Home Rules and Changes

This section details the changes to the standard D&D 5e rules that players will use in this West Marches style game.

The West Marches is supposed to be more focused on survival, exploration, and resource management than your standard D&D campaign. The changes to the standard rules are in line with this focus. Some of these changes will make the game more difficult - that is by design. This style of adventure rewards smart planning, and careful consideration, rather than bash-down-the-door style of play.

Improved Cantrips
In the Rules As Written (RAW), aside from a few damage dealing options, most cantrips stay exactly as they are from level 1 to level 20. This seems to make some of them lose their value after a few levels.

To counteract this, we will be using Evolving Cantrips, which can be found here.

Coinage
All coin denominations are one step lower than printed. Thus, a dagger costs 2 silver pieces, rather than 2 gold, a javelin costs 5 copper, etc. Copper piece prices remain the same.

NOTE: This applies to starting gold as well. Players should be buying their starting equipment with silver, rather than gold.

Character Creation
Listed here are the home-rules for character creation. NOTE: As per usual, the only evil alignment allowed is Lawful Evil, and keep in mind that, even though the format of a West Marches is different, you still should try to make a character that fits with the group as a whole. Try not to make a lone-wolf, or someone whose goals are antithetical to the fun of the group.
 * 1) New characters will begin at level 1.
 * 2) Use the Point Buy method to determine ability scores, as per the Player's Handbook.
 * 3) When equipping your character, do not take the starting packages, nor the background equipment from your chosen background. Rather, take the average gold-piece amount for that character class, convert to silver, and purchase equipment accordingly.
 * 4) * Bards, Clerics, Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers all begin with 125 silver
 * 5) * Blood Hunters, Rogues, Warlocks, and Wizards begin with 100 silver
 * 6) * Sorcerers begin with 75 silver
 * 7) * Barbarians and Druids begin with 50 silver
 * 8) * Monks begin with 12 silver and 5 copper
 * 9) Roll on the Trinket Table 3 times, and choose one from those results to start with. Tell the DM what it is, what your character knows about it, and anything that you specifically don't know about it.
 * 10) Clerics and Paladins must choose a god to worship, and Warlocks must choose a particular patron. Work with DM to determine choices.
 * 11) Check the Race and Class pages for information on restrictions, alterations, and new options.
 * 12) Check with your DM to see if your background and/or backstory nets you any additional items, coin, or perks.

Injuries
The world of Vysarda is a dangerous place, and if you don't take care, you can be permanently injured from the tussles, brawls, and battles in which you might find yourself.

In order to sustain an injury, a character must first fulfill one of the following conditions: If either of these conditions are met, the character must immediately make a Constitution Saving Throw, DC 5 or 1/2 the damage taken, whichever is higher. On a failed save, the character sustains an injury. The player must immediately roll a % Injury Die (Inspiration is able to be used to re-roll the Injury Die, with either result being available for the player to choose).
 * Sustain a critical hit from a foe
 * Be reduced to 0 HP, without dying outright.

These injuries can be one of four levels of severity, determined by result of the Injury Die. The DM will consult the Injury Table for precise results, but here are the results generally: Injuries can be cured in a number of ways, depending on the level of severity: NOTE: The Medicine Checks must be made by someone proficient in the Medicine Skill, and only one such check can be made per night per injury.
 * 1-48 - Minor Injury
 * 49-80 - Moderate Injury
 * 81-96 - Severe Injury
 * 97-100 - Permanent Injury - Permanent injuries are context dependent, but usually result in limb loss (if nothing is obvious, character loses an eye)
 * Minor injuries require either 2 Long Rests, or 1 successful DC 12 Medicine Check during the first Long Rest.
 * Moderate injuries require 2 successful DC 14 Medicine Checks during any of the next 3 Long Rests.
 * Severe injuries require 3 successful DC 15 Medicine Checks during any of the next 4 Long Rests, with light activity only during that period.
 * Permanent injuries can only be healed by powerful restorative magic.

NOTE: Regular curative magic, healing potions, etc. cannot remove injuries. Powerful restorative magic, such as Lesser Restoration, Greater Restoration, Heal, and Regeneration can remove Minor and Moderate Injuries. Only Greater Restoration, Heal, and Regeneration can remove Severe Injuries, and only Regeneration can remove Permanent Injuries.

NOTE: Anyone, including a character not proficient in Medicine, can use up 5 uses of a Medicine Kit to automatically succeed at 1 of the required Medicine Checks.

If any injury is not treated, within the time-frame allotted, the injury will disappear, but a Lingering Effect will take its place.

Lingering Effects are the result of untreated injuries. They are not as bad as the injuries themselves, but are permanent (unless treated with the appropriate level of magical healing, i.e. Lesser Restoration can remove Minor or Moderate Lingering Effects).

NOTE: The Lingering Effect is based on the injury received, but there are several options for each injury, chosen at random. You can't be sure that just because you've had one minor arm injury before, the Lingering Effect of another would be the same.

''Example: Travis the Barbarian is fighting a Red Dragon named Sordak, and is struck by the creature's bite attack. It scores a critical hit, dealing 30 damage. Because the dragon scored a critical hit, Travis must immediately make a Constitution Save to prevent sustaining an injury. The DC is 15 (1/2 the damage taken, or 5, whichever is higher). He rolls and ends up with a 17, so he saves and does not sustain an injury. ''

''Later, in the same fight, the dragon breaths fire, and Travis is caught in the blast. He takes 38 damage, and is knocked unconscious. Because he was knocked unconscious, Travis must Immediately make another Constitution Save to prevent sustaining an injury. The DC is now 19 (1/2 the damage dealt, which was higher than 5), and Travis only rolls a 6. He sustains an injury. He rolls a percentile die (%) and rolls a 53. The DM consults the Injury Table, and reads that Travis has sustained a moderate leg injury. Travis' speed is reduced by 10 ft. per round, and he has disadvantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics and Stealth) Checks and Saving Throws. He is also now unconscious and must make Death Saving Throws.''

''After the battle, Travis is revived, and spends the next three days in convalescence. The first night he asks his druid companion Ray to use her proficiency in Medicine to help treat his injured leg. The DC is 14 (Moderate Injury), and she gets a 21. That's one success. The next night, he asks for her help again, but this time, she only rolls an 8. That's one failure. On the third night, he's not taking any chances. He buys a Medicine Kit and expends 5 of its uses to automatically succeed on the third Medicine Check. The next morning he wakes up, and finds his leg has gone back to normal. ''

''If he had let Ray try again, and if she had failed the third check, or if he had simply left the leg untreated, Travis would have healed the injury, but would have sustained a Lingering Effect. The DM would have consulted the Injury Table, looked under the heading for Moderate Leg Injury Lingering Effects, and rolled a d4 to determine which Lingering Effect Travis sustained. ''

Carrying Capacity and Encumbrance
''When you venture out into the wilds, you must be sure to bring the proper equipment with you. However, you also must make sure that you have the ability to carry back with you whatever stores of loot you find in your adventures.''

The following rules determine carrying capacity and encumbrance: Some items do not count against your limit, or can be bundled together: NOTE: You must still reasonably explain how you are able to carry what you carry. A character with 20 STR and CON could (by these rules) carry 37 shovels. But balance would be an issue...
 * 1) You can carry a number of items equal to your Strength score plus your Constitution Modifier without penalty. This total is your unencumbered capacity.
 * 2) If you carry more than your unencumbered capacity, you are encumbered – your speed drops by 10 feet.
 * 3) If you carry more than twice your unencumbered capacity, you are heavily encumbered – your speed drops by 20 feet and you have disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws that use Dexterity.
 * 4) You cannot carry more than three times your unencumbered capacity. (These limits are doubled for Large creatures and halved for Tiny creatures.) Dwarves may ignore the penalties to speed, but still cannot carry more than three times their unencumbered capacity.
 * 1) Worn clothing, worn armor, worn jewelry, soft containers (such as backpacks, pouches, etc), and items you can conceal in your palm do not count towards encumbrance.
 * 2) Two one-handed weapons (alternately, one weapon and one shield, or one two-handed weapon) do not count towards encumbrance.
 * 3) Items (and bundles of similar items) which you can hold in one hand take one slot. (Up to 5 torches, flasks, or rations can usually be bundled together)
 * 4) Every 50 coins or gems take one slot. Round up.
 * 5) Items that require two hands take two slots.
 * 6) Heavy items (carried armor, chests, etc.) take one slot for every 5 pounds. Round up.

NOTE: It might be worthwhile to note which containers every item you carry is in - that way you know what you're losing if you need to lighten the load quickly.

Experience and Gaining Levels
The world of Vysarda is a dangerous one, but if you manage to survive, you are sure to learn a thing or two.

Experience gain, and leveling up, is handled slightly differently in this West Marches than in the Rules as Written: Once you have the proper experience, you must take a long rest in a Safe Location. Upon waking up, you will have gained the level.
 * Players need 10 Experience Points to level up. This number does not change. When you get to 10, you reset to 0, and any excess experience points are added to the next tier.
 * You can gain experience for surviving dangerous situations, finding lost secrets and artifacts, and exploring remote locations.
 * You will gain experience points in 1-3 point increments. The precise number is based on the severity of the danger you faced, the obscurity and importance of the secret or artifact you recover, and the remoteness of the location you explore.

At certain tiers of play, you must pay for training in town, and spend some time actively training, to receive the benefits of your level: NOTE: If you wish to travel with a group during this time, you may. The number of days trained does not reset, though each day spent out of town does not count towards your training, and you do not gain the benefits of the level until the days of training are completed.
 * 3rd Level - 3 days - 30 Silver
 * 5th Level - 5 days - 100 Silver
 * Every odd level above 5 (7, 9, etc.) - 7 days - 350 Silver

NOTE: This does not apply to the even levels between these tiers. Those are incremental, and are considered part of the ordinary process of learning to master your abilities.

Character Death and Retirement
''You're gonna die. Let's just hope it's not too soon.''

If your character dies in this campaign, that's the end of that character. There is no resurrection magic in this world (aside from Revivify, which must be cast within the first minute after death).

If you wish to keep playing, you absolutely can, but you must roll up a new character: If you wish to retire a character, for whatever reason, you may. The character will become an NPC under the DM's control, unless you wish to remove that character from the campaign completely. If the character is not removed completely, and you lose a later character to death, then you can take control of one of your own retired characters, if you wish.
 * The character will be one level lower than the character who died (minimum 1).
 * The starting coin to purchase new equipment will be modified depending on new character's level.