These rules serve the story we're telling together. When in doubt, choose what feels authentic to your character.
My goal isn't to complicate games — it's to streamline them and improve their worst parts. Every rule change here does at least one of the following:
Example: A player could choose standard death saving throws over the Wounds system without impacting anyone else at the table.
Failure creates story, not endings. Failed rolls introduce complications that enhance the narrative. When Dorian touched the cursed cart, he fell unconscious and was revived — consequences that enriched the story rather than ended it.
Multiple safety nets exist for terrible ideas. Before something catastrophic happens, I'll ask for a roll to see if your character senses the danger. Even if they fail, I'll ask if you're sure. You'll have multiple chances to reconsider.
Death requires multiple conscious decisions. Character death comes from deliberate choices: entering dangerous combat, refusing retreat opportunities, poor positioning, party decisions, and continued aggression while wounded. Our exhaustion-based system requires 6 Wounds — that's multiple conscious decisions to keep pushing forward.
Make the choices your character would make. Don't second-guess yourself or play it safe out of fear. Tell the story that feels authentic. If I ever ask you to say goodbye to a character, it will be because you decided that ending was right for their story.
The Promise: Focus on authentic roleplay and meaningful character decisions. I'll handle making sure the consequences serve the story we're telling together.
1 hour. Roll as many hit dice as you like, one at a time. Requires a relatively safe location where you can catch your breath and tend to wounds.
8 hours in a non-safe location. You automatically receive the maximum value for any rolled hit dice at the end of the rest. Does not provide Long Rest benefits.
Option A — Sleep in Your Own Bed
Sleep 8 consecutive hours in your permanent home or established residence in Venturia. You gain Long Rest benefits immediately.
Option B — Establish a Safe Haven
Sleep 8 consecutive hours per night in the same location for 3 consecutive nights without actively adventuring (no combat encounters, dangerous exploration, or strenuous activity during the establishment period). After the third night, you gain Long Rest benefits. You continue to gain them each consecutive night you sleep there, as long as you don't abandon the location for more than 48 hours.
Long Rest benefits: Recover all HP, Mana, Hit Dice, etc.
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Secure — Long Rest after one 8-hour sleep | Your permanent home or residence in Venturia; registered inns and lodging houses; protected institutional spaces (VAVA dormitories, Abbey guest quarters, etc.) |
| Viable Haven — Becomes safe after 3 consecutive quiet nights | Friendly NPC homes (with permission); rented properties, safehouses, or warehouses; established camps in wilderness outside hostile territories; secured locations in settlements outside Vallombrosa |
| Forbidden Haven — Cannot become a safe haven, ever | Any location within Vallombrosa's fog boundary; active enemy territory; dungeons, ruins, or locations with active supernatural threats; anywhere malevolent supernatural forces operate |
A previously established safe haven is lost if:
If a safe haven is lost, you must re-establish it through 3 consecutive quiet nights, or find a new location.
Standard D&D assumes 6–8 encounters per day. I refuse to pad sessions with meaningless fights. With only 1–2 meaningful encounters per day, players enter each fight at full strength — which forces me to either make everything lethally dangerous, accept trivially easy encounters, or contrive reasons the party can't rest.
This system fixes that in three ways:
One (1) reaction per round. Choose any spell or ability with a reaction component, or one of the following:
| Reaction | Description |
|---|---|
| ⚔ Interpose | When a creature within 10 ft. would be struck, push them out of the way and become the target yourself. You move into their space; they move to an adjacent space of your choice. |
| ⚔ Opportunity Attack | When an adjacent enemy willingly moves away, make a melee attack with disadvantage. Only heroes can make opportunity attacks — monsters cannot. |
| ⚔ Help | Grant an ally advantage on a roll if you can explain how you help. Automatic advantage if the help is straightforward and within your skillset. Requires a check if the help is creative, risky, or outside your expertise. Not allowed if there's no plausible way to help in the fiction. Limit: one Help reaction per roll. |
| ⚔ Assess | Make a DC 15 skill check to learn something about an enemy — weaknesses, abilities, plans, the environment, lore, etc. I answer honestly, limited to reasonably discernible information (though combat can spark unexpected insights). Ties go to the player. Limit: once per player per combat encounter. |
While Dying, you act normally on your turn (action, bonus action, movement), but:
This system is in addition to, not in place of, the 2024 edition exhaustion mechanics.
Direct PvP is not permitted except as part of in-world contests. PCs may attack or counter-attack each other to serve the story, but combat concludes once it has served its narrative purpose — ideally decided by the players involved, with the DM having final say. A private post-game conversation is required to ensure any hostility stays with the characters, not the players.
Permitted. One player rolls Insight; the other rolls Deception (if lying) or Persuasion (if telling the truth). The rolling player chooses which, and the table is not told.
Only components with a gold cost are physically required.
For group activities only. Majority pass or fail. NAT 20 counts as 2 successes; NAT 1 counts as 2 failures.
Generally limited to 1 party member unless reasonable assistance is offered.
With assistance: choose between one roll with Advantage, or each relevant party member rolls independently. If rolling with Advantage, the DM determines who rolls based on who does the heavy lifting.
If there's no time limit and the PC is capable, the check determines how long it takes and whether complications arise.
| Example | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Rogue picking their own liquor cabinet lock | Succeeds even on a NAT 1 — but may take 3 hours and discover they're out of cognac |
| Rogue picking the Imperatrix's lock | NAT 1 may break picks and jam the lock, preventing future attempts |
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Trance resting | Must occur in the same general area for the full duration |
| Flanking | No flanking |
| HP at level-up | Max HP at odd levels; average or rolled at even levels |
| NAT 20 on a skill check | Best possible outcome — not auto-succeed |
| NAT 1 on a skill check | Auto-fail, even with high bonuses. Reliable Talent usually prevents this, but the DM may impose narrative consequences |
| Spell Scrolls | Anyone may attempt with a DC 12 Arcana check. The scroll is consumed regardless of success |
You can certainly try.