Variant Rules (Forgotten Lands Supplement)

Non-Combat Varient Rules

Weapon Condition

The statistics below represent weapons in their peak condition. In the wasteland, this is rarely the case. There are 4 stages of condition that weapons can be in. If a player has two of the same weapon or otherwise substantial weapon parts, they may attempt a DC 15 Arcana check to repair their weapon, increasing its condition by 1 tier. At the end of combat or when their weapon is damaged, one must make a DC 12 Arcana check with the weapon they are using. On a failure, their weapon degrades by 1 tier.

• Pristine: The weapon functions perfectly normally.
• Degraded: The weapon’s ranges are decreased by 5 feet. Its cost is 1/4 less than normal
• Poor: The weapon deals 2 less damage and its ranges are 10 feet less. It costs 1/3 less than normal.
• Damaged: The weapon deals 4 less damage and its ranges are 20 feet less. It costs 1/2 less than normal.
• Broken: The weapon can not be used.

Character Conditions

• Bleeding (activates on all damage types except magic).
• Infection.
• Critical Hit Table.
• Stacking Advantage.
• You regain 1/4 of your hit die maximum at the end of a long rest.

Combat Varient Rules

Moving on Another Creature's Turn

Generally, in 5e, most movement beyond the typical 30 feet goes to waste in combat. This variant rule intends to make movement more fluid in combat, and give players a reason to save their movement speed.

During the initiative, a creature can move on any creature's turn. If they move on a turn that is not their own, they must spend twice as many feet of movement for every foot moved. Creatures can not move while a player is declaring their actions or determining the results of said actions, but can move while they are declaring their movement. Rather than regaining their movement on their turn, creatures regain their movement at the top of the turn order.

Stamina Points

Stamina points are expended mainly to make called shots, for certain class features, and for a few magic items. Only characters of certain classes gain stamina points.

Any character with stamina points can expend them in place of magic points. Doing so simply requires expending 1 stamina point for every 1 magic point that would need to be expended, but doing so is extra taxing on one so any stamina points used in this way do not replenish until the character completes a long rest. Otherwise, stamina points are fully replenished upon completing a short rest.

Called Shots

Just before making an attack roll with a weapon or an unarmed strike, a player-character can make a called shot either by expending 2 stamina points or by taking disadvantage on the attack roll. One cannot make a called shot if the attack roll would have disadvantage anyway.

A called shot generally aims for wherever the target is most vulnerable, such as gaps in a warrior's armor, or the large eye of an exposed insect. This kind of called shot maximizes the damage dice rolled on a hit (e.g., treating 1d8 as simply 8), including any extra dice rolled as part of a critical hit or from other sources.

Arcana Points

Spell Level	Arcana Cost
1st	2
2nd	3
3rd	5
4th	6
5th	7
6th	9
7th	10
8th	11
9th	12

Spell Points variant rule described on page 288 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, referred to in this setting as Arcana Points.

Arcana Points are used primarily to cast spells and replace spell slots in this setting. Casting a spell requires the expenditure of a specific number of Arcana points.

Initially, casting a spell requires expending a number of points equal to 1 + spell level. From 3rd-level spells up, it requires 2 + spell level. From 6th level spells up, it requires a 3 + spell level.

A character can cast a spell at a higher level than normal by expending additional Arcan points. For example, casting magic missile, a 1st-level spell, normally costs 2 Arcana points. It can be cast as a 3rd-level spell, improving its damage output, by expending the Arcana points needed to cast a 3rd-level spell— which is 5 Arcana points.

Spells of 6th level and higher are particularly taxing to cast. Once a character casts a spell of 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th level, the character cannot cast a spell of that level again until after completing a long rest, even if there are Arcna points to spare.

Arcana points are fully restored after a long rest. Some class features and magic items can restore a limited amount of Arcana points.

Armor Variant Rules

Armor Overview

Unlike traditional Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition, the armor class is handled in a piecemeal system similar to Partial Armor (5e Variant Rule). Your base AC is 10 + your Dexterity modifier. This can be increased by wearing the armor listed below. You can either wear one of each piece of armor or an undersuit and an oversuit. If you are wearing at least 1 Heavy piece of armor, you may not add your Dexterity modifier to your AC.

Weapon Variant Rules

Wisdom-based Initiative

When determining initiative order in combat, every participant makes a Wisdom check instead of a Dexterity check. initiative mostly represents the character’s ability to perceive enemies, detect threats, comprehend what they should do, and act on them. It is much less considered a measure of physical agility.

To help speed up combat, it is suggested that the DM have initiative scores for monsters rolled in advance.

Tables

Critical Hit Tables

Often in fiction, a character will have some wound or handicap from their past that, through their response to it, helps define their personality, and through its existence, can shape their future and be an obstacle in itself.

Less often, a character suffers this injury in the present time, as we watch, and we get to experience with them the change in their character and in their story.

Critical hit tables can allow some attacks to leave a lasting effect on a character, whether player character or NPC, affecting both the game's story and future combats.

Confirming a Critical Hit

When a critical hit is scored on an attack roll against a living creature with discernible anatomy (or, optionally, such a creature rolls a 1 on the d20 on a saving throw against an effect that deals damage) and that creature takes damage, roll another d20; if the attacking creature rolls another natural 20 (or the creature rolling the saving throw rolls another natural 1), the victim of the attack suffers, in addition to the extra damage, a randomly chosen setback dependent on the damage type that the attack or effect deals (unless the damage type is either force or poison). If the attack deals more than one kind of damage, the DM chooses which table to roll on for the effect.

Effects

Effects of setbacks last indefinitely unless marked as temporary. Many temporary effects are listed as "temporary -5" on a type of d20 roll; that penalty is reduced by 1 whenever the injured creature finishes a short rest until the penalty is reduced to 0. Effects not described as temporary can be cured by strong healing magic, such as Lesser Restoration or Greater Restoration, if listed, or Regenerate, in the case of dismemberment. Some effects can also be cured by another creature's Wisdom (Medicine) checks. Wisdom (Medicine) checks made on oneself have disadvantage. An effect can require multiple such checks; if so, each one takes an hour. Up to five attempts at these checks can be made per day, and once enough successes are rolled, roll a d4; the injury takes that many days to fully heal, after which its effects end.

The part of a creature's body that is affected by a confirmed critical hit is random by default, but at the DM's discretion, the possibilities may be limited by cover, the creature's anatomy, or another variable. Where an effect says "left/right," it affects that creature's left limb/appendage if the roll is odd and the right one if the roll is even; where it says "arm/hand", the order goes left arm, right arm, left hand, right hand.

Losing a Limb

If the damage dealt by the effect totals 30 or higher and one of the creature's limbs is rolled, that limb is removed; the same goes for fingers, though loss of fingers does not trigger the following effects. When a creature's limb is removed, it starts bleeding out and makes a DC 15 Constitution save. If it fails, it drops to 0 hit points, and the DCs for its death saves and for Medicine checks made to stabilize it become 15. If the creature makes the Constitution save, it loses 10 hit points at the start of each of its turns until either: it falls to 0 hit points; it receives 10 or more points of magical healing, which seals the wound; or a creature makes a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check to bandage the wound and slow the bleeding.

A bipedal creature that loses a leg has its speed halved, or has its speed reduced by 5 feet if it has the use of a crutch or similar aid. Whenever the creature uses the Dash action, it must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. A quadrupedal creature that loses one leg has its speed reduced by 10 feet.

Piercing: 1d10

• 1-2 Lose left/right eye. Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks involving sight, and temporary -5 on ranged attack rolls. Greater Restoration.
• 3-6 Punctured left/right arm/hand. Disadvantage on all d20 rolls made using it. Lesser Restoration/three DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) checks.
• 7-8 Punctured left/right leg. Halved speed. Lesser Restoration/three DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) checks.
• 9-10 Punctured left/right lung. Dash at half speed, and temporary -5 on weapon attack rolls. Lesser Restoration/three DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) checks.

Bludgeoning: 1d10

• 1 Concussion. Creature falls unconscious but wakes up if damaged again or if another creature uses an action to shake them awake, and has temporary -5 to all d20 rolls that apply an ability modifier other than Constitution. Lesser Restoration/DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check.
• 2-5 Broken left/right arm/hand. Disadvantage on all d20 rolls using it. Lesser Restoration/DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check.
• 6-7 Broken left/right leg. Halved speed. Lesser Restoration/DC 13 Wisdom (Medicine) check.
• 8 Broken ribs. Dash at half speed, temporary -5 on weapon attack rolls. Lesser Restoration/DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check.
• 9-10 1d2 broken left/right fingers. Disadvantage on all d20 rolls using that hand. Lesser Restoration/DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check.

Slashing: 1d10

• 1-2 Lose 1d2 left/right fingers. Temporary -5 on all d20 rolls using that hand.
• 3-6 Lacerated left/right arm/hand. Disadvantage on all d20 rolls using it. Lesser Restoration/two DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) checks.
• 7-8 Lacerated left/right leg. Halved speed. Lesser Restoration/two DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) checks.
• 9 Deep wound on torso. Creature starts bleeding out as if a limb had been removed.
• 10 Wound on torso. Lose 5 hit points at start of turn until either drop to 0 hit points (DC to stabilize is 13) or receive 5 points of magical healing in one turn.

Fire/Lightning: 1d6

• 1-2 Blind in left/right eye. Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks involving sight, temporary -5 on ranged attack rolls. Lesser Restoration.
• 3-5 Hair on fire (if applicable), take 2 fire damage at start of turn for 3 turns or until use action to extinguish. End of 3 turns, if not extinguished, lose hair.
• 6 Stunned until start of next turn.

Psychic: 1d6

• 1 Bad amnesia. Forget events of past 2d20 days. Lesser Restoration.
• 2 Amnesia. Forget events of past 1d20 hours. Lesser Restoration.
• 3-4 Temporary -5 on all d20 rolls that add the creature's Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier. Lesser Restoration.
• 5 Creature falls unconscious but wakes up if damaged again or if another creature uses an action to shake them awake.
• 6 Stunned until start of next turn.

Cold: 1d6

• 1-2 Blind in left/right eye. Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks involving sight, temporary -5 on ranged attack rolls. Lesser Restoration.
• 3-4 Frostbite. Left/right hand is useless. Unless the creature either receives 5 or more points of magical healing or gradually warms its hand in cold water within the next hour, it loses 1d2 fingers and gets temporary -5 on all d20 rolls using that hand.
• 5-6 Stunned until start of next turn.

Thunder: 1d6

• 1 Deafened, and stunned until start of next turn.
• 2 Deafened.
• 3-4 Deafened for 3d20 minutes.
• 5 Deafened for 1d6 minutes.
• 6 Stunned until start of next turn.

Radiant: 1d6

• 1 Blind until next long rest.
• 2-4 Disadvantage on all attack rolls for the next 3d4 hours.
• 5-6 Maximize all radiant damage on this attack.

Acid: 1d6

• 1-2 Lose left/right eye. Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks involving sight, and temporary -5 on ranged attack rolls. Greater Restoration.
• 3-4 Starting to lose left/right fingers. Disadvantage on all d20 rolls using that hand until the creature receives 5 or more points of magical healing; unless the creature receives it within next minute, it loses 1d2 fingers and gets temporary -5 on all d20 rolls using that hand instead of disadvantage.
• 5-6 Maximize all acid damage on this attack.

Necrotic: 1d6

• 1 Can't regain hit points and disadvantage on all saving throws until next long rest.
• 2-3 Can't regain hit points until next long rest.
• 4 Disadvantage on all saves for next minute.
• 5-6 Maximize all necrotic damage on this attack.

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