Mad Designs (House Rules)

[DM Spiral]

Here will be a list of various tweaks and adjustments I make the the Core rules set of Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.  Also listed below is a basic few general rules for playing in one of my games.  These rules are the most important to read and understand.

BASIC SPIRAL RULES

Rule #1:  I tell adult stories for adults.  Do not read any of my game threads if you are under 18.  There will be sex, graphic violence, drugs, and all sorts of nasty grown up shit that I don't feel like censoring.   With that in mind, Sexual situations should not be graphic Porn.  You can role-play the whole tender, undressing, making out and even subtly and tastefully mention how you are making love to another character/NPC. But do not post graphic in and out motions, noises or full on descriptions of fucking.  Don't need all that, we have internet porn for that shit.  If you are unsure how to do this, a simple few sentences like the following are a good example.  (They walked into their room, shut the door and fell into each others embrace.  They explored one another all night.  It was amazing.)   Done.  No further explanation needed.

Rule #2:  I'm not here to kill you, I'm here to tell a story with you.  BUT if the die rolls kill your character, its fate.  I use that as measure of plot twist.  I will be pretty upset if your character dies, (As I put a lot of work into telling a story for them) as I am sure you will be, but them's the breaks.  I will try any reasonable plot device to keep them alive or bring them back though.  The caveat to this is if you do something overly and literally stupid.   If you see me giving you a count down of some sort or replying with (...) and nothing else, then you're a few posts from either me letting you die or me killing you outright.  If you suddenly stop posting for more than a month and DO NOT tell me of your absence, I will kill your character off after a month.  Period.  So keep this in mind.  If you drop me a PM and say hey Spiral, I going to Europe for a year or getting deployed for the next six months, Hell even if your like, "I'm becoming a Buddhist monk and will be gone for four years in isolation",  Solid.  Your character is safe as long as you let me know something and will be waiting for you when you return.

Rule #3:  Don't break the Narrative.  It totally throws off my story brain if you post something in your story thread that isn't (IN Character)  that's what the OOC (Out-Of-Character) stands for after all.  I look at the threads and want a nice flow to the story so I can keep a rhythm going for you.   If you interrupt that rhythm its harder for me to get it going again.  Just as others who are reading your thread will be pulled out of the narrative as well and that's kinda like scraping your nails across a chalk board.  So please use OOC or PM's to talk about out of character or rules stuff.

Rule #4:  I have a low tolerance for bullshit.   So, don't come at me crazy, pissed, or whining about me or other players in any fashion.  If you have a problem with me or another player you can approach me about it.  You just need to speak to me about it logically and politely and if it can be addressed it will be.  It's not my intention to purposely upset anyone or put them in an environment in which they are uncomfortable, but in the same breath, You need to be polite about airing your grievances.   If your not, trust me when I say this, it will not go well for you and you will definitely not get the response you were hoping for. (Unless of course you wanted to get told off and thrown out of the game, then well, bravo.)

Rule #5:  Don't bring Out-Of-Character Drama into the Game.  I see my stories as self contained worlds and communities.  If you have a problem with someone outside my game.  I don't care.  Keep it to yourselves.  If you or that person try to bring that shit into my game and/or disrupts it in some fashion, I will kick you out of the game.   I have had people literally trying to cause fights between my players and not even BE a player in my game. (Shit blew my mind by the way.)  So yea,  that shit will get you booted or worse depending on how much bullshit I have to go through to get it to stop.

These are the basic rules of a Spiral Game.  More may eventually be added, but these are the basic guidelines.

[DM Spiral]

Basic Adjustments to 5th Edition. 


Critical Hits - I do not confirm critical hits.  The damage rolled is simply doubled on a critical. 

Hit Point Rolls - When you level, you roll for your hit points as normal.  If you roll less that half the die total, you automatically take half the die rating round up.  So a 1d10 would be minimum 5 hit points or a 1d6 would be minimum 3 hit points. If you roll under that, simply take half.

[DM Spiral]

SPELL CASTING RULES

---

Ritual Adjustments
The first and foremost modification to the spells are concerning Ritual Spells.  The following adjustments are listed below.
 
- Ritual spells are rare and hard to come by, meaning you cannot just choose them when you level up.  The Exception to this is that if your Character is actively Roleplaying (And this means several post worth) the study and research of such a spell in game, then they may choose it as one of the level up spells.
 
- Any spell with a casting time longer than 5 full round actions or 30 Seconds is considered a Ritual Spell.  Hence it cannot be cast in Combat unless stated otherwise.

- Many spells can be modified to be rituals, to check if a spell is allowed as Ritual please consult the DM. 


CLASS FEATURES

Ritual Casting: This allows the Spellcaster to memorize a number of Rituals equal to their Casting Modifier.  Rituals cannot be cast in combat and take at least 30 minutes per spell level of preparation. This feature also allows the player to record rituals in their spell books, (prayer books) for divine casters, (Grimoires) for Warlocks, (Book of Rites) for Druids, etc.  They can cast rituals directly from their respective books without need to memorize the ritual. The Ritual Casting feature can also be picked up by non casting classes, but they are limited to 1st level spells and cantrips. 

Divine Spellcasting:  Divine Spellcaster's do not pray directly for spells as per the basic rules.  Cleric and divine casters that pray to gods or higher powers carry prayer books.  Their spells are found and copied into these prayer books just as arcane casters copy spells into their spellbooks. They follow the same rules for prayerbooks as Wizards spellbooks.

Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting: Some Divine Spellcasters such as Druids and Shamans practice Spontaneous Spellcasting. They have a limited number of spells from their spells known list and can cast them using their available spell slots.  Additionally, a Divine Spontaneous Spellcaster can take a full 24 hours and go deep into meditation focusing on their source of magic or a newly discovered prayer scroll in order to change out their known spells. The spell must be of a level for which they have spell slots. Additionally when they gain a level, they may change one of their known spells out with another spell from the Druid's spell list, which also must be of a level of which they have spells slots.
 

Druid Level	Feature	Cantrips Known	Divine Spells Known
1st	Druidic, Spellcasting	4	3
2nd	Natural Attunement, Druidic Circle	4	3
3rd	-	4	4
4th	Natural Attunement Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	4	5
5th	-	5	6
6th	Druidic Circle feature	5	7
7th	-	5	8
8th	Natural Attunement Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	5	9
9th	-	5	10
10th	Druidic Circle Fearture	6	11
11th	-	6	12
12th	Ability Score Improvement	6	13
13th	-	6	13
14th	Druidic Circle Feature	6	14
15th	-	6	15
16th	Ability Score Improvement	6	16
17th	-	6	17
18th	Eternal Body, Attunement Mastery	6	18
19th	Ability Score Improvement	6	19
20th	Archdruid	6	20

Natural Attunement: This allows the druid to take a short rest to attune themselves the world around them. If the Druid enters a city of more than a hundred people, their attunement fades and they must attune themselves again once they leave the city. These abilities last only so long as they are within the type of environment that they are attuned too.  Once they leave it, so do the benefits leave them. This Gives the Druid various benefits as well as certain boosts to their magical and combat abilities depending on what type of land type they are attuned too.  Each time they gain this ability the bonus they gain increases by +1.  Additionally while attuned to a specific type of terrain, the Druid does not suffer from movement penalties due to natural terrain. As well they gain their Attunement bonus to spot dangers and natural hazards. 
- Deserts: When attuned to the Deserts, the druid gains immunity to Environmental Heat. As well as they gain their attunement bonus to all fire based spell attacks and damage.
- Forests: When attuned to the Forests, the druid gains their Attunement bonus to Stealth checks to both hide and move silent actions. And they may pass without a trace.
- Plains: When attuned to the Plains, the druid gains their Attunement bonus to Dexterity Saves. As well as they gain their attunement bonus to all storm based spell attacks and damage.
- Arctic: When attuned to the Arctic Tundra, the druid gains immunity to Environmental Cold. As well as they gain their attunement bonus to all cold based spell attacks and damage. 
- Jungles: When attuned to the Jungles, the druid gains their attunement bonus on spell attacks and damage that utilize plants. Additionally this also adds the attunement bonus to the AC, or duration of defensive spells that utilize plants. 
- Ocean: When attuned to the Oceans, the druid gains their attunement bonus to all athletics checks made for swimming. As well they are able to breath underwater indefinitely and may swim at their normal overland movement rate while submerged. 
- Swamp: When attuned to the Swamps, the druid gains their attunement bonus on spell attacks and damage that utilize poison, disease or insects. 
- Mountains: When attuned to the Mountains, the druid gains their attunement bonus to Constitution saves.  They also gain advantage on any athletic check made to climb or balance. They also gain the ability to fall from any distance and land safely. 

Eternal Body: The Druid no longer ages at all, and they become entirely immune to poison and disease. 

Attunement Mastery: The Druid can attune themselves to two environments at once and the attunement stays with them regardless of location or distance. 

Archdruid: When you reach 20th level, you gain mastery over two powerful spells and can cast them with little effort. Choose two 3rd-level druid spells that you know as your signature spells. They don't count against the number of known spells and you can cast each of them once at 3rd level without expending a spell slot. When you do so, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. 

Spontaneous Arcane Spellcasting: This remains largely unchanged.  The only difference is that the Sorcerer can take a full 24 hours and go deep into meditation focusing on a newly discovered spell scroll in order to change out one of their known spells.  This spell must be of a level for which they have spell slots. Additionally when they gain a level, they may change one of their known spells out with another spell from the Sorcerer's spell list, which also must be of a level of which they have spells slots. 

---

Spell Adjustments
Below are a list of spells that have been altered from the book in some fashion.  When choosing these spells, this list is the default list for how those spells function vs how they are listed in the book.


Conjure Arrows
Conjuration Cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous
Effect: This allows the caster to conjure 10 normal Arrows directly into their quiver or hand.  
 


Arcane Armor 
Transmutation Cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Components: V
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
Effect: You strengthen your armor make it more durable.  To this end the armor gains +1 to its base AC.   This increases by +1 when you reach 5th level (+2), 11th level (+3), and 17th level (+4)
 

Geas
5th-level enchantment (Ritual)

Casting Time: 10 full round actions or 60 seconds of full concentration.
Range: 60 feet
Components: V
Duration: 30 days
Effect: You place a magical command on a creature that you can see within range, forcing it to carry out some service or refrain from some action or course of activity as you decide. If the creature can understand you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become charmed by you for the duration. While the creature is charmed by you, it takes 5d10 psychic damage each time it acts in a manner directly counter to your instructions, but no more than once each day. A creature that can't understand you is unaffected by the spell. You can issue any command you choose, short of an activity that would result in certain death. Should you issue a suicidal command, the spell ends. You can end the spell early by using an action to dismiss it. A remove curse, greater restoration, or wish spell also ends it.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot o f 7th or 8th level, the duration is 1 year. When you cast this spell using a spell slot o f 9th level, the spell lasts until it is ended by one of the spells mentioned above.
Special: Unlike most rituals this can be performed in combat if the Ritual is prepared or cast from a Spell Slot, otherwise it can be cast from the Spellbook, but the Caster looses their bonus to AC from Dexterity. 


Goodberry 
Transmutation Cantrip 

Casting Time: 30 Minutes
Range: Touch
Components: V,S, M (a sprig of mistletoe)
Duration: Instantaneous
Effect: One berry appears in your hand and is infused with magic for it's duration.  A creature can use it's standard or move action to eat one berry.  Eating a berry restores 5 hit points, and the berry provides enough nourishment to sustain a creature for a half a day.  Any one creature can only consume 2 berry's before they are too full to consume anything else other than liquids for the next 24 hours.
The berries lose their potency if they have not been consumed within 24 hours of the casting of this spell. This increases to 10 at 5th, 15 at 11th, and 20 at 17th. 


Summon Weapon
Conjuration Cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 1 mile
Components: V
Duration: Instantaneous
Effect: Summon a weapon that has previous been wielded by you for at least 1 hour.  The weapon will literally vanish from its current location and appear in your hand.

Spell Fire Bolt
Evocation Cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60ft.
Components: V, S
Duration: instantaneous
Special: Any character class can learn this cantrip and is purchased as a feat. The Casting Modifier for this is normally Charisma.  If the character already has a casting class they may use that classes modifier instead, such as a Wizard's Intelligence.
Effect: The character launches a mote of magical energy at a creature or object within range. Make a ranged attack check against a target and chooses the raw magical source with which to draw from.   This magical source deals 1d8 points of damage.  Type depends on the type of weave the Spell Fire bolt is drawn from. 
- This spells damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8). 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
Source: There are Four known magical sources in all worlds across the multiverse.  There could be others, but if there were a character would be able to sense them.  However a character can Only access these sources if they have studied them and are aware of them in order to access them. The Known Four are referred to the Weave, the Shadow Weave, Celestial Weave and the Infernal Weave. While most places are comprised of a weave, then other forms of magic are not as common and may not be accessible. The descriptor for each spell augmented such is modified by the specific descriptors below.
- The Weave is what is widely accesses by most spell casters and is the very fundamental of all living things in the multiverse. This magical source is what forms the basis for almost all magic in the multiverse.  Using this form of magic allows the wielder  When formed from the weave a Spellfire Bolt looks like a ball of blazing blue light that seems to drift ethereally around the core. When a spellfire bolt of this type hits it has a chance to critical on 19 and 20. This weave deals Force Damage.
- The Shadow Weave is the weave of magic that is found between spaces and all things.  This weave also is the foundation of primary component of the Underworld, or Shadowfell.  This weave can only be accessed in or while within 5ft of Dim Light. This plane is considered a reflection of the world were the shadowy remnants of the real world fall into.  This plane is the home for things that are lost, forgotten and ultimately Imprisoned.  Unlike the hells this is not a place to imprison mortals, more over it is a place to imprison beings of such evil that the hells will simply not take them. In that respect Shadowfell is often considered more perilous than the hells themselves.  When utilized by this weave, a Spellfire Bolt ignores 2 points of a target's AC when determining if it hits.  When formed from a shadow weave a Spellfire Bolt looks like a ball of inky swirling blackness that seems to draw in all light around it's core.  This weave deals Necrotic Damage.
- The Celestial Weave is the weave of magic that is found in the divine power of the gods and the heavens themselves.  In the material plane it can be found in blessed or holy places. This is widely understood to the be the weave of magic that can sometimes be accessed by divine magic.  This form of magic is very rare was thought to be a myth for most of history.  When formed from a celestial weave, a Spellfire Bolt looks like a pure ball of blinding light that pulses vibrantly.  When cast against Creatures of Evil alignment, the target upon a hit must make a Wisdom Save or be blinded for until the end of the next round.  Creatures of good alignment are healed for half the spells damage (minimum of 1) instead of being harmed by it.  Beings of Neutral alignment suffer no effect what-so-ever from this weave.  This weave deals Radiant Damage.  
- The Infernal Weave or more commonly known as Hell Fire, is the wave of magic that is found in the dark powers of the hells and the abyss. In the material plane it can be found in desecrated or cursed places. This form of magic is also very rare and was much like its celestial counterpart thought to be a myth.   When formed form an infernal weave, a Spellfire Bolt looks like a blazing ball of green flame.  When any creature is struck by the type of weave it is forced to make a Wisdom save equal to the Casters spell save DC or be paralyzed with fear for one turn.  This weave deals Fire Damage.

[DM Spiral]

MEDICINE - Treat Injury

You spend 10 minutes treating one injured living creature (targeting yourself, if you so choose). The target is then temporarily immune to Treat Wounds actions for 1 hour, but this interval overlaps with the time you spent treating (so a patient can be treated once per hour, not once per 70 minutes).

The Medicine check DC is usually 15, though the GM might adjust it based on the circumstances, such as treating a patient outside in a storm, or treating magically cursed wounds. If you’re an expert in Medicine, you can instead attempt a DC 20 check to increase the Hit Points regained by 10; if you’re a master of Medicine, you can instead attempt a DC 30 check to increase the Hit Points regained by 30; and if you’re legendary, you can instead attempt a DC 40 check to increase the Hit Points regained by 50. The damage dealt on a critical failure remains the same.

If you succeed at your check, you can continue treating the target to grant additional healing. If you treat them for a total of 1 hour, double the Hit Points they regain from Treat Wounds.

The result of your Medicine check determines how many Hit Points the target regains.

Treat Wounds
DC | Success Healing | Critical Healing
10 | 2d8 | 4d8
15 | 2d8+10 | 4d8+10
20 | 2d8+30 | 4d8+30
30 | 2d8+50 | 4d8+50


Critical Success The target regains 4d8 Hit Points, and its wounded condition is removed.
Success The target regains 2d8 Hit Points, and its wounded condition is removed.
Critical Failure The target takes 1d8 damage.  The target takes 1d8 damage.