Higher, Further, Faster When a spell description indicates that a spell cast at a higher level will increase the affected space by a number of feet, the practical effect is that it increases by the given amount in all appropriate dimensions: A line-of-effect increases in only the direction of the line; it does not become wider or taller A cone increases in length, which effectively broadens the diameter of the end opposite the caster A circle or sphere increases in radius A cube increases in length, width, and height Added to House Rules in 2023.
Author: kleonard
Finite Energy Magic is unlimited, but your ability to channel it is. Spellcasters can initially cast a number of cantrips equal to their proficiency bonus plus their key ability modifier. Cantrip slots are restored after a short or long rest. At each even-numbered level, characters gain an additional cantrip slot in addition to any increases which come from an increased proficiency bonus and/or key ability modifier. For example, a level 10 wizard with an Intelligence score of 18 would be able to cast her cantrips up to 13 times without needing to take a short rest: 4 from her key ability modifier, 4 from her proficiency bonus, and 5 more from character levels. If creating a character at a level higher than 1st, your number of cantrips per rest is equal to your proficiency bonus plus key ability modifier plus half your character level (rounded down, as is always the case). Cantrip slot increases occur regardless of the class which is raised, meaning that the number of uses increases even for those characters who do not have a spellcasting class, such as an elven fighter who has only a single cantrip granted by his heritage. Added to House Rules in
Coup de Grâce Rogues can use their Sneak Attack class ability to instantly reduce a target’s hit points to 0 if the target is paralyzed and it has HD equal to or less than the rogue’s class level. At the attacker’s discretion, the target either falls unconscious or begins dying. The rogue need not roll for damage unless they intend to kill the target, in which case they may attempt to inflict sufficient damage that the target dies instantly instead of having a chance to stabilize. This ability functions even if the target would otherwise have the ability to make a Constitution save to return to 1 hp, or the creature is able to use the Relentless Endurance heritage trait to return to 1 hp: the rogue is using their knowledge of the target’s vulnerabilities to strike a fatal blow. A coup de grâce cannot be performed if the target is immune to the attack, though most creatures with weapon immunities are also immune to paralysis. Added to House Rules in 28 July 2024; modified 24 Aug 2024 to clarify HD limitations.
The Agony of the Feat When you gain a level where you have the option to take an ability score improvement, you can instead select a feat. Alternatively, you can take an increase of one to a single ability score and gain a “half-feat”, allowing you to still improve your ability scores incrementally while also working toward acquiring a feat, including those feats which provide improvement to ability scores. As normal, no ability can be improved beyond 20 through non-magical means. Added to House Rules in 2023.
Access to Omnipotence Clerics, druids, and paladins get their spells by communing with a being which is generally ancient and/or powerful enough to have Seen It All. Since these kinds of casters prepare their spells each day as part of this prayer or meditation, they have immediate access to all spells their deity or primordial patron knows of the highest level they can currently cast and lower, though the grantor of the spells may have preferences for certain spells (e.g. cleric domain spells). Since rangers and warlocks gain their spells through very similar connections, it makes no sense to restrict them to certain spells known. Instead, they meditate or pray each long rest to prepare spells the same way a paladin does: choose a number of spells equal to half their class level (rounded down) plus their key ability modifier and Intelligence modifier, if any. Therefore, a third-level fey-pact warlock with a key ability modifier of +3 and an Intelligence modifier of +1 would be able to prepare up to 5 spells per day from the combined primal and warlock spell lists; however the DM may rule some spells off-limits to a warlock based on their pact source, such as