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The Adventuring Day Assuming typical adventuring conditions and that the dice dont turn against your players, most player characters can handle about six to eight medium or hard encounters in a day, depending on how those encounters play out. If the adventure has more easy encounters, then the party can get through more; if it has more deadly or very deadly encounters, they can handle fewer. Although you can never be certain when players will choose to take a short or long rest, you can build in natural break points to guide the flow of the adventure. Lets say youre designing a dungeon and would like a resting point for the players before they move from the first level down to the second. You can stock the first level of the dungeon with encounters of the right challenge so that, around the time they finish exploring that level, the characters resources are depleted to the point where they need a long rest. Thus, the adventuring day would naturally end at around the time the party finishes exploring the first level of the dungeon. In the same way you figure out the difficulty of an encounter, you can use the XP values of monsters and other opponents in an adventure as a guideline for how far the party is likely to progress. For each character in the party, consult the XP per Adventuring Day per Player Character table, and add the XP for that characters level to get a total for the partys adventuring day. This total provides a rough estimate of the total XP for encounters the party can handle before needing to take a long rest.

XP pe r Adven tu r ing D ay pe r P laye r Charac te r PC Level XP

1 300

2 600

3 1,200

4 1,700

5 3,500

6 4,000

7 5,000

8 6,000

9 7,500

10 9,000

11 10,500

12 11,500

13 13,500

14 15,000

15 18,000

16 20,000

17 25,000

18 27,000

19 30,000

20 40,000

Short Rests In general, over the course of a full adventuring day, the party will likely need to take two short rests, about one-third and two-thirds of the way through the day. If your adventure is location-based (for example, in a dungeon), you can use that frequency to guide you when placing relatively safe locations to rest. If it is a more event-based adventure, short rests serve as natural break points in the action. Several hours might pass before the next event begins.

Additional Expenses Besides the basic expenses associated with maintaining a particular lifestyle, adventurers might have additional regular drains on their adventuring income. Player characters who come into possession of property, own businesses, and employ hirelings must attend to the expenses that accompany these ventures.

Maintaining Structures

Its not unusual for player characters to gain possession of a structure such as a castle, a tavern, or a tower, whether they take it from its previous owners, obtain it in a lucky draw from a deck of many things, or spend hard-won treasure to buy it for themselves. Maintaining such a structure and keeping its function running smoothly takes gold. The table below shows the most common costs associated with various types of structures, which you should feel free to modify based on the specific circumstances of your campaign. The costs shown are for each day of expenses, and these expenses typically need to be paid every week (however long a week is in your campaign's calendar). A character cant delay payment for a longer period and then pay in one lump sum. For this reason, any such building requires a dedicated steward or manager who takes care of paying those expenses, thereby allowing the owner to go adventuring for weeks or months at a time.

Cost to M aintain Structures

Structure Cost per Day

Staff Needed

Shop 1 gp 110

Inn (village, city, or town) 2 gp 610

Roadside inn 7 gp 1230

Trading post 1 gp 410

Temple 1 gp 110

Noble estate 15 gp 2050

Lodge 2 gp 110



Structure Cost per Day

Staff Needed

Frontier outpost 2 gp 50200

Keep or castle 7 gp 1002,000

Owning a Business

An adventurer-owned business usually earns enough money to cover its own maintenance cost, as well as the salary of the staff. However, the owner needs to periodically ensure that everything is running smoothly, typically by attending to the business between adventures. See the information on running a business in the Additional Activities section of this chapter.

Paying Hirelings

As described in chapter 6, a player character might hire the services of one or more nonplayer characters on a long-term basis. In this case, the cost of the hirelings becomes a recurring expense, part of the characters regular lifestyle expenses. The basic rates are shown in the Players Handbook2 sp per day for an untrained hireling or 2 gp per day for a skilled one. You can also introduce gradations of pay for specific hirelings. An alchemist might demand a salary higher than other skilled hirelings, while a humble priest falls in between the rates for an untrained and a skilled hireling. The Hireling Salary table provides suggested rates for common hirelings.

H irel in g Salary

Follower Salary per Day

Alchemist 5 gp

Apprentice 2 sp

Artisan 2 gp

Entertainer 2 gp

Informant 2 sp

Knight/military officer 2 gp

Laborer 2 sp

Priest 5 sp

Sailor 2 sp

Secretary/scribe 5 sp

Soldier 2 sp

Steward/majordomo 2 gp

Additional Activities The campaign benefits when characters have ample time between adventures to engage in other activities. As days or weeks pass between adventures, the story of the campaign stretches out over a longer period of time, helping the characters progression more closely match that of heroes and villains from fantasy fiction. More importantly, pursuing interests between adventures encourages players to become more invested in the world their characters inhabit. When a character owns a tavern in a local village or spends time healing the sick at a local temple, that characters player is more likely to respond to threats to the town and its inhabitants.

More Downtime Activities

Chapter 8 of the Players Handbook describes a few basic options for player character activities between adventures. Depending on the circumstances of the campaign and the particular backgrounds and interests of the adventurers, you can make some or all of these additional activities available as options for your players. For many of these activities, tracking the results on a daily basis would be confusing or overwhelming. For that reason, they measure downtime in terms of "weeks," but that's a flexible measurement. If you're running a campaign in the Forgotten Realms, you can use tendays; a more familiar seven-day week works just as well, or you can use a five-day week or whatever other unit your world's calendar employs. If a character spends an arbitrary number of days between adventures on such an activity, you can treat any portion of a week as a full week.

Carousing Many adventurers have no higher aspirations than to spend the treasure they acquire on all the pleasures wealth can afford. If they choose, characters can spend the time between adventures engaged in a variety of hedonistic activities such as attending parties, drinking in taverns, gambling, or anything else that helps them cope with the perils they faced during their adventures. For every week spent carousing, roll d100 and add the characters level, then compare the total to the table below to determine what happens.

Carousing

d100 Result

0110 You are jailed for 5d6 days on charges of disorderly

conduct and disturbing the peace (or the local

equivalent charge), and you richly deserve it.

1120 You are unjustly jailed for 5d6 days on charges of

disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace (or the

local equivalent charge).



d100 Result

2130 You regain consciousness in a strange place with

no memory of the previous week, and you have

been robbed of 3d6 10 gp.

3140 You make an enemy. This person, business, or

organization is now hostile to you, becoming a new

flaw. The DM decides whom you offended. You

decide how you offended them.

4150 You began a whirlwind romance. Roll a d20. On a

110, the romance ended. On an 1120, the

romance is ongoing. If you roll an odd number, the

circumstances of the romance are or were unhappy

(a bad breakup, or an unfortunate alliance), and

your relationship with this person becomes a flaw.

On an even number, the circumstances are happy

(an amicable breakup, or you are happily joined),

and this person becomes a bond.

5160 You spend time gambling. Roll 2d20. If the total is

odd, you lost that many gold pieces. If the total is

even, you gained that many gold pieces.

6170 You make a new ally and this person, business, or

organization is now friendly to you, becoming a

new bond. The DM decides who you befriended

and you decide how.

7180 You spent the last week on a tear of carousing that

becomes the stuff of local legend. You lose 4d6

10 gp, but you gain the following personality trait

for 5d6 days: Everybody in town thinks Im funny,

good-looking, and charming.

8190 You have modest winnings from gambling. You

gain 1d20 4 gp.

91+ You make a small fortune gambling. You gain 6d6

10 gp.

Optional Rule: Crafting Magic Items The D&D rules assume that magic items are treasure and therefore the DM is in control of the appearance of any such item in your game. As an option, you can allow player characters to craft magic items during long pauses between adventures. The creation of magic items is a lengthy, expensive, and difficult task. A character must have the arcane formula that describes the construction of the desired item (usually inscribed on a scroll or in a book, just like a spell), and access to any special materials or locations necessary to create it. For example, a character might need access to a forge to craft a magic sword or an alchemical laboratory to brew magic potions. A character must have the ability to

cast spells (including any specific spells the item can produce), and also meet a level prerequisite determined by the items rarity. In one day, a character can craft 15 gp worth of magical objects, expending that much coin in raw materials. The character makes progress every day in 15 gp increments until the total cost is paid. Thus, creating an uncommon magic item takes thirty-four days and 500 gp. Multiple characters can combine their efforts toward the crafting of a single magic item if every character involved meets the level prerequisite. Each character can contribute a different spell toward the prerequisite, as long as everyone participates during the entire crafting process. Each character contributes 15 gp worth of effort for each day spent helping craft the item.

Craft ing M agic I tem s

Item Rarity Cost Minimum Level

Common 100 gp 1st

Uncommon 500 gp 1st

Rare 5,000 gp 6th

Very Rare 50,000 gp 11th

Legendary 500,000 gp 17th

Normally, a character who undertakes this activity creates a magic item described in this book (see chapter 8). At your discretion, you can allow players to design their own magic items and craft them using these rules. Chapter 11 includes guidelines for designing magic items.

Going on a Crime Spree Not every adventurer stays on the right side of the law, and characters may choose to spend the time between adventures plying a criminal trade. The player can decide the nature of the crimes the character commits, stealing, extorting, or performing odd jobs for the local criminal underworld to make a little coin on the side. Particularly skilled and fortunate criminals can earn enough to live as well as nobles. For every week spent on a crime spree, roll d100 and add the characters level, then compare the total to the table below to determine what happens. If the character has any levels in the rogue class, those levels count double.

Crim e Spree

d100 Result

0109 You are caught by the authorities and thrown in jail

for 5d6 days.

1012 You gain 1d4 gp, but witnesses spot you and a

warrant is issued for your arrest.



d100 Result

1337 You gain 1d4 gp.

38 You gain 1d4 gp and an item of note.









8081 You gain 2d4 10 gp, but witnesses spot you and a


8291 You gain 2d4 10 gp.

92 You gain 2d4 10 gp and an item of note.

9394 You gain 4d4 10 gp, but witnesses spot you and a


9598 You gain 4d4 10 gp.

99 You gain 4d4 10 gp and an item of note.

100 You gain 4d4 10 gp and you gain possession of

something rare (and potentially powerful or

dangerous), as determined by the Dungeon Master.

101+ You gain 100 gp and the following personality trait

for 30 days: Criminals here know that I am

competent, bold, and not someone to be trifled

with.

The DM decides the nature of an item of note, most likely a unique object whose value is not measured solely in gold pieces. It might be a map, a coded message, a secret letter, a rare coin, or anything else you decide. (You can use the Key Objects table in chapter 5 for inspiration.) Ideally, this item spurs the character on to future adventures. A rare, powerful, or dangerous item can similarly serve as a hook for adventure. Simply having the item in his or her possession puts the character at riskits owner tries to steal it back, the demon who owns it comes looking for it, it erupts with unpredictable magical effects, or the monster incubating within it emerges. The character then has to deal with the situation.

Guard Duty Characters can put their skill at arms to good use between adventures by volunteering to help defend a local outpost,

town, or even a tract of wilderness. A character might join the watch, patrol the surrounding countryside, or join a security team charged with protecting a notable person or treasure. For every week spent on guard duty, roll d100 and add the characters level, then compare the total to the table below to determine what happens. If the character has any levels in the fighter class, those levels count double.

G uard D uty

d100 Result

0110 A major crime occurs during your watch and you

are wrongly implicated in the criminal activity.

Arrested for your supposed role in the crime, you

spend 5d6 days in jail until your name is cleared.

1120 A major crime occurs during your watch and your

superiors suspect you of having a hand in the

crime. You remain under suspicion for 5d6 days

until your name is cleared. Your superiors wont

employ you during this time, so you cant engage in

this activity in the same place during that time.

2130 You earn 2 gp, but you were injured on the job and

have to spend time recuperating. For 5d6 days, you

have the following personality trait: I have a

lingering injury that causes me chronic pain.

3160 You spend a boring and safe week on duty and earn

5 gp.

6190 You apprehend a criminal or stop a crime in

progress. You earn 10 gp.

91100 Your efforts earn the ire of a major criminal. The

DM determines who the criminal is, and you

determine the reason for the enmity. You also earn

15 gp for work well done, and your enemy becomes

a new flaw.

101+ You went above and beyond the call of duty and

uncovered a conspiracy, brought a wanted criminal

to justice, or found evidence to incriminate a

powerful person. You earn 50 gp as a reward, and

for 30 days, you have the following personality trait:

The legal authorities here regard me as a

champion of law and order.

Entertaining the Masses Bards and entertainers can engage in the simple Practicing a Profession activity described in the Players Handbook, representing a minimal effort to earn a livingperforming as background music in taverns or accompanying other performers, for example. Alternatively, a character can attempt to earn money as a featured



performer, which carries the risk of utter failure as well as the possibility of great reward. A character must have proficiency in the Performance skill or with a musical instrument to undertake this activity. For every week spent performing, roll d100 and add the characters level, then compare the total to the table below to determine what happens. If the character has any levels in the bard class, those levels count double.

Perform ing

d100 Result

0110 Your performances were so bad, it seems unlikely

you will ever recover your reputation. For 5d6 days,

you cannot undertake this activity in the same

place, and you gain this personality trait:

Everybody here has heard about my abysmal

performance, and Im the laughingstock of the

town.

1120 A few bad performances sour your reputation. For

5d6 days, you have this personality trait: Word has

gotten around that Im not very good on stage.

2140 Your performances arouse little excitement or

enthusiasm, but you earn 2 gp.

4150 You put on entertaining shows and earn 5 gp.

5160 You impress the locals with your performances, and

you earn 5 gp. You add a +10 bonus to your next

roll on this table, as long as it's within the next year.

6170 You perform admirably and potential patrons begin

competing for your favor. You earn 5 gp, and you

add a +20 bonus to your next roll on this table, as

long as it's within the next year.

7180 Your performances are worthy of finer patrons of

the arts, and you earn 15 gp. You add a +10 bonus

to your next roll on this table, as long as it's within

the next year.

8190 Your performances are exceptional, and you receive

invitations to perform at finer venues. You earn 15

gp, and you add a +20 bonus to your next roll on

this table, as long as it's within the next year.

91100 Your performances are the talk of the area for

several days. You earn 15 gp, and you add a +30

bonus to your next roll on this table, as long as it's

within the next year. For the next 30 days, you also

gain the following personality trait: Wherever I go

in this town, people recognize me as a famous

performer and try to curry favor.

101+ Your performances are well received and brought

d100 Result

you the attention of a wealthy individual who offers

to become your patron for 7d10 days. During that

time, you can practice a profession (as described in

the Players Handbook) to earn enough money to

maintain a wealthy lifestyle, and you gain the

following personality trait: Wherever I go in this

town, people recognize me as a famous performer

and try to curry favor. Your patron also becomes a

new bond.

Performing Sacred Rites A pious character can spend time between adventures performing sacred rites of worship and sacrifice in a temple affiliated with the characters faith. Between rites, the character spends time in meditation and prayer. A character who is considered a priest in the temple (perhaps by virtue of being a cleric or having the acolyte background, perhaps by political appointment, or by earning ordination through another route) can lead these rites and ceremonies. He or she oversees rites of passage of all sortscoming of age, weddings, funerals, ordination of new priests, and so on. A character can offer sacrifices in a temple, or assist a priest in doing so. For each week spent performing sacred rites, roll d100 and add the characters level, then compare the total to the table below to determine what happens. If the character has any levels in the cleric or paladin class, those levels count double.

Sacred R ites

d100 Result

0110 Your bungled performance of the rites brings divine

disfavor, ritual impurity, priestly censure, or all of

the above on your head. For the next 2d6 days, you

cant attend or conduct rites at this temple again,

and you gain the following personality trait: The

disfavor of my deity hangs over me like a prophecy

of doom.

1120 A series of minor omens point to divine displeasure

at your service, and you cant conduct or attend

rites at this temple for the next 2d6 days.

2170 You conduct yourself in a manner appropriate to

your faith, finding personal satisfaction and

pleasing the faithful at the temple. You gain no

extraordinary benefit, however.

7190 Your deity is pleased with your efforts, and you are

fulfilled. You start each day for the next 2d6 days

with inspiration.



d100 Result

91+ You win favor from your temples clergy as well as

your god. For the next 2d6 days, you start each day

with inspiration, and you gain the following positive

personality trait: Those who share my faith can see

our deitys favor upon me.

Running a Business For a variety of reasons, adventurers can end up owning businesses that have nothing to do with delving into dungeons or saving the world. Perhaps a dwarf inherits a smithy, or the party as a group is given a tavern as a reward. If they choose to retain the business, characters need to spend time between adventures maintaining the venture and making sure it runs smoothly. For every week spent running the business, roll d100 and add the characters level, then compare the total to the table below to determine what happens. If the roll on the table requires the character to pay a cost but he or she cannot or does not do so, the business begins to fail. If this occurs four times in the span of one year, the business collapses, its employees leave, and the character loses control over the entire business.

Run n in g a Busin ess

d100 Result

0130 You must pay 1 times the full cost of your

businesss building maintenance expense, as well

as the salary of each employee.

3140 You must pay the full cost of your businesss

building maintenance expense, as well as the salary

of each employee.

4150 You must pay the full cost of your businesss

building maintenance expense. The business earns

enough to cover the employees salaries.

5160 You must pay half the cost of your businesss

building maintenance expense. The business earns

enough to cover the rest.

6170 Your business runs smoothly, covering the entire

cost of its building maintenance and the salaries of

its employees.

7180 Your business runs smoothly, covering the entire

cost of its building maintenance and the salaries of

its employees. You also gain 5 gp.

8190 Your business covers the entire cost of its building

maintenance and the salaries of its employees. You

also gain 25 gp.

d100 Result

91100 Your business covers the entire cost of its building


also gain 50 gp.

101

110

Your business covers the entire cost of its building


also gain 100 gp.

111+ Your business covers the entire cost of its building


also gain 250 gp.

Sowing Rumors Swaying public opinion can be an effective way to bring down a villainor elevate a friend. Spreading rumors (whether theyre true or not) is an efficient, if a bit underhanded, way to accomplish that goal. Well-placed rumors can increase the subjects standing in a community or embroil someone in scandal. An effective rumor has to be believable, playing off what people want to believe (bad or good) about the person in question. The rumor should be simple, concrete, and hard to disprove. Starting and spreading a rumor about a single individual or organization requires at least 7 days and might take longer, depending on the size of the community. In a larger community, the time spent must be continuous. If the character spreads a rumor for a week, disappears on an adventure for another few days, and then returns, the rumor will have faded away without the benefit of constant repetition. The character must also spend 1 gp per day to cover the costs of drinks, social appearances, and the like.

Tim e to Spread Rum ors

Settlement Size Time Required

Village 7 days

Town 28 days

City 56 days

At the end of the entire period, however long it takes, the character makes a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If the check succeeds, the communitys prevailing attitude toward the subject shifts one step toward friendly or hostile. If the check fails, the character can try again by repeating the effort. Shifting a communitys general attitude toward a person or organization doesnt affect everyone in the community. Individual people might hold to their own opinions, particularly if they have personal experience in dealing with the subject of the rumors.



Optional Rule: Training to Gain Levels Some DMs require characters to spend time between adventures training or studying before they gain the benefits of advancing a level. If you choose this option, once a character has earned enough experience points to attain a new level, he or she must train for seven days or more before gaining any of the class features associated with the new level. The training time required depends on the level to be gained, as shown on the table below. This training costs 50 gp for every seven days and requires the services of a tutor whose level is at least equal to the level the character is attaining. (Thus, you shouldnt use this option if your campaign doesnt include high-level NPCs who can train player characters.) You can allow characters to train without the benefits of a tutor, but this requires double the normal time.

Tim e to G ain Levels

Level Attained Time Required

2nd4th 7 days

5th10th 14 days

11th16th 21 days

17th20th 28 days

Optional Rule: Trading in Magic Items Magic items are rare commodities, and buying and selling a magic item requires more effort than a routine trip to the market. If you allow magic items to be bought and sold like other objects in your campaign, obtaining them should nevertheless require a significant amount of time and effort and have unexpected results. To have any hope of buying or selling a permanent magic item, a character must spend a week in a city of significant size. Roll d100 and consult the appropriate table (Finding Magic Items or Selling Magic Items) to determine the characters success. Apply a modifier from the Buying and Selling by Item Rarity table to the roll based on the nature of the magic item in question:

Buyin g an d Sell in g by I tem Rarity

Rarity Modifier Base Cost

Common +20 100 gp

Uncommon +10 500 gp

Rare 5,000 gp

Very Rare 10 50,000 gp

Legendary 20 500,000 gp

Fin din g M agic I tem s

d100 Result

10 or

less

You do not find the item.

1120 You find someone who sells you the item at its base

cost. You later discover it is a mundane item with

Nystuls magic aura cast upon it.

2130 You find someone who sells you the item at its base

cost. You later discover it is a cursed item.

3140 You do not find the item, but instead come to the

attention of thieves who believe that you have the

money to buy the item and attempt to rob you.

4160 You do not find the item, but you hear rumors

about where one may be located. The next time you

attempt to find this magic item in a different

location, add +10 to your roll to determine if you

find it.

6170 You find the item, but it is in the possession of a

creature that does not wish to part with it.

7180 You do not find the item, but you learn the location

of a dungeon where one is located.

8185 You find the item and are able to purchase it from

its owner at 1 times its base cost. However, you

must first complete a task for the owner.


its owner at 1 times its base cost.


its owner at its base cost, but you must first

complete a task for the owner.

96+ You find the item and are able to purchase it from

its owner at its base cost.

Sell in g M agic I tem s

d100 Result

10 or

less

You do not find a buyer for the item.

1120 You do not find a buyer for the item, but instead

come to the attention of thieves who attempt to

steal the item.

2130 You do not find a buyer for the item, but instead

draw the attention of another creature that is

seeking the item for nefarious purposes.



d100 Result

3150 You do not find a buyer for the item, but you hear

rumors about where a buyer might be found. The

next time you attempt to sell this item in a different

location, add +10 to your roll to determine if you

find a buyer.

5155 You find a buyer who offers to buy the item at one-

tenth its base cost. The buyer secretly has a

nefarious purpose.


tenth its base cost.


quarter its base cost. The buyer secretly has a

nefarious purpose.


quarter its base cost.

7175 You find a buyer who offers to buy the item at half

its base cost. The buyer secretly has a nefarious

purpose.

7680 You find a buyer who offers to buy the item at half

its base cost.

8185 You find a buyer who offers to buy the item at its

base cost. The buyer secretly has a nefarious

purpose.

8690 You find a buyer who offers to buy the item at its

base cost.

9195 You find a buyer who offers to buy the item at 1

times its base cost. The buyer secretly has a

nefarious purpose.

96+ You find a buyer who offers to buy the item at 1

times its base cost.

Traveling The time between adventures might be spent traveling straightforwardly from one place to another, unless the journey becomes an adventure in itself. When characters decide to travel to a remote locale, instead of playing out the journey on a day-by-day basis, you can treat travel just like any other activity undertaken between adventures. Use this option if the journey is routine and safe, or if some members of the party remain behind, engaged in other activities. Traveling characters must still pay their lifestyle expenses as usual for the time spent traveling (which covers any traveling supplies and amenities the character needs for the journey), along with any costs associated with their chosen form of transportation such as for

passage on a ship, buying horses, and so on. The distance covered when traveling in this way depends on the mode of transportation used. Traveling by land (on foot, on horseback, or in a wagon or carriage), a character can cover up to 24 miles per day spent traveling. A ship can cover up to 50 miles per day. Difficult terrain reduces that distance by half. For every week spent traveling, roll d100 and add the characters level, then compare the total to the table below to determine what happens. If the character is traveling by land and has any levels in the ranger class, those levels count double.

Travel ing

d100 Result

0110 You become lost or seriously injured and wind up

back at your point of origin.

1120 A series of disastrous setbacks prevents you from

making much progress. You travel one-quarter of

the expected distance.

2130 Major setbacks such as a storm or an encounter

with bandits or other monsters significantly slow

your pace. You travel half of the expected distance.

3140 Minor setbacks and complications slow your pace.

You travel three-quarters of the expected distance.

4170 Your travel is uneventful. You travel the expected

distance.

7190 Good winds, clear roads, and fine weather quicken

your pace. You travel 1 times the expected

distance.

91100 You find a shortcut that cuts a great deal of your

travel time. You travel 1 times the expected

distance.

101+ You find a portal, befriend a powerful wizard, or

have some other remarkable turn of luck along the

road. You travel twice the expected distance.

Other Activities

Your players might be interested in pursuing other specific activities relevant to their interests between adventures. Tailoring campaign-specific or adventure-specific activities helps move the story of the campaign forward in a direction you and your players are interested in, even while the characters are not adventuring. When you want to present new activities for player character to undertake between adventures, consider the following: The activity should be something that takes up the



majority of a characters time for seven days. Activities with a monetary cost associated with them

provide opportunities for player characters to spend their hard-won treasure.

Activities between adventures can convey adventure hooks or other information relevant to the campaign.

For an activity you expect the character to repeat, consider creating a random outcome tablesuch as those featured in the activity examples in chapter 9to add variety to the time spent in the activity. This is particularly important if the activity involves risk.

If a particular class, background, or other character element would make a character particularly well suited to an activity, consider granting a bonus when those characters undertake that activity.

Domains As characters advance in level and become a more significant presence in the world, they sometimes attain positions of leadership beyond owning a business or employing hirelings. Domains represent the organizations, provinces, guilds, and temples that characters might eventually control. These simple rules provide a framework you can use to adjudicate the growth and influence of player character-run domains. Domains allow adventurers to affect the world on a large scale. They represent the cooperation and efforts of many individuals, allowing the adventurers to accomplish greater tasks than they could alone. Domains also give players control over events that shape epic stories: armies of soldiers clashing with barbarian tribes, assassins guilds seizing control of cities, and wizard towers opening portals to previously undiscovered demiplanes.

Joining and Leading When adventurers join up with an existing organization, you dont need to use these domain rules. The guidelines for factions and rules for measuring character influence within those factions (presented in chapter 2) work well for that situation, giving you a way to track the rewards and responsibilities that come with membership in such an organization. The domain rules come into play when an adventurer takes the leadership of an organizationfor example, when a fighter recruits soldiers to found a mercenary company, when a rogue forms a thieves guild, or when an adventuring party recruits a network of spies and agents to stem the tide of evil. The adventurer now calls the shots in the organization, determining how it will use its influence in the worldand the adventurer foots the bills, using his or her hard-won treasure to keep the domain going. A character who joins an existing organization could later end up taking control of it. Once that happens, establish the organizations level to transform it into a domain that the adventurer can run.

Types of Domains

A domain can represent various kinds of organizations. Whenever an adventurer takes control of any kind of group of people, you can turn it into a domain with these rules. Domains include any of the following kinds of groups, or anything else you and your players can imagine. A tribe or clan, consisting of families and friends living in

close proximity, such as a dwarf clan or a barbarian tribe An army or other military force, consisting of soldiers,

officers, and support staff A merchant coster or consortium, consisting of merchants,

bankers, laborers, and staff to transport wares A trade guild, such as a silversmiths guild, a clockmakers

guild, or a masons guild A criminal guild, such as a thieves guild, an assassins

guild, or an information brokers spy network A noble house, consisting of the members of a noble family,

servants, bodyguards, and other staff A governed province such as a barony, a duchy, or a county,

consisting of bureaucrats, lawmakers, support staff, and law enforcement

A religious order that includes temples and monasteries, consisting of priests, acolytes, and worshipers

A secret society whose membership includes full members, veteran officers, and new initiates

A cabal of like-minded individuals with a common goal, such as an order of knights, a druid circle, a ranger lodge, or an alliance of sorcerers

A school, such as a bard college, martial academy, or wizard tower

A ship (or fleet of ships) and the crews necessary to operate those ships

A domain might be run by a single adventurer or by an adventuring party as a collective. Alternatively, imagine a campaign where individual characters run different domains within the same geographical region: a fighter holds a noble title and rules the land, a cleric holds authority over all the temples in the province, a rogue controls a powerful merchant guild (or thieves guild) across the region, and a wizard leads a school of magic. Threats that face any one of those domains can be addressed by all the leaders together, spurring adventure opportunities for the whole party.

Domain Level

A domains level measures its strength in relative termshow influential and powerful it is compared to other organizations. The smallest, least influential domains are level 1. Though a domains level theoretically has no upper limit, the most powerful domains are typically around level 20. A domains level is an abstract measurement of its power and the length of its reach, and is not directly related to the number of its members. A powerful circle of wizards and clerics might have only a dozen members, but their great influence might be measured as a level 17



domain.

Domain Members

You dont need to keep track of each individual within a given domain. A domains members are appropriate for its type and goals: armies recruit soldiers, temples attract priests, and so forth. For domains with a limited membership, such as a cabal of wizards or the crew of a ship, describe significant individuals who appear as NPCs during adventures. Decide how meticulously you want to track the members of a domain. At minimum, determine how many people are at the domains disposal and where they are located. The members of a domain might also be considered hirelings, and a player may be required to pay them as described earlier in this chapter (see Paying Hirelings), in addition to funding the costs of maintaining the domain. However, you can rule that the domain covers the costs of some (or all) of its hirelings if it has ways of generating its own moneyfor example, by collecting taxes or engaging in trade.

Domain Costs

Typically, each character must pay for the expenses of his or her domain. The more powerful and influential the organization, the more resources it requires to keep functioning. These costs are measured as the cost of maintaining the domain per day, based on the domains level. For every 30 days a character fails to pay this cost within a one-year period, the domains level goes down by 1.

D om ain Costs per D ay

Domain Level Cost

14 15 gp

510 75 gp

1116 150 gp

1720 350 gp

21+ 750 gp

Domain Activities

Between adventures, player characters who control domains can choose to invest time and effort in leading or improving their domains.

Leading a Domain Adventurers can use their domains to achieve certain objectives in the world. For every week an adventurer spends leading the domain, the domain can undertake one

major course of action. You decide what happens, much as you would for an action a character takes in an adventure, though the scaleboth in time and impact on the worldis larger. Typically, a domains actions encompass something that can be accomplished only by leveraging the influence, resources, and efforts of a group of people. For example, a domain might try to accomplish any of the following: A thieves guild intimidates a citys governing council into a

certain course of action. An order of knights escorts a caravan carrying a powerful

evil artifact to a place where it can be destroyed. An army secures the borders of a kingdom against an orc

invasion. An arcane order researches the properties of a powerful

magical artifact. You can simply describe the outcome of the domains actions, especially in situations where the action is both logical and carries little uncertainty. If the outcome of the domains actions is uncertain, ask the player to make a check for the domain. The player rolls a d20, then adds the domains level to the number rolled. You set the DC for the check, using the same criteria you would use for a typical ability check. If the check is successful, the domains action is a success. The domains attempted goal might logically require longer than a week. Decide how long you think the action should take. The domains leader must spend the required time leading the domain, and the outcome of the effort is resolved at the end of that time. You can also assign additional costs to the domains actions. For example, laying siege to a city is more expensive than simply using an army to guard a well-stocked fortress, and the costs increase accordingly. You can use the prices for goods and services presented in the Players Handbook as a benchmark for these additional costs. The player character might also be responsible for the lifestyle expenses of the domain members involved in a particular action. These expenses simulate the costs associated with having members of the domain perform a certain task.

Improving a Domain Instead of using a domain to accomplish a goal, a character might choose to focus on improving his or her domain. The player should describe how he or she is going to enhance the domain. The domain leader could spend the time searching for rare spellbooks to add to the library of a wizard academy, or instructing army soldiers in new combat techniques. Improving a domain requires the character to spend a number of days equal to 14 the domains current level working to improve the domain. These days do not need to be sequential. Once the character has spent enough days improving the domain, its level increases by 1.



Domain Conflicts

When two domains come into conflict with one another, use a contest to determine which side emerges victorious. If the difference in the levels of the two domains is 10 or greater, the domain with the higher level automatically wins the contest. Otherwise, one person responsible for each domain rolls a d20 and adds the domains level. The domain with the higher total emerges victorious, and you determine the outcome. In the case of a tie, you describe the stalemate, and also determine if the conflict continues based on the circumstances. Usually, failing to achieve a goal is enough of a punishment for being on the losing end of such a conflict. However, you might also assign additional costs for either or both domainsgold, losing members, a reduction of domain level, and so onbased on the nature of the conflict. Improvising Effects

A character tips over a brazier, spilling coals onto a gang of goblins. Kobolds rig a pile of gravel to fall on the adventurers. A tunnel collapses, or the ground melts into a pool of lava. How much damage do the characters take? In most cases, a monster or effect specifies the amount of damage it inflicts. In other cases, though, you need to determine damage on the fly. When youre called on to make up a damage number, think about what that number represents by using categories similar to those used to rank DCs. Light Damage (1d10). Comparable to a blow from a weapon or a 10-foot fall, light damage represents a significant injury to a low-level character, but it is not likely to kill that character by itself. You might imagine a person in the real world visiting the emergency room after such an injury, but not needing to stay in the hospital. Burning coals spilled over a character might deal 1d10 fire damage, a fully loaded bookcase falling on a character might deal 1d10 bludgeoning damage, and a poison needle springing from a trapped chest might deal 1d10 poison damage. Moderate Damage (2d10). Comparable to a 30-foot fall or a kick from a horse, moderate damage poses a risk of death to low-level characters. You might imagine a person in the real world being admitted to the hospital after suffering such an injury. A trap that dumps a load of gravel on characters might deal 2d10 bludgeoning damage, being pushed into a blazing fire pit might deal 2d10 fire damage, and being struck by lightning in a mundane storm might deal 2d10 lightning damage. Serious Damage (4d10). Comparable to being savaged by a bear or falling 50 feet, serious damage is likely to bring a low-level character to 0 hit pointsor to kill that character outright. A person in the real world might end up in intensive care after taking this level of damage. A collapsing tunnel might deal 4d10 bludgeoning damage, being knocked into a raging bonfire might deal 4d10 fire

damage, and falling into a vat of acid might deal 4d10 acid damage. Severe Damage (10d10). Comparable to the deadly effect of a purple worm's poisonous sting, being mauled by an ancient dragon, or falling from a 150-foot building, severe damage is almost certain to kill a low-level character. If you cant imagine a person in the real world surviving an effect but can picture the hero of an action movie walking away from it, severe damage might be appropriate. Being crushed between compacting walls might deal 10d10 bludgeoning damage, a trap made of whirling steel blades might deal 10d10 slashing damage, and running through a stream of lava might deal 10d10 fire damage. If you dont want to roll so many dice, roll 6d10 + 20 instead. Devastating Damage (18d10). Comparable to falling 200 feet or being bitten twice by the horrific tarrasque, this damage is difficult for any character to survive. You might imagine a person in the real world dying immediately, and even a godlike being such as Hercules barely surviving an effect of this kind. Being submerged in lava might deal 18d10 fire damage, a flying fortress crashing onto characters from the sky might deal 18d10 bludgeoning damage, and being caught in the path of a stream of pure elemental lightning flowing through the Elemental Chaos might deal 18d10 lightning damage. If you dont want to roll so many dice, roll 6d10 + 65 instead. Catastrophic Damage (24d10). Comparable to falling 300 feet, catastrophic damage is enough to kill almost any character. Falling into the center of the earth or a volcanic inferno on the Elemental Plane of Fire might deal 24d10 fire damage, while being crushed in the jaws of a planet-sized monster might deal 24d10 bludgeoning damage. If you dont want to roll so many dice, roll 6d10 + 100 or simply assume that the damage is sufficient to kill any creature that takes it. Damage Severity and Character Level. Serious damage has a good chance of killing a low-level character, but its more of a minor setback for a character above 10th level. As characters go up in level, they dont take more damage from the same effects, but they might be subjected to more dangerous effects in their adventures. The Damage Severity and Level table is a general guide to how deadly these damage numbers are for characters at the four tiers of play.

D am age Sever ity and Level

Level Setback Dangerous

Deadly

14 1d10 2d10 4d10

510 2d10 4d10 10d10

1116 4d10 10d10 18d10



Level Setback Dangerous

Deadly

1720 10d10 18d10 24d10

Setback. Damage sufficient to cause a setback hinders characters and depletes their resources. It rarely poses a risk of significant injury or death to characters of the level shown, but a severely weakened character might be laid low by this damage. Dangerous. Dangerous damage values pose a significant threat to weaker characters, and could potentially kill a character of the level shown that is already wounded. Deadly. Deadly damage, as the name suggests, is enough to bring a character of the level shown to 0 hit points. This level of damage can kill even powerful characters outright if they are already wounded.

Using Miniatures

Chapter 9 of the Players Handbook offers simple rules for depicting combat using miniature figures on a square grid. Using miniatures in the game makes it easy for everyone around the table to visualize the setup and number of combatants. Figures also help players imagine the monsters theyre fightingincluding the size of those monsters. When you put a Gargantuan dragon down on the table, encourage the players to look at it from the level of their miniatures. Its a very different perspective compared to what even a scale drawing provides.

Maps and Scale You can draw maps for combat with colored markers on a portable white board, a wet-erase vinyl mat, or large sheets of paper from an office supply store. A map is not the most evocative prop in the world, but it can help the players understand what they see and where they are. Preprinted maps or maps created from cardboard tiles or sculpted pieces are even better, showing artistic representations of common and fantastic dungeon features. The most common unit for tactical maps is the 5-foot square. This scale is useful for miniatures and for drawing dungeon maps, which are usually created on graph paper. Scale maps with square grids are readily available and easy to create. Measuring horizontal and vertical distance on a square grid is simple. Counting distance on a diagonal can be simple and unrealistic, or accurate but more complex (see the Diagonal Movement on a Square Grid sidebar). You dont have to use a grid at all. You can use a bare table or sculpted terrain to represent the area where combat takes place, and rely on a tape measure to calculate distances. You can also use string, craft sticks, or pipe cleaners cut to specific lengths to measure common distances (25 and 30 feet for character movement, for example). By dispensing with the grid, creatures can move in any direction with ease. The downside is that measuring

distance can become tedious. Another option is a grid made of 1-inch hexagons (often called hexes), which combines the easy counting of a square grid with the more flexible movement of using no grid. Dungeon corridors with straight walls and right angles dont map easily onto hexes, though.

Creature Size and Scale Characters and monsters are represented on the grid with miniature figures. If you dont have miniatures available, use coins, beads, or cardboard markers. Just make sure everyone at the table knows which object stands for which combatant. Most miniatures for human-sized characters and monsters are between 1 and 1 inches tall, and stand on a base that fits in a 1-inch square or hex. Plenty of creatures arent human-sized, though. Larger creatures take up more space on the grid. A creatures space (see Creature Size in chapter 9 of the Players Handbook) determines how many squares or hexes it fills on a grid.

Creature S ize and Scale on G rids

Size Space (Squares) Space (Hexes)

Tiny 4/square 4/hex

Small 1 square 1 hex

Medium 1 square 1 hex

Large 4 squares (2 2) 3 hexes

Huge 9 squares (3 3) 7 hexes

Gargantuan 16 squares (4 4) 12 hexes

On a hex grid, Large creatures occupy a cluster of three hexes that share a central vertex. Huge creatures occupy one hex and every hex adjacent to it. A Gargantuan creature occupies the space of a Large creature plus every hex adjacent to that space. (Even larger Gargantuan creatures could fill the space of a Huge creature and every adjacent hex.)

Diagonal Movement on a Square Grid The Players Handbook presents a simple method for counting movement and measuring range on a square grid: count every square as 5 feet, even if youre moving diagonally. Though this is simple and fast in play, it breaks the laws of geometry and is inaccurate over long distances. The following alternative rule provides more realism, but it requires a little bit of care and attention during combat. When measuring range or moving diagonally on a square grid, the first diagonal square counts as 5 feet, but the second diagonal square counts as 10 feet. This pattern of 5 feet and then 10 feet continues whenever youre counting diagonally, even if you move horizontally or vertically between different bits of diagonal movement. For example, a character might move one square diagonally (5 feet), then three squares straight (15 feet),



and then another square diagonally (10 feet) for a total movement of 30 feet.

Optional Rule: Flanking If you regularly use a grid in combat, flanking gives creatures and characters a simple way to gain advantage on attack rolls by teaming up against a common enemy. When a creature and at least one of its allies are adjacent to an enemy and on opposite sides or corners of the enemys space, they flank that enemy, and each of them has advantage on attack rolls against that enemy. When in doubt about whether two creatures flank an enemy on a square grid, trace an imaginary line between the centers of the creatures spaces. If the line passes through opposite sides or corners of the enemys space, the enemy is flanked. On a hex grid, count around the enemy from one creature to its ally. Against a Medium or smaller creature, the allies flank if they are 3 hexes apart on opposite sides of the enemys hex. Against a Large creature, they must be 4 hexes apart. Against a Huge creature, they must be 5 or 6 hexes apart. Against a Gargantuan creature, they must be 6 or more hexes apart. Large, Huge, and Gargantuan Creatures. A Large or larger creature is flanking as long as at least one square or hex of its space qualifies for flanking. Restrictions. A creature cannot flank an enemy it cant see, or an enemy it cant physically reach. A creature also cannot flank while it is incapacitated.

Cover Using a grid allows for precise determination of whether one creature can see another, and whether the target of an attack has cover against the attacker. To determine whether one creature can see another, pick a corner of the creatures space and trace an imaginary line from that corner to any part of the other creatures space. If at least one such line doesnt pass through or touch an object or effect that blocks visionsuch as a stone wall, a thick curtain, or a cloud of fogthen the creatures can see each other. To determine if a target has cover against an attack on a square grid, choose a corner of the square the attacker occupies, or the point of origin for a magical effect. Then trace imaginary lines from that corner to every corner of any one square the target occupies. If one or two of those lines are blocked by an obstacle (including another creature), the target has half cover. If three or four of those lines are blocked but the attack can still physically reach the target (such as when the target is behind an arrow slit) the target has three-quarters cover. On a hex grid, use the same procedure, drawing lines between the vertices of the hexagons. The target has half cover if up to four lines are blocked by an obstacle, and three-quarters cover if five or six lines are blocked. Area Spells Area spells are not targeted on a single creature, but on a volume of space. The effect of such spells must be translated onto the grid to determine which potential

targets are affected and which are not. Choose an intersection of squares or hexes on the grid as the point of origin of a spell effect, then follow the spells rules as best you can. Because many spell areas are a circular radius, you will have to make ad hoc rulings when applying those areas onto a square grid. As a starting point, if a spell effect would cover at least half a square, it affects creatures in that square. Optional Rule: Hitting Cover

In ranged combat against a target that has cover, it might be important to know whether the cover was struck by an incoming attack that misses the intended target. First, determine if the attack roll would have hit the protected target without the cover. If the attack roll falls within a range low enough to miss the target with cover but high enough to strike the target if there had been no cover, the object used for cover was struck. If a creature is providing cover for another creature and the attack roll exceeds the AC of the covering creature, the covering creature takes the damage intended for the target creature. This rule makes character positioning more important in situations where ranged attackers firing into melee create a risk of characters being injured by friendly fire. Another common situation where this rule comes into play is when a villain is using a hostage as cover. Can a careful bowshot take out the villain without harming the hostage? Its a risky proposition, and this rule reflects that risk.

Optional Rule: Morale

Few creatures are eager to fight to the death, and both intelligent characters and mindless monsters might withdraw when a fight turns against them. Its up to you as DM to decide whether monsters flee from a battle, but you can use the dice to help make that decision. A morale saving throw is a Wisdom saving throw you can make for monsters and NPCs when the following situations arise. The DC of the saving throw depends on the situation: The creatures are surprised at the start of combat (DC 10). Half the creatures in the group have been defeated without

any losses on the adventurers side (DC 15). Three-quarters of the creatures in the group have been

defeated without any losses on the adventurers side (DC 20).

A groups leader is defeated (DC 15). A single spell kills three or more members of a group at

the same time (DC 15). A lone creature is reduced below half its hit points without

any losses on the adventurers side (DC 10). A lone creature is reduced to hit points low enough that

one more successful attack will kill it (DC 20). You make morale saving throws for individual creatures or for a group as a whole, as appropriate. If you use



individual saving throws, creatures that fail their saves are considered defeated, so their retreat or surrender might force their companions to make new saving throws. When creatures fail morale saving throws, it isnt always to the adventurers benefit. A goblin that breaks from combat might retreat or surrenderor it might run to bring an ogre ally back to the fight in a few rounds time, or put the entire dungeon on alert. Dealing with a fleeing foe might become more important than fighting the creatures that remain. In addition, some players are apt to see their treasure running away when foes flee, and make every effort to pursue them.

Optional Rule: Action Points

Action points give characters the ability to pull off heroic feats by taking additional actions. Theyre appropriate for a campaign with an action-movie feel, where the adventurers are exceptional characters who push themselves beyond normal limits. Acquiring Action Points. Each time you finish a long rest, you start with 1 action point. You typically gain 1 action point whenever you take a short rest, but the DM might limit action points if the party stops for too many short rests. When you take a long rest, any action points you have are lost, and you start again with 1 action point. NPCs and Action Points. You might want to give an action point to an important villain or significant ally of the adventurers, but most NPCs shouldnt have action points. Legendary monsters already have special actions that give them similar benefits. Using Action Points. On a characters turn, he or she can spend an action point to take an additional action. A character can spend only 1 action point during an encounter.

Optional Rule: More Special Attacks

Chapter 9 of the Players Handbook describes two special attacksgrappling and shoving a creaturethat characters in combat can attempt in place of a normal attack when using the Attack action. The Improvising in Combat section of this chapter provides a framework you can use to adjudicate attempts to make other special attacks. If you prefer more concrete rules, this section describes additional special attacks, and new ways to use the special attacks from the Players Handbook. Called Shot. When a creature tries to hit a specific part of a targets body, it makes the attack roll with disadvantage. If the attack hits, it deals normal damage and has an additional effect based on what part of the targets body was hit: Eye. The target is blinded until the attackers next turn. Feet. The target falls prone. Hand. The target drops one item it is holding. Legs. The targets speed is halved until the attackers next

turn.

Other Appendages. The target has disadvantage on attacks using that appendage until the attackers next turn.

Head or Other Vulnerable Spot. The attack deals extra damage.

Held or Carried Item. The item takes damage instead of the creature holding it. (This is commonly called a sunder attack.)

The above suggestions are only guidelines, and a called shot can impose different penalties or effects at your discretion. Be creative when determining effects for called shots against monsters that have unusual anatomy or magical abilities associated with a specific body part (such as a beholders eye stalks). An attacker cant make a called shot if it already has disadvantage on the attack. Disarm. A creature can use its weapon to knock a weapon or another item from a targets grasp. The attacker makes an attack roll contested by the targets attack roll. If the attacker wins the contest, the attack deals no damage and the item slips from the defenders grasp, usually falling to the ground. The attacking creature has disadvantage on the attack roll if the target is holding the item with two or more hands. The target has advantage on its attack roll if it is larger than the attacking creature, and has disadvantage on its attack roll if it is smaller. Shove Aside. A creature can shove another creature sideways instead of straight back. The attacking creature has disadvantage on its Strength (Athletics) check. Tackle. An attacker can try to pull a creature to the ground using the rules for grappling. If the attacker succeeds on its grapple attempt, it and the target also fall prone. Unseat a Rider. A creature can attempt to knock a rider from its mount by shoving the creature. As described in the Players Handbook, a military saddle gives the rider advantage on its ability check to resist being shoved.

Optional Rule: Special Attacks for Bigger Monsters

Monsters that are Large or larger can make a number of special attacks that smaller creatures cant attempt. Creatures as Improvised Weapons. A Large or larger monster that is grappling a smaller creature can use that creature to attack, using the rules for improvised weapons. If the attack hits, the target and the grappled creature each take damage1d6 bludgeoning damage if the grappled creature is Small or 2d6 damage if it is Medium, plus the attackers Strength modifier. If a Large or larger creature is grappling two smaller creatures, it can smash one of them into the other using this rule. It has advantage on its attack roll. A Huge or Gargantuan creature can use a creature it is grappling as an improvised thrown weapon to make a ranged attack, using the same damage as above. The maximum range for this attack is 15 feet for a Huge



creature or 20 feet for a Gargantuan creature. The thrown creature takes damage even if the attack roll is unsuccessful. Crush. A Huge or larger creature can use its size and weight to crush creatures of Medium or smaller size. A giant might stomp over the targets, while a dragon would swoop down and land on them. The creature moves into the targets spaces, and each target must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a target takes 2d10 bludgeoning damage from a Huge creature, or 4d10 bludgeoning damage from a Gargantuan creature. In addition, the target falls prone, and is restrained and unable to stand until the attacking creature moves. A trapped creature can end this effect by making a Strength (Athletics) check or a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check, contested by the Strength (Athletics) check of the crushing creature. Large Improvised Weapons. A Large or larger monster can wield particularly heavy items as improvised weapons. Weapon Size Damage

Tiny 1d4

Small 1d6

Medium 2d6

Large 3d6

Huge 4d6 A creature cant wield an object of its own size or larger. If an improvised thrown weapon is Large or larger, the attacker doesnt make an attack roll. Instead, each creature in the space where the object lands must make a Dexterity saving throw against a DC equal to the monsters Strength (Athletics) check. On a failed save, the target takes the appropriate damage, falls prone, and is restrained and unable to stand until the object is moved off it. A trapped creature can end this effect by making a Strength (Athletics) check or a Dexterity (Acrobatics) checkDC 10 for a Large object, or DC 15 for a Huge object. Mighty Shove. An especially strong creature can shove a target more than 5 feet. If it wins the contest to shove a target, an attacker pushes the target a number of feet equal to its Strength modifier (minimum 5 feet). A Large or larger creature can combine a normal attack with a mighty shove. By taking disadvantage on its attack roll, the creature gains the additional effect of the shove if its attack hits. As normal, it can choose to push the target or to knock it prone. Pull Closer. A creature with a reach of at least 10 feet can pull a creature within its reach 5 feet closer to it (to a minimum of 5 feet). It uses the rules for shoving a creature to resolve this attack. Shake the Earth. A Huge or larger monster can strike the ground hard enough to cause a minor earth tremor.

The creature strikes a point on the ground that it can reach. Each creature within 15 feet of that point must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

Optional Rule: In an Enemys Space

As described in the Players Handbook, a creature cant move through a hostile creatures space unless the creature is at least two sizes larger or smaller than the hostile creature. The following rules present additional methods for moving through areas occupied by hostile creatures, as well as rules for letting smaller creatures jump onto and cling to a larger creatures back. Overrun and Tumble. When a creature tries to move through a space occupied by a hostile creature, it can try to force its way through by overrunning the hostile creature. The creature makes a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the targets Strength (Athletics) check. The creature has advantage on this check if it is larger than the target, or disadvantage if it is smaller. A creature can also try to tumble through a hostile creatures space, ducking and weaving past the opponent. The creature makes a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the targets Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If the creature wins the contest, it can move through the hostile creatures space as though moving through difficult terrain. It provokes an opportunity attack if it leaves the hostile creatures reach, as normal. Climbing onto a Bigger Creature. If one creature wants to jump onto another creature, it can do so by grappling. A Small or Medium creature has little chance of making a successful grapple attack against a Huge or Gargantuan creature, however, unless magic has granted the attacker superhuman strength. As an alternative, a suitably large opponent can be treated as terrain for the purpose of jumping onto its back or clinging to a limb. After making any ability checks necessary to get into position and onto the larger creature, the attacking creature makes a Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check contested by the targets Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If it wins the contest, the attacker successfully moves into the target creatures space and clings to its body. While in the target creatures space, the attacker moves with the target and has advantage on attack rolls against the target. The smaller creature can move around within the larger creatures space, treating the space as difficult terrain. The larger creatures ability to attack the smaller creature depends on the smaller creatures location, and is left to your discretion. The larger creature can also dislodge the smaller creature as an actionknocking it off, scraping it against a wall, or grabbing and throwing itby making a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the smaller creatures Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. (The smaller creature chooses the ability to use.)



Diseases A virulent plague ravages the kingdom, incurable by normal magic means, launching the adventurers into a quest to find a cure. The sewers teem with festering rot that infects characters who venture into the darkness to root out a wererat gang. Adventurers emerge from an ancient tomb, unopened for centuries, and soon find themselves suffering from a wasting illness that spreads rapidly from them to the rest of the town. A warlock manipulates dark powers in the presence of malign forces and contracts a strange illness that spreads when she casts her spells. As these examples illustrate, disease in your campaign can be a useful tool to spur adventures and challenge characters. At its simplest, a disease can serve a function similar to a random encounteras a reminder that some environments can be just as dangerous as the creatures that live there. Such a simple disease might amount to little more than a small drain on party resources as the cleric prepares lesser restoration before the group moves on. A more complicated disease can form the basis for one or more adventures as characters search for a cure, stop the spread, and deal with the consequences. Simple, complex, or somewhere in between, a disease is fundamentally a plot device, not a key part of the rules of the game. The rules come into play to describe the effects of the disease and how it can be cured, but the specifics of how any given disease works arent bound by a common set of rules. Diseases can affect any creature, and a given illness might or might not pass from one race or kind of creature to another. A plague might spread among all the constructs in the kingdom or infect only undead. Or a disease could sweep through a citys halfling neighborhood but leave other races untouched. What matters is the needs of your campaign and the story you want to tell. Disease Examples

These examples focus on the story ramifications of any particular illness, demonstrating how a disease might play a role in your campaign. Any of these diseases could have multiple distinct strains or manifest differently in different races, for example. You can alter the saving throw DC, incubation time, symptoms, and other characteristics of a disease to suit your game.

Cackle Fever Victims of cackle fever experience extremely high fevers that cause disorientation and madness. While in the grips of this terrible disease, victims frequently fall into bouts of hideous laughter, giving the disease both its common name and its morbid nickname: the shrieks. Cackle fever spreads easily, and its dramatic effects make it a frightening plague that can spread rapidly through a town or city around the characters. Exposure. When an infected creature suffers a laughing attack, each humanoid within 10 feet of it must succeed on

a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or become infected with cackle fever. Gnomes are immune to this disease. Symptoms. Symptoms manifest 1d4 days after infection. The victim suffers high fever, disorientation, and frequent attacks of screaming and manic laughter. Situations of stress can trigger this reaction, including entering combat, taking damage, experiencing fear, or having a particularly bad dream (usually at least once a night). On any of these occasions, the victim must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the victim takes 1d12 psychic damage and becomes incapacitated with mad laughter until the end of its next turn in combat (or for about 10 seconds outside of combat). Recovery. At the end of each a long rest, a victim can make a Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, the DC for this save and for the save to avoid an attack of laughter drops by 1d6. When the saving throw DC drops to 0, the creature recovers from the disease. A character who fails three of these saving throws gains a randomly-determined form of indefinite madness, as described later in this chapter.

Demon Fever The depths of the Abyss are fertile ground for all manner of diseases. Only some of them have any effect on the demons that carry them, but nearly all of them are devastating to humanoid creatures that venture there. Demon fever is a way to reinforce the danger of fighting demons in your campaign, by imposing a lingering penalty that requires a magical cure after the demon is defeated. Exposure. A creature that takes damage from the claws or bite of a demon infected with demon fever must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or become infected with the disease. The disease affects all kinds of humanoids, beasts, fey, and monstrosities; the demons that carry it are unaffected by it. Demon fever might have different, deadlier effects on celestials. Symptoms. Symptoms of demon fever begin to manifest 1 hour after infection. The victim finds dark thoughts creeping into his or her mind, dominated by fantasies of violence and death. In stressful situations (such as combat), unreasoning suspicion takes over and the victim lashes out at friend and foe alike. Any time a creature moves out of the victim's reach, he or she must make an opportunity attack if able, even if the creature is an ally. In addition, at the end of each long rest after the symptoms manifest, the character must make a DC 18 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the character gains 1 level of exhaustion and the rest does not remove a level of exhaustion as it normally would. Recovery. A character infected by demon fever cannot recover naturally. A lesser restoration or more powerful spell is required to remove the disease. The cure does not remove the exhaustion, but it can be removed with rest as normal.

Necrotic Scourge Manipulating the forces of life, death, and negative energy



can be risky, especially in places so steeped in death that they manifest a dim, malign sentience. Under the right circumstances, casting the wrong spell in a certain location can infect the caster with necrotic scourge. This disease serves an unusual story role: it initially infects only one character in a party, but it might eventually spread to the others. Its most effective in a campaign with horror themes, where it reinforces the idea that there are forces that mortals are not meant to deal with and secrets they were not meant to know. Exposure. When a creature casts a necromancy spell in a cursed graveyard, battlefield, tomb, or some other location steeped in death, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infected with necrotic scourge. The disease does not affect undead. Symptoms. It takes little time for necrotic scourges symptoms to manifest in an infected creature. At the end of the victims next short rest or long rest, it gains vulnerability to necrotic damage and has disadvantage on death saving throws. While this vulnerability persists, whenever the victim casts a necromancy spell, each creature within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infected with this disease. Recovery. A creature infected with necrotic scourge cannot recover from the disease naturally, and lesser restoration is ineffective against it. A heal spell rids the character of the disease. Also, if the victim is reduced to 0 hit points by radiant damage and survives, it can make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a success, the victim recovers from the disease.

Sewer Plague Sewer plague is a generic term for a broad category of illnesses that incubate in sewers, refuse heaps, and stagnant swamps and are sometimes transmitted by creatures that dwell in such areas (such as rats and otyughs). In a campaign, this disease emphasizes the perils of the environment when characters must venture into such areas. Exposure. When a humanoid takes piercing or slashing damage from the natural weapons of a creature that carries the disease, and each hour the creature spends exploring an area where sewer plague is present, it must succeed on a DC 7 Constitution saving throw or become infected with the disease. Symptoms. It takes 1d4 days for sewer plagues symptoms to manifest in an infected creature. It causes fatigue, diarrhea, and cramps. The victim suffers 1 level of exhaustion, and it regains only half the normal number of hit points from spending Hit Dice or from healing magic. Finishing a long rest allows the victim to regain a number of hit points equal to half its hit point maximum. At the end of each long rest, the victim must make a DC 7 Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, the characters exhaustion level is reduced by 1 as normal. But on a failed save, the character instead gains 1 level of exhaustion.

Recovery. If successful saving throws reduce the victims level of exhaustion to 0, it recovers from the disease.

Sight Rot This painful infection causes bleeding from the eyes and eventually blinds the victim. It serves as an adventure driver, sending characters into the swamp to find a rare flower that can be used to make a cure. The inevitable progress of the disease gives an urgency to the search. Exposure. A beast or humanoid that drinks water tainted by sight rot must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become infected. Symptoms. Symptoms manifest 1 day after infection: the creatures vision starts to become blurry. The creature takes a 1 penalty on attack rolls and on ability checks that require sight. At the end of each long rest after the symptoms appear, the penalty worsens by 1. When it reaches 5, the victim is permanently blinded. Recovery. Sight rot resists ordinary and even magical cures. The only known cure is a rare flower called Eyebright, which grows in some swamplands. Given an hour, a proficient character can use an herbalism kit to turn the flower into an ointment. Applied to the eyes before a long rest, the ointment prevents the disease from worsening after that rest. After three applications, the ointment cures the disease entirely.

Poisons Adventurers contend with poisons all the time. Whether delivered by a venomous monster or coating an assassins blade, poison bypasses a characters ability to absorb and shake off injury and attacks the characters system directly. Most poisons wreak havoc with the victims body, weakening it or causing it to shut down. Others have a more subtle effect, making the victim appear to be suffering from some minor sickness, madness, or some other infection when in truth the slow-acting toxins cumulative effects will eventually lead to death. Poisons can be powerful plot devices in an adventure. When used against player characters, poison can emphasize just how vulnerable they are in the face of the myriad dangers that await them in their adventures. Poison can also eliminate a trusted NPC ally, or launch an adventure where characters must hunt for an antidote before a slow-acting poison can complete its work. Since poisons are deadly weapons with no viable use in self-defense, they are illegal in most societies. No doubt this prohibition stems partly from the fact that poisons are the favorite tool of assassins who seek to eliminate royalty and other leaders.

Acquiring Poison

Characters can make their own poison, given the proper ingredients, or harvest it from the monsters they kill. In lieu of these methods, characters can also purchase poisons, though laws against poison often make that more



difficult than it might seem.

Creating a Poison A character can use the crafting rules presented in the Players Handbook to create basic poison, provided the character has proficiency with a poisoners kit. At your discretion, the character can also create the more exotic poisons described here. These toxins typically require special ingredients that make creating them more than a matter of spending the requisite gold. Tracking down such ingredients might be the basis of an entire adventure.

Harvesting a Poison A character can also attempt to harvest poison from a poisonous creature, such as a snake, a wyvern, or a carrion crawler. The creature must be incapacitated or dead. It takes 1d6 minutes and the harvesting character must make a DC 20 Intelligence check to extract the poison. (Proficiency with the poisoners kit applies to this check.) On a successful check, the character harvests enough poison for a single dose; if the character rolls a 20 on the check, he or she extracts 1d4 + 1 doses instead. On a failed check, the character ruins the specimen and cannot extract any poison. If the character fails the check by 5 or more, the character poisons himself or herself, suffering the effect of the poison as if the creature had successfully attacked the character.

Purchasing Poisons Because of the strict laws prohibiting the possession or use of poison, characters cant purchase it with a quick trip to the apothecary. Characters with criminal contacts might be able to acquire it relatively easily, but other characters might have to make extensive inquiries, pay exorbitant bribes, and consort with all manner of unsavory people before they track down the poison they seek. The Poisons table gives suggested prices for single doses of various poisons common to the worlds of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

Poisons

Item Price

Arsenic 300 gp

Black adder venom* 120 gp

Black lotus extract 4,500 gp

Bloodroot 100 gp

Burnt othur fumes 1,800 gp

Carrion crawler brain juice* 200 gp

Deathblade 1,800 gp

Drow poison 75 gp

Item Price

Essence of ether 500 gp

Insanity mist 1,500 gp

Lich dust 250 gp

Malice 1,000 gp

Oil of taggit 300 gp

Pale tincture 150 gp

Purple worm poison* 1,800 gp

Striped toadstool 180 gp

Torpor 300 gp

Truth serum 500 gp

Wyvern poison* 1,200 gp

* This poison can be harvested from a slain creature.

Sample Poisons

The most common poisons in the worlds of D&D are shown on the Poisons table and described here. Poisons can be classified by the means of delivery: A poison might be mixed with food or drink and ingested.

A creature must swallow an entire dose of poison to suffer the effects, although you might decide that a partial dose has a reduced effect, giving advantage on the saving throw and dealing half damage.

Many poisons are applied to a blade and introduced into the blood by injury. A creature that takes slashing or piercing damage from a weapon or piece of ammunition coated with the poison is subject to its effects.

Some poisons are powders or gases that take effect when they are inhaled. Poison gases are often released by traps, while powders might be folded into a letter addressed to the intended victim, for example. A single dose affects a 5-foot cube.

A few poisons are applied to the skin, usually by being smeared on a doorknob, taking effect on contact. A creature that touches the poison with exposed skin suffers its effects. Touching it with a gloved hand might smear it off the object. You can decide whether a monsters hide allows contact poison into its system.

Arsenic (Ingested). A creature subjected to this poison must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed saving throw, it takes 1d12 poison damage and is poisoned for 24 hours. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and is not poisoned. While the character is poisoned, the character regains only half the normal number of hit points by any means of healing. Black Adder Venom (Injury). A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 poison damage. One minute later, the


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