General Gameplay
A “short rest” can range from 30-60 minutes, at DM’s discretion based on circumstance.
In combat, if an attack roll is exactly equal to armor AC, or if a saving roll is exactly equal to the spell DC, the damage is halved. Any other spell effects or damage effects are as they would be, considering an attack roll would be a success against the target and a saving roll would be a success against the spell.
When rolling hit dice upon reaching a new level, you can choose the result of your roll OR the class standard: 7 if you’re rolling a d12, 6 if a d10, 5 if a d8, or 4 if a d6.
This rule is designed to keep people from being stuck with super-low rolls resulting in an untenably low HP max for their level.
Character Creation
When rolling character stats, you can roll your own set ONCE and choose to use those numbers, or you can use the standard 5e set: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. No mixing-and-matching.
This rule is designed to keep people from being stuck with shitballs stats.
Races
If you’re playing a human, you speak Common, a non-human language of your choice, AND the dialect of your ethnicity. (See the Character Options document or the Humans document in the Races folder for the list.)
You do not HAVE to play a human of a specific ethnicity. The default for human characters is a person of mixed descent, which can have virtually any combination of physical features as desired by the player.
If you’re playing a tiefling, you can use the standard 5e tiefling stats or the tiefling variants presented in the Sword Coast guide.
Classes
If you want to play a ranger, you can use the original 5e ranger class, the Unearthed Arcana revised ranger class, or the homebrew revamped ranger class. Just make a note of which one you’re using.
Specific Abilities
The Find Familiar spell/ability can use any Tiny beast of CR 0.
If you want your character to have a custom cantrip and your DM allows it, that custom cantrip will take the place of two other cantrips. For example, as a first-level wizard, you know three cantrips; if you want a custom cantrip, you’ll know that custom cantrip and one other cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list.
More on creating an original cantrip in Classes > Spell Lists > Customizable Cantrips.
Starting At Higher Levels
If you are starting at level 3 or higher, and you are proficient in light armor, you can start with studded leather armor.
If you’re starting at level 4 or higher, and you’re proficient in medium armor, you can start with breastplate armor.
If you’re starting at level 5 or higher, and you’re proficient in heavy armor, you can start with splint armor.
If you’re starting at level 5 or higher, you get more gold and perhaps an extra item or two. Talk to your DM about what they’d like to bestow upon you, based on the campaign and your character background.
To generalize:
Level 1 = 100 gold, give or take 25 gold based on background.
Level 5 = 500 gold, give or take 100 gold based on background, and 1 uncommon magical item (DM’s discretion).
Level 11 = 5k gold, give or take 1k gold based on background, and 3 uncommon magical items + 1 rare magical item (DM’s discretion).
Level 17 = 20k gold, give or take 2.5k based on background, and 3 uncommon magical items + 2 rare magical items + 1 very rare magical item (DM’s discretion).
