combat Mechanics

Initially, the changes to combat mechanics may appear overwhelming to grasp. However, it's important to note that not all of these changes will be constantly present or utilized by your character. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the information, here are the key points to remember in a nutshell:

These three essential points apply to almost all characters and should be kept in mind. It's worth mentioning that numerous players who have participated in my homebrew games can attest that, after a few sessions, the majority of the rules become second nature without any difficulties.

Dual Wielding 

CURRENTLY THIS RULE IS SHELVED IN FAVOR OF TESTING THE BALANCE OF THE 2024 NEW DUAL WIELDING MECHANICS.

In addition to the standard rules for attacking with two weapons, the damage dice of the offhand weapon is now doubled. For example, an offhand dagger attack would deal 2d4 damage. Please note that this only applies to the offhand attack.

New Weapons and Brutality Effects

We have introduced new weapons, made changes to existing ones, and added new properties. You can find the complete list in Brutality Weapons. If you prefer the official published version with a beautifully designed PDF, you can obtain a free copy using the "pay what you want" model here.

Enemy HP

2024 PHB has introduced the term official, so this is not a homebrew rule anymore, but official.

Enemy hit points are hidden, but you are free to calculate them based on the damage you deal. When a token's hit points are reduced to half or less, I will mention that it is "bloodied." This terminology comes from the 4th edition of the game and has been incorporated into my 5th edition games.

Cover

The cover system in Foundry is equipped with an automatic calculation feature that determines cover based on the position of tokens. It assigns icons indicating Half, ¾, or Full cover. While it usually functions realistically, there may be instances where doors and walls are calculated incorrectly, and manual corrections are made. Both allied and enemy tokens can provide cover. Instead of manually checking according to the Player's Handbook cover rules, we rely on the automatic calculation for the most part.

Non-lethal magic/ranged attacks

When you cast a spell or make ranged attacks, before you roll the damage, you can declare "non-lethal". When you do so, the damage of the spell/attack is halved but the creature hit by it, drop unconscious instead of outright dying.

Death/Dying

When a character's hit points are reduced to 0, they lose consciousness and fall prone. Unless stabilized, the character is considered "dying." While at 0 hit points or below and not stabilized, the character must make a Death Saving Throw (DST) on each turn (every 6 seconds). Failing three DSTs indicates that the character succumbed to the severity of their injuries and has died. Succeeding on three DSTs brings the character to 0 hit points and stabilizes them.

If the damage taken exceeds the amount needed to reduce a character to 0 hit points, their current hit point value becomes negative. For example, if a character with 3 hit points takes 7 damage, their hit points become -4. If their negative hit points reach half of their maximum hit points in the negative range, they die. Healing while at negative hit points increases the current hit point pool but does not automatically bring the character to positive hit points. If the healing is sufficient to reach 1 hit point or higher, the character stabilizes and regains consciousness.

Taking damage while at 0 or negative hit points does not trigger a Death Saving Throw but only further reduces the hit points. Rolling a natural 1 on a Death Saving Throw still counts as one failure, while rolling a natural 20 brings the character to 1 hit point.

Any effect that stabilizes a creature automatically brings them to 0 hit points, regardless of how negative their hit points were.

The reasoning behind these changes is to increase the difficulty (as it is relatively easy to stay alive in 5th edition) while reducing the randomness of death (such as a natural 1 resulting in two failures).

I died. Now what?

In most games, I employ the same system for new characters. Some players have expressed concerns about others frequently changing characters, which can disrupt immersion and roleplay. To address this, the following system is used to discourage excessive character changes. The first two characters someone creates come with no penalties. From the 3rd and onward the player must choose between having their stats randomized or starting a level lower than their last character.

Potions

Drinking or administering healing potions to others requires a Bonus Action now. However, if you instead use an Action, you can drink or administer a number of potions equal to your proficiency bonus. These potions do not need to be of the same kind as long as their containers are similar.

Scrolls

We are using a more expanded ruleset about scrolls and the pricing of scribing scrolls differs. See Spell Scrolls for more details.

Other Important Rules

PvP

By default, player vs player actions such as pick pocketing, pushing, grappling, casting negative spells, or attacking other players are not allowed. This rule is in place to prevent player drama and unpleasant situations. While this may be non-realistic, it helps maintain a positive and cooperative atmosphere. However, if it is a pre-made group of friends and they explicitly want PvP, exceptions can be made.

Tension Pool

The Tension Pool is a mechanic inspired by Angry GM's idea and slightly modified. It encourages players to make impactful decisions and discourages metagaming. In my games, the Tension Pool is also used in conjunction with the Overland Travel rules to generate random encounters, determine their severity, and introduce other events. You can find a detailed explanation of the Tension Pool concept here

Fate Tokens

The Fate Tokens system is designed to promote and reward engaging roleplay and good table behavior. You can read about it here. It adds an additional layer of game play and allows players to have agency in shaping the story.

Overland Travel Rules

The Overland Travel Rules are implemented to add realism, immersion, and challenge to traveling in an open-world setting. You can find a detailed explanation of these rules at Overland Travel 2.0b

Encumbrance

If you carry weight in excess of 15 times your Strength score, you are considered encumbered, which reduces your speed by 10 feet. If you carry weight in excess of 20 times your Strength score, up to your maximum carrying capacity, you are heavily encumbered. Being heavily encumbered reduces your speed by 20 feet and imposes disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. When attempting to push, lift, or drag something for a short duration, characters can go up to a maximum of 2 times their carrying capacity. These capacity numbers are doubled if the character has the Powerful Build feature.

Magic Items

Magic Items play a crucial role in character progression and provide exciting power-ups throughout a campaign. They can range from mundane to extraordinary in terms of their impact. Balancing magic items can be challenging, especially when custom items are used. While I prefer custom magic items over official ones to introduce variety and choices, I am cautious about creating items that can be easily abused or disrupt the balance of the group. In the case of more powerful items with charges, intended for higher-level groups or beyond their affordable range, I require that these items still require material components when casting spells through charges. This helps to mitigate the risk and potential imbalance they may introduce. This rule does not apply to all items and spells but only to those that are highly abusable or excessively powerful for the group's current level of power.

Drowning and Swimming

If you're wearing heavy armor and do not have a swimming speed equal or higher to your walking speed, you're sinking at a rate of 60 feet per round and unable to move upwards. If you have swimming speed and wear heavy armor, an Athletics check is required to swim at full speed.

Clarifications on Popular Rulings

Sometimes, certain rulings in D&D can be unclear, leading to differences between the rules as written (RAW) and the intended rules as intended (RAI). Additionally, players may have become accustomed to different interpretations of these rulings from other versions of the game. To prevent any unpleasant surprises or instances of players saying, 'I built my character based on this, and I thought it worked differently,' I have compiled a list of commonly discussed rulings. These clarifications aim to ensure fairness and consistency for both player characters and non-player characters (NPCs).

Ability Checks

Multiple same effects

It's important to note that multiple instances of the same effect do not stack. While this is described in the Player's Handbook (PHB), there has been some confusion regarding whether damage is considered part of the effect. In my games, I treat damage as part of the effect, aligning with the intended interpretation. For instance, if a creature is subjected to two instances of Spirit Guardians, they would only make one saving throw.

Initiative and combat

Initiative is rolled when hostile intentions are detected or when accurate time tracking is necessary. However, it's possible for initiative to be dropped if there was a misunderstanding or if creatures attempt to calm the situation.

Casting spells through keyholes (or other small openings)

To cast a spell, there needs to be an opening large enough for the entire effect to pass through. As a result, casting spells through keyholes or other small openings is often limited or even impossible for many spells.

Stealth and Hiding

Moving out of cover or obscurement reveals your position.

Familiarity requirement

Some spells, items, or features require a creature to be 'familiar with' another creature or object. Although the term is mentioned in various instances, its exact meaning is often unclear. To provide clarity and avoid confusion, when a character is required to be 'familiar with' something or someone, it means they need to have a deep level of knowledge about the target, similar to that of a close friend, family member, or long-time coworker.

Are all those rules needed?

The short answer is "No, but yes."

The long answer is that you can certainly have fun playing D&D without these rules, and chances are you have already done so. However, every game is unique, and every Dungeon Master has their own style. Over the years, I have found that these rules help address common issues that tend to arise in my games. They have been thoroughly tested and refined, with ongoing adjustments based on feedback from different groups. 

Here, you will find all the Classes & Subclasses available in campaigns taking place in the World of Arda, some of which may be restricted to specific campaigns.

The new official backgrounds from the 2024 PHB. Wayfarer renamed back to Urchin as the name was misleading. Details of each one can be found by clicking on the links below.

Aside from the general setting options and restrictions, each campaign in Arda might have its own specialized content. These specific rules supersede the generic setting rules presented in Unknown document.

The Silent Dragon Roars.

• Starting level is 3. Ending level is 15.
• Evil PCs only upon agreement of the other players.
• The creation of Blight Elf and Half-Orc has not taken place yet.
• Vampires are not known as species yet.
  
• Githyanki and Gitzerai are still one species called Gith (mechanically races still function, just lore is different)
• The campaign starts in the Crimson Kingdom which is in Caldar. That means the following ancestries are met with hostilities due to open war: Aarakocra, Bugbear, Hobgoblin, Kenku, Kobold, Minotaur, Orc, Yuan-Ti, Goblin.

A House Divided

• Starting level is 5. Ending level is 10.
• Evil PCs only upon agreement of the other players.
• Even though the campaign starts in Caldar, it's in a very isolated place that allows introduction of all ancestries in Arda, provided there is explained in their backstory how they got there.
• Starting location Aldion

Into the Spider's Web

• Starting level is 1. Ending level is 20.
• Good and Neutral PC only. Emphasis on Good, as the campaign has a main focus on saving people.
• The campaign starts in the Unified Caldar which is in Caldar. That means the following ancestries are met with hostilities due to open war: Aarakocra, Bugbear, Hobgoblin, Kenku, Kobold, Minotaur, Orc, Yuan-Ti, Goblin.
• Starting characters should not be originating from Eratus. Subsequent characters can.

Bloodmoon: Vampire's Kiss

• Starting level is 1. Ending level is 15.
• Cleric class is not used in the campaign as it wouldn't function lore and mechanically wise. Paladins are okay.
• School of Blood Magic is added for this campaign as option for Wizards.
• PCs must start young (relatively to their ancestry lifespan). In irl human years: <30, but still within what is considered adult for each race.
• Classes heavily focused on combat (Barbarian, Fighter etc) or build heavily focused on combat are discouraged, as the campaign is heavily focusing on Roleplay, Drama, Romance and Intrigue.
• Starting location Blackden

Shattering of Chains: Rise of the Changelings

• Starting level is 5. Ending level is 11.
• No Good PCs.
• All PCs must have Unknown ancestry. Aside from the racial bonuses mentioned there, PCs get a +2 / -1 to two other attributes.
• Classes heavily focused on combat (Barbarian, Fighter etc) or build heavily focused on comabt are discouraged, as the campaign is heavily focusing on Roleplay, Exploration, Mystery and Strategical thinking.
• Starting location Outcast Island

A Bone to call Home

• Starting level is 3. Ending level is 13.
• Evil PCs only upon agreement of the other players.
• The campaign starts in Unified Caldar which is in Caldar. That means the following ancestries are not available for starting characters but they are available for subsequent characters: Aarakocra, Bugbear, Hobgoblin, Kenku, Kobold, Minotaur, Orc, Yuan-Ti, Goblin.

Tower of Karthax

• Starting level is 2. Ending level is 8.
• Evil PCs only upon agreement of the other players.
• The campaign starts in the Savage Lands. That means the following ancestries are met with hostilities due to open war: Aasimar, Gith, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Human, Dragonborn, Gnome, Half-Elf, Tiefling, Goliath.
  

Thirteen fragments, beings with vast power, originating from the Divine Realm, traveled to this newly found planet. These fragments, later known as the major gods, live in the Divine Realm together with other fragments. They called themselves fragments as they believe they all originated from one, all powerful being, that created all universes, but then split. The thirteen fragments were close like siblings and always did things together. The planet when it was found was barren, without life or magic, but it had potential. The one that was first to spot this new planet, named Arda, did not hesitate to detach herself from the Divine Realm and imbue with the planet to give it life and magic. That was seen as a great sacrifice by the other twelve, who knew that their sibling Arda would not be able to return until this planet is no more.

The twelve gods split into three groups, which were later known as Gold (Good), Silver (Evil) and Emerald (Neutral). The groups stayed the same, except from three changes. Dominaria switched from Gold to Silver, Iskar from Emerald to Gold and Oromne from Silver to Emerald. The exact dates of those changes are largely unknown but they are approximated at the end of 1st Era or the early centuries of the 2nd.

From that change and onwards no shifts have been reported. The groups are as following:

Besides the twelve major fragments, lesser fragments travelled to the world of Arda for various reasons. Other seeking to gain followers, other intrigued by events, other simply by curiosity, others banished from their previous worlds or other seeking refuge from forces that want them perished. These Lesser fragments are not as powerful as the twelve gods and cannot sustain themselves by feeding from multiple plains. They are also referred as "local gods" and such local communities or events is what feeds them. They full extent of their power varies, but many estimate them to be equally strong as the first dragons. Lesser fragments are not widely known, even though they'd wish to be. Even if they could be amassing a large amount of followers, they prefer to be more subtle, to not incur the wrath of major fragments for stealing their energy. Some of the Lesser Fragments work as Patrons, offer power to individuals known as warlocks, in exchange of tasks or worship.

Necromancy is considered a taboo by most societies in the Lands of Arda. This comes from the fact that Necromantic magic was not a type of magic given and taught by the gods. At least that's the popular belief. The first traces of necromancy date back around the end of the first millennia of the 1st era. A few centuries after the gods left the world, a new type of magic that can control and defy death, started spreading its clutches around the world. The practitioners of that magic were investigated and told to stop further practice of necromancy. Some obeyed, some did not. Those who did not were later labelled as criminals, as nations passed laws that prohibited the use of necromancy. Qualified researchers and investigators tried to reach the bottom of this, trying to find how is it possible for such magic to exist when it was not made by the gods. After decades of searching, the origins were traced back to two books. Upon further search, the two books were found and confiscated by the authorities. One book was named "Book of Outworld Bewitching Secrets" and was taken by the government of Razorleaf, while the other was named "Book of Malevolent Bindings" and was taken by the authorities of the Golden Sands. Both books were reported to be sentient. They had the ability to converse with anyone touching them.  The sentience inside the books was able to teach magic that defied the known laws of magic, and was quickly corrupting the mind and soul of its readers. They were quickly sealed away, as they were deemed too dangerous. Research on them was cancelled.

Consequences

Even though, the books were sealed away at that time, the use of Necromancy was reduced but did not disappear. Knowledge of the forbidden magic was released and was hard to contain. Several nations put stricter laws in place. Necromancers who are caught are often hunted down and punished by the authorities, as they are viewed as dangerous criminals who have defied the laws of the gods. Despite the severe consequences, some practitioners still find ways to cast necromantic spells. The existence of the two sentient books that teach necromancy has made it possible for some to continue practicing this forbidden magic. It is rumored that there are secret societies of necromancers who study and practice the dark arts in secret, using the knowledge contained within the forbidden books. The use of necromancy has also had other consequences on the world. The dead have been known to rise from their graves and wander the lands, causing fear and panic among the living. This has led to many people seeking the aid of powerful clerics and paladins to combat the undead and put them to rest.

Gods feed of cosmic energy. How do they get this energy, though, is the real question. The answer is simple, yet shocking. By using their creations as countless little factories. Same with every other world they have created, the Lands of Arda work the same way. Fragments (gods) arrived and created sentient beings that will say prayers in their name, act on their behalf, or simply perform tasks. Thus, all races were designed according to one or more fragment's design, to return as much cosmic energy as possible in the long term. Elves were made to have a natural love for nature, because Laia benefits from that. Orcs are naturally evil, because Zeriax benefits from that. Gnomes are innately inventive because Iskar benefits from that, and so on, so on. Furthermore, the gods also feed from performing actions that associated with a concept they have blessed. For example the act of murder, every time performed, feeds cosmic energy Zeriax, Krevor, Dominaria and Izalith.

While there is a certain degree of freedom and evolution, most races have innate genes places by their creators that drive them towards certain actions or behaviors.

Consequences

To guarantee that their creations would keep feeding them back energy and would act according to their design, the gods made the genes of the different species incompatible with each other. Making it impossible to have offspring from genetically different parents. Two exceptions were made to this, and those were the offspring of an Elf with a Human and the offspring of an Orc and a Human. That way, each race maintained the original instincts and fed the original gods. Vary rarely, by divine intervention, a child from different species is conceived. These children develop powerful magic from early stage and are known as High Sorcerers, which are respected and feared by society.

Some creatures try to deviate from the genetics. While not impossible, it's a struggle against their very own nature and very difficult. Cases like that are definitely exceptions and often perceived as irregularities by their kin and others.

Humanoids often find the need to travel around. Whether it's for business, pleasure or necessity, the need of traveling is there. However, the world is not a safe place. Outside the safe confined of a city, all kinds of danger might be lurking around. From bandits and dire wolves, to hungry ogres and wyverns. To ensure some basic safety, people travel in groups, often hiring a travel escort group from the town's Adventuring guild. Trained adventurers in scouting and navigating the land, take responsibility for the travelers and get paid by the guild for their services. Such travelling is often done in slow pace as scouting takes time and detours to avoid monsters are often taken. For that reason, roads have never been popular, as they attract enough danger to not make the convenience worthwhile. The adventurers' fees depend on the guild, the distance of the trip and the area.

Sometimes the destination of the trip is across a large body of water. Things become substantially more costly when sailing is involved. Despite Tritons efforts to keep the seas safe, they are simply not enough to safeguard all vessels from the dangers of the seas. Naval transportation has been deemed more dangerous than any other way, and it's avoided unless no alternative is presented. Pirates of Blackden seemed to have found a way to make it less dangerous for them, but their secrets have not been revealed to the rest of the world. Most commercial shipments stay near the shorelines, avoiding the dangers of the deep waters and the pirates.

With both overland and sailing being that dangerous, nation were forced to explore other means. Turning to magic, initially simple Teleportation magic or circles were attempted to be used. Soon enough though they realized that magic coming from the land itself, becomes much weaker over large bodies of water, making the spells falter more often than not. Several nations agreed to work together and establish a gateway network that would allow teleportation between major cities. Early attempts failed as the giant magical portals, called "AposGates", were extremely magic consuming and unstable. After the Unknown was formed, with the distribution of the elven Power Cores, the AposGates worked much better, becoming stable. The amount of magic needed was still extreme, which made their usage very expensive. Each AposGate has a magical frequency which needs to be known to the users of another AposGate in order to connect the two. Some of the nations of Caldar joined the teleportation network, providing safe, fast but expensive travel between them, but some others decided that the magic of their power cores is better used elsewhere. The AposGate in Emberdaine is sometimes connected with an AposGate in the Eratus. Depending on the political situation between the two nations, the gate closes and opens.

Trying to imitate the functionality of the AposGates, some attempts have been made to establish two-way portals between other large cities, but there were no complete successes. Often failures, mishaps and expensive maintenance, have proven that there are project that needs further research.