Instead, a character can add his or her proficiency bonus to any ability check to which the character’s prior training and experience (reflected in the character’s background) reasonably applies. Anything that would grant the character a skill or tool proficiency provides no benefit. With this variant rule, characters don’t have skill or tool proficiencies. For example, a character can’t choose to emphasize persuasion or intimidation he or she is equally adept at both. This option removes skills from the game and doesn’t allow for much distinction among characters. If the character would gain an additional skill proficiency, that character instead selects another ability check in which to gain proficiency. Selecting an ability counts as two of the character’s Expertise choices. At 1st level, instead of choosing two skill proficiencies, a character with the Expertise class feature chooses one of the abilities in which he or she has proficiency. The Expertise feature works differently than normal under this rule. Starting at 1st level, a character adds his or her proficiency bonus to any ability check tied to one or the other of these two abilities.Ībility Check Proficiencies by Class Classĭexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma The Ability Proficiencies by Class table suggests a proficiency for each class, and you choose which ability is tied to a given background. Instead, each character has proficiency in two abilities: one tied to the character’s class and one tied to the character’s background. With this variant rule, characters don’t have skill proficiencies.
Rules and game elements that override the rules for concentration, reactions, bonus actions, and magic item attunement can seriously unbalance or overcomplicate your game. No matter what a rule’s source, a rule serves you, not the other way around.īeware of adding anything to your game that allows a character to concentrate on more than one effect at a time, use more than one reaction or bonus action per round, or attune to more than three magic items at a time. If the rule or game element isn’t functioning as intended or isn’t adding much to your game, you can refine it or ditch it. If you’re confident that the answer to both questions is yes, then you have nothing to lose by giving it a try. Consider trying no more than one or two of the options at a time so that you can clearly assess their effects on your campaign before adding other options.īefore you add a new rule to your campaign, ask yourself two questions: Each option represents a different genre, style of play, or both. Some of them are variants of rules, and others are entirely new rules.
The options in this chapter relate to many different parts of the game. This chapter contains optional rules that you can use to customize your campaign, as well as guidelines on creating your own material, such as monsters and magic items.
As the Dungeon Master, you aren’t limited by the rules in the Player’s Handbook, the guidelines in these rules, or the selection of monsters in the Monster Manual.