Homebrew Rules

Feel free to use any of these rules when you run a game as a Dungeon Master. Players, refer to your current Dungeon Master for which of these rules will be in effect for your next game.

Players Make All the Rolls
"Source: https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/UA5_VariantRules.pdf""Note: The rules described in the document linked above have incorrect math. The rules have been replicated here, but with the correct numbers. An explanation can be found here: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/69064/is-unearthed-arcana-players-make-all-rolls-correct"This homebrew rule does not have any mechanical difference to the game, but shifts some of the work off the DM and onto the players. It can help speed up combat and keep players engaged even when it is not their turn.

The players roll their characters’ attacks as normal, but you don’t roll for their opponents. Instead, when a character is targeted by an attack, the player makes a defense roll. A defense roll has a bonus equal to the character’s AC − 10. The DC for the roll equals the attacker’s attack bonus + 12. On a successful defense roll, the attack misses because it was dodged, absorbed by the character’s armor, and so on. If a character fails a defense roll, the attack hits. If the attacker would normally have advantage on the attack roll, you instead apply disadvantage to the defense roll, and vice versa if the attacker would have disadvantage. If the defense roll comes up as a 1 on the d20, then the attack is a critical hit. If the attacker would normally score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20, then the attack is a critical hit on a 1 or 2, and so forth for broader critical ranges.

When a character forces an opponent to make a  saving throw, that player instead makes a saving throw check. The bonus to the d20 roll for a  saving throw check equals the effect’s save DC − 8. The DC for this check equals 14 + the target’s saving throw modifier. On a successful check, the character overcomes the target’s resistance and treats the target as if it failed its saving throw. On a failed check, the target is treated as if it succeeded on its save. As with attacks, the saving throw check has advantage if the target would have disadvantage on its saving throw and vice versa.

Consistent Critical Hits
The normal rule for critical hits is to roll twice as many dice. If players are unlucky and roll lots of 1's or 2's, this can result in very underwhelming crits. This house rule allows players to double the modifiers to the damage as well. This makes critical hits notably stronger, but much more likely to deal significant damage. Basically, getting a critical hit is the same as getting two hits in one.

Death is Exhausting
There is no lasting penalty to a character falling unsconscious, and abilities like Lay on Hands and Healing Word make it easy for characters to drop and rise and drop and rise. With this homebrew rule, whenever a character reaches 0 hit points, they immediately gain 1 level of exhaustion.

Critical Condition
The current death rules can sometimes cause player deaths to be anticlimatic. it is not very exciting when the bad guy stabs a character, who falls unconscious. While they slowly bleed to death, the bad guy instead focuses on other characters and everyone ignores the downed character. Also, being unconscious is not very fun when players can't do anything except wait to die or get healed. This homebrew makes it easier for enemies to have the final blow, and for the DM to deliver it in an intense and exciting way.

When a character reaches 0 hit points, instead of falling unconscious, they fall prone and enter the critical condition. While critical, a character must make death saving throws as normal, but can still take actions. Critical characters cannot concentrate on spells. However, since critical characters are still acting in combat, enemies should still target them. Attacks no longer deal auto-crits, but should be coming more often.

Secret Death Saving Throws
In order to increase the drama of dying characters even more, you can require players to keep the results of their death saving throws secret, even from the DM. That way, players who have the ability to restore dying characters cannot delay the healing because they know the character will recover naturally.

Resurrections
"Source: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, by Matthew Mercer"These house rules can be used to make resurrection spells more challenging to use, and give other players more interaction with the resurrection of a dead character.

When a character uses spell or spell-like effect with a casting time longer than an action to attempt to resurrect a character, a Resurrection Challenge is initiated. Up to three characters can offer to contribute to the ritual. Each makes a skill check based on the contribution. For example, a prayer to a god may be a Wisdom (Religion) check, and a forceful demand to the spirt to return would be a Charisma (Intimidation) check. After all three checks have been made, the DM rolls a d20 with no modifer to determine if the resurrection is successful. The base DC is 10, and increases by 1 for each previous successful resurrection the soul has undergone. For each successful contribution, the DC is reduced by 3. For each failed contribution, the DC is increased by 1.

When a character attempts to resurrect a character with a spell or effect that has a casting time of 1 action, the caster must make a spellcasting ability check with a DC equal to 10 plus the number of times this character has been resurrected before.

After a character is resurrected, their constitution score is permanently reduced by 1, and they must make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to 20 minus the level of the spell that caused the resurrection. On a failure, the character gains a long-term madness with a duration measured in days.