Here is an easy to understand list of the alternative rules i am running in my games as Dungeon Master.

• What is a Critical Hit?
  • A critical hit in D&D 5th Edition is when a D20 is rolled for an attack roll and the result on the dice is a 20. This doubles the amount of damage dice you roll.

Brutal Critical:
When a critical hit is made, rather than rolling double the dice you instead maximize the possible damage done by the damage dice THEN roll damage dice as normal, adding the two together.
Both Friends and Foes have this rule in effect

Why this rule? This rule is added because players might get a critical then roll two '1's on their D10. this guarantees that a critical hit will always be more damage then a normal hit no matter what. Originally inspired by DM Kyle.

• What is a Skill Check?
  • A Skill check uses one of your many skills or your major stats. A roll of a D20 plus various bonus related to proficency and expertise equals the result of your skill check.

When rolling a D20 for a skill check friend or foe a critical failure (result of 1 on the D20) DOESN'T guarantee failure.
When rolling a D20 for a skill check friend or foe a critical success (result of 20 on the D20) DOESN'T guarantee success.

• NOTE: This only applies to Skill Checks. Not Saving throws or Attacks.

Why this rule? This Rule is implemented out of logic. some classes like to specialize in skill and some turn any result of the dice to be a minimum. Even on the result of a 1 a character may be so skilled that the result is still above 10 which means it may still succeed. Likewise some skills require a massive check due to their difficulty or absurdness. these should not be auto successes on a 20 even if it is hype.

• How do Potions work normally?
  • A potion is consumed using an action, the character then receives a flat amount of healing, then healing based on dice rolls dictated by the quality of the potion.

Better Potions:
ACTION: Potions may be used as an Action to receive the maximum possible healing.
BONUS ACTION: Potions can be used as a bonus Action to receive the standard D&D 5th Edition Healing amount.
THROWN: Potions can be thrown at a creature for healing requiring a successful attack roll.

• the creature takes the flat healing amount of the potion as damage as they are being struck by a glass bottle BEFORE Healing takes effect. The targeted creature must have at least 1HP to receive this healing

Why this rule? Potions kind of suck in Vanilla D&D way to expensive for unreliable effects. This aims to make them worth while and have more options giving them that Baulder's Gate 3 throwing option (But No AOE Healing), Feel free to increase their price as DM if using this rule.

• How is this different than the regular Massive damage rule found in the books?
  • Normally the rule requires a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 15 when the player takes more than half their maximum health from “A single source” I have altered it slightly so if a creatures takes more then half their health in a single turn they make the constitution saving throw.

System Shock:
When a creatures takes more than half their maximum health as damage in a single turn they must make a Constitution saving throw DC 15. on a failed save the player rolls a D10 to determine the result as their body goes into 'System Shock.“

• This is Less of a rule and more of a clarification of how I would handle a critical failure on an attack roll. Friend or Foe.

When a creature rolls a D20 that results in a 1 on an attack roll they will suffer a negative effect based on the situation such as dropping their weapon, tripping prone or taking damage.

Why this rule? As critical hits give hype boosts to Moral, Critical failure should have the opponent effect, It puts pressure on the party. It also applies to the ones they fight and its always funny when the troll gets a nat 1 ends up tripping and falling off the edge of a cliff.

• This List may remain Blank and entire campaign or be filled up as problems arise its up to the Dungeon master but should always be talked with the players about any restrictions. Spells should NEVER be flat out banned unless its unanimous in my opinion.

A list of specific spells that require their specific material components and cannot be ignored with a spell focus like normal, Materials with a gold cost still need to be paid.

• GoodBerry: Requires its listed component of Mistletoe.
  • Why?: The Abuse of this spell was expressed by players before the beginning of the campaign. as well as research online I decided to make the mistletoe component of this spell MANDATORY. so that situations of survival relating to scarcity of food couldn't be ignored.

Different to Inspiration points
Characters may receive Hero points at the end of a session based on Role play and actions performed.

• Players can use these Hero points to commit almost any crazy action they can think up so long as it can be justified in as logical or entertainingly absurd way.
• Hero points vanish at the end of a session if not used.
• One hero point can be banked at the beginning of the session and can likewise be retrieve from bank if the player has no Hero points.
• A Limit of 2 Hero Points are handed out each end of session
• Secret effects only the Dungeon master knows.

Tips for Using Hero Points
Never plan your hero point use. its supposed to used for a major heroic moment or to correct a major mistake in the moment. Thinking and reacting in the moment is the key to good Hero Point use. and a Hero point's success is entirely based off how well your role play and how a hero point can be justified wither with logic, entertainment or both.

• Its not a silver bullet, a Hero Point can't solve everything.

Taken from Viva Dirt League's NPC D&D cause its a cool idea.

If players fail a skill check they can choose (If Dungeon Master Allows) to 'Take 20'
Depending on the skill check as dictated by the Dungeon Master they can allow the players 20 Un-interrupted Minuets in game time to automatically succeed on a skill check.
This may not be possible due to the nature of the task or environment it is up to the Dungeon master as each situations arises.

• Example: A Door is locked and the Rogue failed to lockpick it on their initial check. If the area is safe to do so and the door has no other unknown variables the Rouge can instead spend 20 Minuets to open the door instead as they work on the lock.

Why this rule? This allows players to retry a skill check with a time penalty. things such as trying to unlock a door or move rubble. The idea is if you have the time to attempt something EVENTUALLY the player should be able to do it, such as knocking down a wooden door by whacking it over and over as it slowly crumbles.

If a spell requires a specific component with a gold value players can instead use the raw gold amount rather than the specific material if they don’t have the specific material.
In game the gold is converted to the item listed on the spell. Such as a gemstone or unique resource. so spells that do not consume the resource the player still looses the gold but gains the required item for future spell casts.

Why this rule? This makes spell casters more streamline with casting spells. Though Spells that do not consume the item but rather require an item with gold value as the tool (Such as Identify requiring an item worth 100 Gold but does not consume it) I like to flavour that the gold is transformed into the tool. the player looses the gold but gains an item worth the amount for use with that spell.

With the 2024 Rules being Released this is now part of the core rules making this house rule defunct
Your characters gain a bonus feat as part of your background, this replaces the Background feature you would normally get. It cannot be an Abilities Score improvement and should relate to your background in someway. I use this rule even when not running the 2024 revision.

Using Foundry VTT means its easy to track the weight of items on party members. Meaning if players hit their maximum load their speed is reduced to 0 as they have “Reached their Limit”

Taken from Viva Dirt League's NPC D&D cause its a cool idea.
When a skill, attack, save or otherwise results in a tie (example: Attack roll matching the Armor class) the result will always act positively in the players favour.

Why this rule? Cause the Players are the main characters and they should have a bit of story luck on their side.

To Much Extra Math to keep track of and with several new mechanics such as weapon mastery and Masterworks this idea isn't really viable anymore
A idea from Draw Steel's system where rolling less than the target's AC no longer means a miss. If the attack roll is within 'a Quarter down' the target's AC it will do half damage instead. If the attack roll is less than 'A Quarter down' of the target's AC then it misses.

• Example: (AC 20, Attack, Roll + Bones = 20+ Hit) (Attack, Roll + Bonus = 19-15 Half Damage) (Attack, Roll + Bonus = 14 or less, Miss)

Why this rule? Missing an attack sucks it can feel like you wasted your turn, so I though extending the threshold of a hit but reducing the damage may make those attacks that just missed feel better to the players, It was inspired by Draw Steel's system.

Taken from Viva Dirt League's NPC D&D cause its a cool idea.
Rather than just casting the revivify or similar spell on a player after they got bifurcated and roasted by a red Dragon this rule adds a bit more stakes to death and reviving players.
The spell requires the same time and costs but there is now a DC check to see if the soul returns. This DC starts at 10 by default.

Players take an opportunity to role play their characters trying to convince the dead character's soul to return to the mortal realm. Each player making the attempt choses a skill and then takes the moment to RP with that skills themes, Such as Persuasion, Deception, intimidation etc.
The player then rolls a skill check with the DC being determined by how well the Dungeon Master thinks the rolling player's role play attempt was (DC= 5 Really well done, 10 Pretty well done, 15 Not very well done, 20+ Didn't really try).

Each successful roll from other players lowers the revivify DC by 2 to a minimum of 1. once the players have concluded their checks the DM rolls a flat D20 in public view if successful the player is revived as normal per the spell's effects. if not the soul is lost to what ever afterlife they had waiting.

Why this rule? Reviving a Dead player should be, in my opinion much more dramatic, a bigger event in a session tat simply casting an expensive spell. seeing it in action wen watching Viva Dirt League's camping was really cool and i wanted to implement it into my campaigns, but this only applies to players, reviving NPCs doesn't need such dramatic flair.

Strongholds & Follower's Mechanic
An extended rest is detailed as a rest over a week. used in the book to recover various unique abilities found in the book. This rule is going to implement the use of an Extended rest more often. Where is an Extended Rest Used?

• To Recover a single lingering injuriy a character must complete an Extended Rest. (See Variant Rule 16)
• To convert XP Collected into XP earned the player must complete an Extended Rest triggering a level up at the end of the rest if enough XP was earned.
• To Recover the use of Strong-Hold Features and other long term recovery features

Why this rule? This feature is a cool one and I wanted it to apply to more situations. 8 Hours of rest for a full heal always felt a bit off to me so to have a new longer rest seems fitting. I also had the problem of players rushing in blindly to combat without much fear or stakes so I hope this will encourage a bit more caution and planning before running in blindly.

Players and NPS's alike can suffer lingering injuries, this is a normal alternative rule in the Player's handbook but I have altered it slightly to have more opportunities to be applied. When can i suffer a Lingering Injury?

• When suffering a Critical hit a Lingering Injury is guaranteed
• When dropping to 0hp & Falling unconscious because of it a Lingering Injury is guaranteed.
• When suffering 'Massive Damage' (See variant rule 4) a Lingering Injury is guaranteed.

How Can I Heal a Lingering Injury? Lingering Injuries need time and resources to heal, such as multiple days of healing magic therapy or a steady douse of prescribed medication OR the highest tiers of Healing Magic.

• Lingering injuries persist until an Extended rest (See Variant Rule 15) is complete. Once complete one Lingering injury is cleared from the character.
• Healing Class magic cast at 8th level or higher may recover a lingering Injury dependent on situation.
• Other outside sources may be used by the DM to offer healing for Lingering injuries. (A Strange isolated shaman in the middle of a dungeon. an odd potion with unknown origins etc)

Why this rule? Too add more consequence for being reckless in combat and adding another layer of depth to what to do after combat. Big battles where multiple players went down but they managed to pull through, after a long rest everyone is right as rain, so this is to enforce the 'licking wounds & recovery' state after such a massive battle, the next move should be done carefully not just long rest onto the next one.

Taken from Viva Dirt League's NPC D&D cause its a cool idea.
Xp is collected by players defeating monsters, completing tasks/quests or other sources. but collected XP is not permanent until an 'Extended Rest' is complete.

• Any collected XP is converted to Gained XP at the completion of an 'Extended Rest'
  • Gained XP enables the character to level up
• If a character reaches 0hp and falls unconscious because of it they loose Half their total collected XP (XP still yet to be converted by an 'Extended Rest')

Actually Levelling Up Once a character has Gained XP enough for a level up they must complete a levelling up montage over a number of days equal to the level they are levelling up to (Minimum of 3 Days)

• Example: Levelling up from 5 to 6 the character must complete a 6 Day 'Training Montage' before the level up takes effect.

Why this rule? This was added for two main reasons, To add a bit more depth to levelling up requiring a bit of time management and planning and then to allow for a bit of spotlight role play on how a player manages a level up.

Played around wit the alternate initiative rules before and as a DM i really like it it keep combat tempo up, allows players to plan and makes sure no player is falling asleep at the table cause they are not paying attention util its their turn.
How it was used during the testing phase
a single player would roll 1 D10. on the result of a 6 or higher Players go first. less and the Foes go first then it alternates between each group back and forth after each side has a turn, going down the list of combatants in any order they wish until everyone has had a turn, then the round resets.
How it will be used for D&D going forward and reasons why Players can nominate someone in their team to be the initiative roller, a character that may have high dexterity or other bonuses to initiative.

• Nominated player rolls an initiative roll being a D20.
  • After adding their bonuses (Additions, Advantage etc) if the result is a 14 or higher the players go first.
  • Initiative order continues as previously established alternating between players and Foes in any order they wish.

The main changes here is that the Dice is being changed back to a D20 for the theming sake of playing D&D, and a character's initiative bouses no longer go to waste being able to boost the nominated roll.

Why this rule? This allows for creative teamwork opportunities being able to time attacks in tandem with one another. prioritize certain actions etc. Players also tend to zone out and don't pay attention in normal D&D initiative. this means players need to pay more attention during combat, not all players are guilty of this but enough where i felt like something should be done.

Food is not made equal, Rations and bland sustenance created with magic is not the same as a well cooked meal by a experienced cook or purchased from a tavern and some food is even magical in nature.

• When a player spends 1 hour to sit down and have a well crafted meal, purchased from a tavern or prepared by an experienced cook they gain temporary hit points equal to an amount rolled by half their Hit dice + 15 that lasts until lost or the next dawn.
• Note: Hit dice are not spent

Testing

(In Development, not Active)

The idea behind this rule is to make different flavours of damage actually do different things. Making elemental and different damage types more interesting. Its Also designed to encourage teamwork more as talking with allies about stacking the required sources of damage to trigger a depuff .

How it Works
Friend or Foe, if they suffer three (3) instances of damage of the same type (Slashing, Fire etc) in a row then the creature must make a constitution saving through (DC = 10*) if they fail, they suffer a debuf related to the triggering damage type.

• In a Row?: Yes in a row, this means if friend or foe is hit with a DIFFRENT type of damage than the damage its already stacked with, the counter resets. (Example, Foe has been hit by two fire attacks, so has 2 stacks of fire, if they are then hit by a lightning attack they loose the stacks of fire and rest back to 1 lightning stack.)
• Wait! What about attacks that deal multiple types of damage?: Good question, The stack gained from an attack that deals multiple types of damage it will be the highest source of type damage can be chosen by the creature dealing the damage. (A Flaming sword does 7 slashing damage and 4 fire damage, The attacker can choose weather to apply a stack of fire OR a stack of slashing)
• Resistance and Weakness?: If a creature is resistant or immune to a particular damage type then they cannot suffer the debuffs related to that particular damage type. If a creature is weak to a particular damage type they have disadvantage on the Constitution Saving throw when a debuff is applied.

Slashing Blades slice through flesh over and over, the target is loosing blood rapidly now, effective is the blade that cuts on its own.

• Debuff: Bleeding (Stackable)
• A Bleeding creature takes a number of 1d4 (Equal to the Bleeding Creature's Proficiency bonus) Bleeding damage at the end of each round.
  • Each stack of Bleeding can be cured when the bleeding creature receives 10HP worth of healing OR If restored to full health.

Bludgeoning Break through their fortitude, Their mind a daze, wide open, Quickly! Make the next strike count!

• Debuff: Break
• A Creature suffering from Break has its critical threshold reduced by five (5) (Down to 15 unless characters has another features reducing it further).
  • The Break Debuff lasts until the end of the round OR a critical hit is made at which point break status is removed.

Piercing Gaps in their armour, openings in their scales. A thin blade with the force of a ram, that aught pierce through!

• Effect: Partial AC Ignore.
• Weapons dealing piercing damage ignore 1 or 2 points of AC.

Fire The fires of hell burn the flesh, Even after the flames subside the flesh wounds and weeps, It screams when disturbed, Press the advantage!

• Debuff: Burn
• Creatures suffering a Burn takes 1d6 Burn damage at the start of their turn and once per turn when attacked or moved forcibly.
  • Removed when receiving at least 10hp of healing or fully healed.

Cold The unforgiving cold, deep and dark, they can't escape it, they mind screams to move by their body numb and flesh cold as death.

• Debuff: Frozen
• A Creature who is frozen reduces their movement speed to 0 and automatically fail dexterity saving throws.
  • Frozen creatures are freed at the end of the next round.

Lightning The cracking of the sky as light burns from the heavens, But this light is no divine power, it is a raw unstoppable force of nature.

• Debuff: Shocked
• Shocked creatures loose their Bonus action & Reaction.
  • The Shocked Debuff ends at the end of the creatures turn.

Force

• Shoved
• When a Shove debuff is triggered the creature is moved backwards from the triggering attack a number of feet equal to the triggering damage rounded to the nearest 5ft. Then the creature is forced Prone.
• Force Damage deals double damage to objects and Buildings.

Necrotic

• Wither (Stackable)
• A Creature suffering a Wither Debuff has their Max HP reduced by 20%. to a minimum of 1 HP
  • This Debuff is treated as a lingering injury and must be cured at an extended rest or LV 8+ curative magic.

Poison

• Poisoned (Active)
• A Creature poisoned in this way suffers 1d10 poison damage at the end of each round. or every 6 seconds out of combat.
  • A Poisoned creature remains poisoned until they are cured using a suitable spell or antidote.
  • Death dose not cure poison, a Creature revived from death will still be poisoned.

Acid

• Corrosion
• When corrosion is triggered it reduces the creatures weapon and/or armour's base stats by 1 stage. For weapons it reduces the damage dice size by 1 (a D8 reduces to a D6) for armour it reduces the base AC by 1
• If reduced bellow 1d4 the weapon is destroyed (non destroyed but damage weapons can be repaired)
• if armor is reduced to 10AC base the armour is destroyed. (non destroyed but damage armor can be repaired)
  • Magic items have advantage on the save and are not completely destroyed but become un-useable when threshold is reached.

Psychic

• Mind Break
• Creatures suffering a Mind Break Debuff have their concentration broken automatically. (Spell Concentration)
• The creature will fail the next saving throw they need to make (This effect is cured at the end of the creatures next turn)
• If you were concentrating on a spell you cannot cast it again until you finish a long rest

Radiant

• Punishment (Stackable)
• Reduces a creatures highest main stat by 2 points. Treated as a Lingering Injury and must be cured at a Extended Rest