Variant Rules (Dragon Ball Supplement)

Variant Rules

The following are writeups and links to various variant rules this campaign should use.

Attack Clashes

When a creature is targeted by a damaging spell, technique, or similar effect, they can use their reaction to initiate an attack clash with a similar effect (melee weapon, ranged spell, saving throw etc) if within range. Both creatures immediately roll damage for their respective attacks. The higher roll deals damage equal to the difference between the two rolls; if the damage rolls tie, no damage is dealt. If charging an attack, they can use the charged technique instead. Both then roll a d20 using their spellcasting modifiers, with advantage to the attack causing higher damage. An attack dealing less than half the other automatically fails. In case of a tie, the current turn ends, and both must maintain the clash on their turns as an action or automatically fail. When maintaining, they roll damage again, halve it, add it to the total, and roll again if possible. The winner resolves their attack as if they succeeded, provided the target is within the area or directly targeted. If the attack requires a saving throw, the loser automatically fails.

For example, creature A makes an unarmed attack against creature B, and B initiates an Attack Clash. B also makes an unarmed strike. A deals 9 damage, and B deals 28, thus, B wins the clash, dealing 19 damage to A. Additionally, B turns it into a Massive Hit, and knocks them back 15 feet.

Another example. Creature A is currently charging a Spirit Bomb, and Creature B makes a ki blast attack against them, turning it into a Death Beam. A uses their reaction to initiate a Attack Clash, and instead of making a ki blast attack, they use their currently charging Spirit Bomb. A deals 70 damage, and B deals 30, less than half of A's Spirit Bomb causing A to win. They must now use their Spirit Bomb, with B being in the radius.

Otherworldly

Dying usually isn't the end of things here, as there are various ways to return to life, to be brought into the living world for short periods of time, or even enjoy your time in the otherworld with an actual physical body. That put aside, that body is not as limited as you would otherwise be when in your live body. When in an otherworldly body, your ki point maximum doubles, if you don't have ki, you gain an amount of ki equal to your level which can be used as any equivalent currency you have, if you have no equivalent currency it may be used as twice as much temporary hit points. Furthermore, your Constitution is reduced by 4.

Beyond Mortal

At level 21, all characters gain half proficiency (rounded down) on all saving throws that they're not proficient on.

Better Armor Class

At levels beyond 20, characters have high modifiers and proficiency bonuses, with the proficiency bonus especially causing the numbers to skyrocket out of control, and making it always possible to hit any target, which can disrupt game balance. To address this issue, add +5 to the AC of all CR/level 21+ creatures, including players, and +10 to CR/level 30+ ones. This adjustment helps maintain challenge and somewhat balance in high-level play.

Variable Speed and Damage Threshold

For each point above 0 a creature has in their Dexterity modifier or Strength modifier, their speed increases by +5 feet per Dexterity point or per two Strength points. For a similar decrease in any of these scores, apply an equal speed penalty. Only the highest bonus and lowest penalty yield between each one of the two is applied, not both (For example a character with +1 dexterity and +2 strength would get a +5 to speed not +10, and a character with +1 dexterity and -1 strength would get a +0 to speed, due to the penalty that strength yields).

Speed Bonuses/Penalties from transformations are calculated separately from those from the base ability scores and are solely based on the transformation's bonuses to the modifier not a character's total modifier.

Additionally every character has a damage threshold equal to twice their Strength modifier, where if they are dealt damage below this threshold they do not take any damage, but if they take damage equal to or above this threshold they take damage as normal.

Beam Jumps

When firing a beam at something, instead of dealing damage, you can instead propel yourself. When doing so, they move a number of feet in any direction equal to (the beam’s length × its width) ÷ 10, rounded down to the nearest 5. When attempting to land or grab onto an object, even if it would not incur falling damage, they must succeed a DC 12 Dexterity or Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, they fall prone or fail to grab the object.

Super Destructive Blast

Charging techniques can achieve devastating destructive power, capable of destroying mountains, moons, and even planets. This rule allows characters to unleash immense destruction on inanimate objects and landscapes without disrupting the balance of encounters involving creatures.

When using a charging technique, at specific points during the charge-up process, it becomes capable of immense destruction. The additional range and damage mentioned affect only objects and structures, not creatures. For techniques with Ki Points, Enhanced Charging's extra cost counts to the requirement, and for techniques without Ki (Such as Spirit Bomb and Revenge Death Ball) the rounds are counted instead as follows.

• Charging Requirements:

• 10 Ki Points or 5 Rounds for techniques without ki: Increases the attack's magnitude significantly. The length and width (if applicable) of the attack increase by 500 times the current range in feet, affecting only objects in the additional range and dealing double damage to them.

• 15 Ki Points or 10 Rounds for techniques without ki: Converts the attack's range into the current range of the technique in miles, affecting only objects in the additional range and dealing triple damage to them.

• 20 Ki Points or 15 Rounds for techniques without ki: Extends the attack's range to ten times the current range in miles, affecting only objects in the additional range and dealing quadruple damage to them.

• 30 Ki Points or 25 Rounds for techniques without ki: Extends the attack's range to a hundred times the current range in miles, affecting only objects in the additional range and dealing quintuple damage to them.

• Effect on Techniques:

• Techniques with Length and Width (e.g., beams): Both dimensions increase by the specified multiplier, with the option to omit increasing width.

• Techniques with Only Width (e.g., orbs): The width increases by the specified multiplier, with the option to omit increasing width.

One Currency System

While ki acts in a vacuum mechanically in 5e, in canon it's something of a universal lifeforce. This variant rule is intended to bring that concept into reality.

• Reiki and soul points are equal to ki points.
• Chakra points, mana points, huntsman aura points, ice points, and fire points are worth half as many ki points.
• nen user aura points are worth one fifth as many ki points.
• reishi, reiryoku, and psychic power are worth a quarter as many ki points.
• RC cells and alchemical stamina are worth two fifths as many ki points.
• hardening uses and Mystic Eyes points are worth twice as many ki points.
• Wish points are worth one sixth as many ki points.
• The ratio between Ki and Spell slots is as follows:

Spell Slot	Ki Cost
1st level	1 ki
2nd level	2 ki
3rd level	3 ki
4th level	4 ki
5th level	5 ki
6th level	8 ki
7th level	10 ki
8th level	12 ki
9th level	15 ki

Optional Rules

Additional Clash Reactions

On its turn, a creature can give up its action and/or bonus action to gain an extra reaction specifically for an Attack Clash until the start of its next turn. The total reactions gained this way can’t exceed the number of attacks it could normally make on its turn. If using these attacks would normally require spending a resource, it costs twice as much for each extra reaction. This offers a tactical choice when anticipating incoming attacks.

Classic Martial Arts Die

This variant rule is intended for DMs who just want their players to hit a little harder without using techniques at higher levels. Whenever your Martial Arts die increases, instead of changing the size of the die used, you instead roll 1 additional d4.

Alternative Unarmed Die

If you want to ‘improve’ the Unarmed Die but don't want to use the d4s, you can use this optional rule. It doesn't achieve the same power as d4s, but at the same time it prevents techniques from becoming too ‘powerful’, since some techniques benefit from unarmed dice.

You raise the Tier of the Unarmed Die by 1 (d4 -> d6 -> d8 -> d10 -> d12). Follow the normal table of unarmed dice, this will make the die start at 1d6 and end at 4d12.

More Ki

In this game, creatures tend to run out of ki quickly when spending it every turn. This optional rule is for DMs who want characters to rely less on charging ki or using non-ki abilities. Double the maximum ki points of every creature, and any increase or decrease to their maximum ki points is doubled in the same way.

Zeni and Other Currency

In the world of Dragon Ball, the normal Coins from D&D does not exist and other races have other Currency Systems. This rule can be used to better represent this part of the World.

Zeni: Inspired by the real world currency used in Japan (Yen), is the Currency used on Earth/by Earthlings, making it a currency that can only be used while interacting with Earthlings. 1 Zeni = 2 Copper Pieces, 5 Zeni = 1 Silver Pieces and 50 Zeni = 1 Gold Piece.

Pol: Used by the Freeza Empire, Pol are small hand sized "Sticks", There are three types of Pol: gold, silver/platinum, and dark blue. It is kept in dispensers. The value in Zeni was never stated, this allows the GM to choose between values that 1 Gold Pol worth in Zenis. The recommended value is 1 Gold Pol is worth 1 Gold Piece/50 Zenis, 1 Platinum Pol is worth 10 Gold Pol and 1 Dark Blue Pol worth 10 Platinum Pol.

Gammets/Alien Currency: Only show in the Dragon Ball GT, Gammets are the currency used in Planet Imecka. it was never stated in any source how much 1 Gammets worth in Zeni Currency, this allows the GM to choose between values that 1 Gammets are worth in Zenis. The recommended value is 1 Gammet is worth between 10 and 100 Zeni.

Hercule Badge: In GT Timeline Due to Earth setting to explode as a result of Baby's recent use of the Black Star Dragon Balls, the Dragon Team enlisted Mr. Satan to convince the people of Earth to cooperate with the evacuation to Planet Tuffle. Mr. Satan tells the people of Earth that those wearing his special badges to help them identify those "assigned" by him to assist with the evacuation. By this reason, it was never used as true currency in GT canon, but in Games like the Xenoverse series, they are used as reward that can be exchanged for Zenis. If a GM desire to use the Hercule Badges in campaign, the values are the following for it:

• Hercule Badge (Common) - A common badge worth 500 Zeni.
• Hercule Badge (Uncommon) - A uncommon badge worth 1500 Zeni.
• Hercule Badge (Rare) - A rare badge worth 4000 Zeni.
• Hercule Badge (Very Rare) - A super rare badge worth 7500 Zeni.
• Hercule Badge (Legendary) - A legendary golden badge worth 15000 Zeni.

More Technique Slots

In this game, creatures that uses the Martial Artist have a amount of Technique slots equal to thier proficiency bonus, with the possibility to mix and match techniques by changing in rests. This optional rule is for DMs who wants characters to have more techniques and less focus in rests to change said techniques. The Technique Slots for the Martial Artist is the Intelligence Modifier (Minimum of 0) + Proficiency Bonus, if you have a negative bonus (i.e: -1), the Technique Slots are not decreased by it. This way, the character has a reason to upgrade the Inteligence score in the setting.

Also using this optional rule, you can change half of your maximum technique slots per long rest in Technique and transformation increases for Intelligence Modifier does not count for your maximum slots.

Cooperation Technique

With this optional rule, multiple creatures can use non-Transformation techniques they know in conjunction with a partner. When a creature uses a Technique or charge a technique, any other willing creatures within 5 feet can use their Reactions to follow up with a technique that it knows. These creatures must have a technique with a similar effect (such as a melee/ranged attack, saving throw, etc.). A creature that is 5 feets away from the creature that spent its reaction for this rule does not allow or count other creatures adjacent to it to do the same.

All creatures that used it's Reaction, must spend 2/3 of the technique’s initial and charging cost (rounded up) if theres any. Each creature that uses its Reaction adds an additional 1/3 of the technique’s damage die to the final damage roll. If the technique used requires charging, all creatures must concentrate on charging. The Ki attack bonus and DC for this technique are the average of all creatures involved. If any creature loses concentration, the technique fails for all creatures.

Any feat or technique that affects a technique can only be used once, even if another creature could use the effect. For example, if creature Y uses Mouth Energy Wave, creatures X and Z cannot use the same technique. However, creature Z may choose to apply a Ki Adept effect instead, now creature X can't use Ki Adept nor can use Mouth Energy Wave. Additionally, if a technique would allow movement or move the creature using it, all other creatures move along with it.

All creatures share the cost of the additional effect, dividing it equally among them (with a minimum of 1 Ki Point per creature).

Martial Artist Style

The Martial Artist class has been designed to be "subclass-less," allowing players to freely pick and choose their abilities. However, if you'd like to introduce something akin to subclasses for your players or characters, this rule was created specifically to accommodate that.

Ki Charge feels OP?

The Martial Artist was obviously created to be used in a Dragon Ball Setting and this has influenced the features of the class, but some people may want to create a character who uses such a class outside of a Dragon Ball setting or some GM may feel that the Ki Charge feature it's too strong. in which case the character ends up excelling in spending and recovering a lot of points when they reach lv14, where they acquire the ‘Ki Charge’ feature, making their Ki basically infinite, which works inside the Dragon Ball Setting, but not outside of it.

If you GM feels that in his campaign, whether it's in the Dragon Ball setting or not, the Ki Charge feature is too OP, the following change is made:

Now the Ki Charge feature has uses equal to the Character Proficiency modifier, which said uses are recovered on a long rest.

This way, in a normal setting where a character that has the Dragon Ball class, it won't outperform other characters. Also this rule is made to make the class more balanced within a non-dragon ball setting.

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