House Rules

We have a few house rules to keep SCAR running smoothly, as things work a bit differently than a typical Home game.

• Blindness & Invisibility: Interactions & Combat

  The rules below are in effect during play, though your DM may rule otherwise in certain situations. This gives a baseline for everyone to be aware of and follow.

  
  

  Blindness

  While tokens may be in adjacent squares on Roll20, you are not right next to the other creature. Each stands within a 5 foot square. Your character could physically be multiple feet away from the one next to you. If you are blinded or within an area of zero visibility, you are unable to pinpoint with exact precision where everyone within the constant din of battle is moving, shifting, and standing.

  
  

  Attacking Blind

  1. The Player decides to attack while blinded or in zero visibility.
  2. The Player choose a square they want to hit. Keep in mind, they should have NO vision, so they are choosing based off memory of the battlefield.
  3. Player rolls a Perception check, DC 16.
  4. On a success, they hit the chosen square at Disadvantage.
  5. On a failure, roll a 1d8. Starting from the top left diagonal, circle around them. That is the square they actually hit, still at Disadvantage.
  6. Alternate rule: On a failure, they simply hit an adjacent square to the chosen spot, of the DMs choice, still at Disadvantage.

  
  

  There is a risk to swinging out BLINDLY. You very well may hit an ally.

  
  

  Invisibility

  When invisible, if you use an ability that affects another creature, regardless if it is an attack, your invisibility fails.

• Bombs (Splash Weapons)

  Improvised Weapon proficiency (or similar proficiency with a specific splash weapon) is required to attack with a Bomb or Splash Weapon without being imposed by disadvantage (regardless of any ability, spell or circumstance). Bomb Tinker Mechs are granted specific proficiency only with their own created bombs, and not all splash weapons. Please note, Bomb Tinker Mechs have rules that may override what is here for the purpose of their own bombs.

  
  

  To attack with a splash weapon, make a ranged attack against a target within range, targeting an unoccupied square with an AC 15, or targeting a creature using their AC. On a hit, direct damage is dealt to the target and splash damage affects all squares within 5 feet. On a miss, nothing happens, though the splash weapon is still considered used or expended.

• Difficult Terrain

  A few quick notes on walking through difficult terrain:

  1. You are able to move through the spaces of your conscious allies without any extra movement.
  2. You are unable to move through conscious enemy spaces at all, unless an ability, spell, or item says otherwise.
  3. Creatures of size Medium or larger who are unconscious or dead are considered difficult terrain, regardless if they are your allies or enemies.
• Drinking & Consuming
  You must be conscious to drink/consume anything. Drinking/consuming takes an action and consumes 1 pint (or a potion) or less.
• Exhausting Wounds

  If a character falls unconscious due to hit point damage, they gain one level of exhaustion.

  
  

  In addition, a character that has any levels of exhaustion cannot benefit from a Short Rest in any way, including spending hit dice to heal. This is in effect until all levels of exhaustion have been removed.

• Gifting Items, Gold, and Businesses

  We do not want to put a full stop on gifting, because we love that the community works together and has in-character relationships and friendships that facilitate giving. However, we do have some baseline rules to protect the economy and maintain character growth.

  
  

  Items

  You MAY gift items to other players. We request that this makes sense in-character (and is not simply an OOC transaction). You should have a rapport or working relationship between the characters, and a reason for the gift.

  
  

  Gold

  You may NOT gift gold to other players. We understand this rule might seem harsh, but if a character is in need of an item, you may still gift that item. If they need a small amount of gold for a task, we have a wide arrange of commands and resources to gain gold. If they are out of downtime, we have the option to buy Crystal Shop boosters. Personal loans are included in these rules. We have the Bank available for loans.

  
  

  You MAY still pay for a service rendered via RP. Example, if you are looking for information gained from a quest, notes, reports, etc. You may "hire" that character or tip them for such things, within reason.

  
  

  Businesses

  You may NOT gift businesses to other players. We feel it facilitates character growth to work towards these things, and have great ways to get these items already (Bank and Investment Guild).

• Hollow & Poisoned Ammunition

  Ammunition can be coated (or filled if applicable) with liquid contents. These might do extra damage or have other effects, depending on the liquid used. Recipe cards or shop items should denote the size of the container you are purchasing. For example, you could purchase a single vial of acid, and use it to fill 16x hollowed pods to fire with a slingshot.

  
  

  Container Sizes & Ammunition Options

  Container	Container Holds (ounces)	Slashing or Piercing Weapon	Bolts / Arrows	Alchemist Bolts / Arrows	Hollowed Needles / Pods
  Vial	4 oz.	1 coated	3 coated	3 filled	16 filled
  Flask	8 oz.	2 coated	6 coated	6 filled	32 filled
  Bottle	16 oz.	3 coated	12 coated	12 filled	64 filled

  
  

  Source reference used:

  PHB: "You can use the [contents] in this vial to coat one slashing or piercing weapon or up to three pieces of ammunition."

• Idle & Inactive Players

  Here at SCAR, things keep moving along with or without you. That is the beauty of a living world! We also understand that sometimes life just gets in the way and you get busy with things that are more important. If you go inactive (roughly 1-2 months without activity), we will ping you in one of the channels to check in. If we still do not hear from you, we generally do a second ping and then wait another week or so before you get cleared off the roster.

  
  

  You are always welcome to return to SCAR, but you will likely need to create a new character and start over, as we keep the rosters clean for the sanity of the DMs. There are plenty of exceptions to this, and this rule is only a guideline. If you are a long-standing player with a lot of progress made, we simply mark you inactive and keep your items and things alone in stasis. If you have businesses or loans, we freeze the payments and mark the shops closed.

  
  

  Please note, "active" means more than hopping online to roll business income. If you are not participating in SCAR at least minimally, we place a hold on business rolls. This is to prevent an unseen jolt in the economy, should a player be slowly building up a mass fortune while they are away for months at a time.

• Inebriation

  When one pint (a flask) of alcohol is consumed, make a Constitution saving throw. The DC for this save begins at 10, and increases by +2 for each drink you consume. Each hour that passes reduces the DC back down by -2, to the minimum of 10. Each failed save gains one level of inebriation, and effects of inebriation are cumulative. Dwarves or those with Poison resistance have advantage on these saving throws, as it is considered a poison effect.

  
  

  Note: One full bottle contains 4 pints.

  
  

  Level	Effect
  1	Disadvantage on Persuasion and Deception; Advantage against being Frightened
  2	Disadvantage on Ability Checks; 5 temporary hit points
  3	Disadvantage on Saving Throws; Cannot dash or move more than 10 feet in the same direction
  4	Disadvantage on Attack Rolls; Damage Resistance
  5	Become Unconscious

  
  

  Casting spells requires a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or the spell fails. The spell is not wasted.

  A short rest removes one level of inebriation; a long rest removes all effects of inebriation.

• Interact with an Object

  If you want to interact with an object, you can use your Movement action (forgoing your movement) to do so. Examples include, opening a door, etc. This also works for Bags of Holding or Hats of Holding. You may use your movement to retrieve an item such as a potion.

  
  

  Exception: Interaction as part of another action. For example, drawing a weapon as part of an attack, getting ammo as part of reloading, etc.

• Long Rests

  In order to benefit from a Long Rest, in addition to the standard rules for long rests, the following criteria needs to be met:

  1. Sleep must be done in a bedroll, bed, or other similar amenity that is designed for comfort of sleep. Sleeping on the ground with just a cloak does not count, etc.
  2. You must consume at least one ration.
  3. You must keep yourself warm/cool as per the environment you are in.
  4. Players must doff their armor. Those on watch are considered wearing their armor.

  
  

  Failure to meet either of the above criteria, but meeting the standard rules for long rests, results in gaining a the benefits of a long rest with the following exceptions:

  1. If you had any levels of exhaustion, you retain them.
  2. If you did not have any levels of exhaustion, you gain one level of exhaustion.
• Minor Item Revisions

  Read some of our item revisions below. We have made these changes to work better within the unique environment of SCAR. Not every change is listed here. Only changes that are not already readily apparent on our Item Recipe cards.

  
  

  Bedroll

  Weight is 4lb, down from 7lb.

  
  

  Clothing

  Common, Costume, Fine, and Traveller's clothes are ruled down to 3lbs.

• Nonlethal Damage

  The 5E ruleset for nonlethal damage is oversimplified, and we have made modifications to it to work better for our environment.

  
  

  A nonlethal attack must be stated before the roll, and can only be done with an unarmed strike or with a Slapjack item. Nonlethal attacks cannot be done with any other weapon, spell, or item.

  
  

  A Slapjack (Leatherworking) requires no proficiency to use. This is the only weapon that can make a nonlethal attack. Keep in mind, the rule below does still apply.

  
  

  If any nonlethal attack brings a creature down to -10 health, the creature is still considered dead, regardless of intent.

  
  

  Addendum for Clarification:

  Only unarmed strikes that deal bludgeoning damage are considered nonlethal. Items that add extra non-bludgeoning damage to unarmed strikes could cause a lethal hit.

  
  

  Races with an unarmed strike dealing 1dX slashing / piercing damage may forgo this to use a normal unarmed attack of 1 + STR bludgeoning, if trying to attack non-lethally. Again, this must be stated before the attack.

• Prosthetics

  Should your character lose a limb, prosthetics are available to purchase from the Indigo Refinery in the City Services tab on Chronica. These prosthetics cannot be crafted, and must be ordered bespoke through the Indigo Refinery.

  
  

  You may also inquire to a DM regarding the Regeneration spell via Out of Town spellcasting. We understand characters have different paths or beliefs, so options are available, though always consider how it may affect your gameplay.

  
  

  Characters missing a leg cannot adventure until a prosthetic is acquired or the limb is regenerated. Characters missing an arm may choose to continue with a single arm, though understand the limitations of such. Be clear when taking your actions during combat, as to what is in your remaining arm at a given time.

• Skill Checks

  Skill checks are when a member or members of the party wants to use a skill to determine a thing, gain knowledge, perform an action, etc. A character must be proficient in the skill to make a check, unless a DM says otherwise.

  
  

  Skill checks may be attempted more than once, however all subsequent skill checks (regardless of who makes the check) are done at disadvantage. Disadvantage is always applied, in this case, regardless of any circumstance.

• Spell Adjustments of Note

  Command

  A note of clarification on the Command spell (https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Command#content), the wording of: "The spell has no effect if the target is undead, if it doesn’t understand your language, or if your command is directly harmful to it." means that a creature will not adhere to the "Grovel" command during combat with hostile enemies. This is because groveling on the ground in the presence of enemy creatures is one of the most harmful actions it can do; subjecting it to multiple advantage hits and likely death. The other command options are still available as per DM discretion.

  
  

  
  

  Precasting Spells on Adventures

  Because of the unique mechanics of a West Marches, the following spells have slight rewording, as the effects spoil after 8 hours, down from 24. This is to prevent too much "pre-casting", as our way of travel and questing can open opportunities that make it difficult to balance around. These changes are present in the spells on the website, and marked with a ♠ within the description where the change occurs.

  
  

  Create Food and Water:

  "The food is bland but nourishing, and spoils if uneaten after 8 hours. The water is clean and doesn’t go bad."

  
  

  Goodberry:

  "The berries lose their potency if they have not been consumed within 8 hours of the casting of this spell."

  
  

  Heroes' Feast:

  "These benefits last for 8 hours."

  
  

  Mind Blank:

  Duration reduced to 8 hours.

• Stealth

  Players make (Dexterity) Stealth rolls only when someone is in a position to see them or look for them. When a character announces they are going to creep somewhere, they should not roll stealth. Instead opposing stealth vs perception checks will be rolled when someone could see them or is looking for them.

• Tool Kit Uses

  The following kits have 10 uses before they must be replaced with a new tool/kit. This should be tracked on your Roll20 character sheet as a Resource, and on the item itself in Chronica.

  
  

  Thieves' Tools (10 uses)

  Healer's Kit (10 uses)

  Tinker's Tools (10 uses)

  
  

  Notes:

  1. Using a kit takes away one use, unless noted otherwise.
  2. Rolling a natural 1 with Thieves' Tools will break the tools, and any remaining uses are lost.
• Tuning Forks

  This page has outdated info and will be updated when time allows.

  
  

  The material component for the Plane Shift spell can be acquired using the following:

  1. Obtain a Tuning Fork from a Jewelcrafter at a 250gp. value.
  2. Choose a Plane in the Great Wheel of Cosmology. Your character would need to have actual knowledge that this plane exists, and a reason for going there.
  3. Research the correct tone of the Plane, by performing a Special Research: Arcana check. The DC depends on the Plane you are researching.
  4. Material Plane: DC 10
  5. Feywild / Shadowfell: DC 15
  6. Ethereal and Inner Planes: DC 20
  7. Outer Planes: DC 25
  8. On a success, you must then spend 10 downtime days to tune the fork. Alternatively, if you are already on the Plane, you can forego the 10 days of downtime.
• Unarmed & Natural Attacks

  Unarmed Strikes are considered Natural Weapon attacks. This homebrew rule is to clear up mixed verbiage, streamline particular abilities, items, ect, and to make of ease what effects this type of attack.

• Weather Effects

  During your adventures in SCAR, you may experience variant weather that affects your character. This could be from traveling up north in the frigid cold, or out into the Anauroch desert.

  
  

  Sleeping

  If you are sleeping outside in the frigid cold, you will require a Heavy Tent to gain any proper rest. Only one tent is required to fit an entire party, and it is created and stocked by Leatherworkers. If you are in the hot temperatures, you will require a Light Tent to gain rest. Again, this fits the entire party and is stocked by Leatherworkers.

  
  

  Extreme Cold

  Whenever the temperature is at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the cold must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. Creatures with resistance or immunity to cold damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures wearing cold weather gear (thick coats, gloves, and the like) and creatures naturally adapted to cold climates.

  Source: DMG, pg.110

  
  

  Cold weather gear can be purchased at a Weavers shop, but cannot be worn under your armor, as it is too thick. You have two options instead. You can winterize your armor using a Winterization Kit (Weavers), or purchase an Armor Overcoat (Weavers). Both of these allow you to wear your armor in the frigid temps without detriments. These items must be properly bought or crafted and then listed on your Roll20 sheet prior to the adventure.

  
  

  Winter Storms. Sometimes there are storms in the area that create temperatures that even those resistant to cold damage would balk at. If there is a winter storm or blizzard, the DM may require you to have cold weather gear (even if resistant or adapted to cold climates).

  
  

  Extreme Heat

  When the temperature is at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the heat and without access to drinkable water must succeed on a Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. The DC is 5 for the first hour and increases by 1 for each additional hour. Creatures wearing medium or heavy armor, or who are clad in heavy clothing, have disadvantage on the saving throw. Creatures with resistance or immunity to fire damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures naturally adapted to hot climates.

  Source: DMG, pg.110

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few extra items that come up frequently, but are not really house rules.