Chapter 3 - Downstream Changes Index Chapter 5 - DM Tools

Chapter 4 - Miscellaneous Changes

Scene Checks

Scene checks are a new way to use ability checks that involve risk and feature various powerful effects. Surgery and the Rite of Regeneration use Scene check rules to remove disabilities, and Grafting and Domestication use them to allow for more interactions with living or deceased monsters.

Scene Check: A Scene check is a combination of multiple ability checks throughout a scene that usually extends for longer than a minute.

Succeeding on a Scene Check: To succeed on a Scene check, you have to succeed on an associated ability check of a given difficulty a given number of times, usually three times. These successes don't have to be in a row.

Failing a Scene Check: A failure on an associated ability check does not lead to failure directly; instead, such a failure leads to a cost of some kind, be it through damage, Spell Point expenditure, Exhaustion levels, breaking equipment, coins or other such ways.

The Scene check fails when the participants decide they cannot afford the cost anymore or are unable to take the cost.

Interrupting a Scene Check: Scene Checks usually extend across a certain length of time and are usually sensitive to interruptions. The consequences of such interruptions may be additional costs or automatic failure depending on the nature of the interruption.

Setting the Scene: Scene checks are meant to be a moment of importance and risk. When you decide to use a Scene check, make sure to describe what happens in the scene and around it with appropriate sincerity, detail and weight. If you are into it, dive into what your character feels during that scene and how they go about the checks in question. This is a great opportunity to bring your character or your group to live and to bring a new sense of depth and grit into the game.

Surgery

When a creature has a disabled or malfunctioning body part, Surgery is the go-to non-magical way to treat it.

Scene Check: A Surgery makes use of the Scene check rules.

Requirements: A Surgery requires the use of Surgery Tools.

Performing a Surgery: A Surgery is performed on a singular target creature and lead by one character, the surgeon, that rolls all the required rolls, and takes an hour. To successfully perform a Surgery, the surgeon must succeed on a DC 20 Surgery check three times, utilizing Surgery Tools.

When you have Proficiency or Expertise in both Surgery Tools and an associated skill, you roll with Advantage.

After three Surgery checks succeeded, the treated body part is no longer disabled. Instead, it is wounded until the target takes a long rest. Afterwards, the body part is healthy again.

Rolling a 20: When a 20 is rolled on the d20, the Surgery succeeds without the need for further Surgery checks.

Failing a Surgery check: A failed Surgery check does not make the Surgery fail. Instead, when a Surgery check fails, the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw to not take 1d4+1 Piercing damage that can not be reduced.

Rolling a 1: When a 1 is rolled on the d20, the Surgery check automatically fails. Instead of the consequences above, the target must roll a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 4d4+4 Piercing damage on a failed save, half as much on a successful one. This damage can not be reduced.

Anaesthesia: The Surgery Tools include anaesthetics that can make the target creature unresponsive, giving them the Unconscious condition. The following effects also apply:

Assisting a Surgery: Creatures that are proficient with Surgery Tools or with one of the associated skills may take the Help Action on all of their turns during the Surgery to give Advantage on the Surgery checks.

Interrupting a Surgery: When a Surgery is interrupted, the disability remains fully untreated.

The Surgery is interrupted when the following conditions are not met:

Grafting

Grafting is a multi-purpose activity. When a creature has a disabled or malfunctioning body part, Grafting can be used to replace it with a new one, and when your two arms aren't enough for you, you can add a third one as well.

Scene Check: Grafting makes use of the Scene check rules.

Requirements: Grafting requires the use of Surgery Tools and a severed or prosthetic body part.

Associated Skills: Sleight of Hand, Arcana, Nature, Medicine.

Grafting: Grafting is done to a singular target creature, the graftee, and lead by one character, the grafter, that rolls all the required rolls, and takes roughly an hour. To successfully graft a body part onto the graftee, the grafter must succeed on a DC 25 Grafting check four times, utilizing Surgery Tools.

When you have Proficiency or Expertise in both Surgery Tools and an associated skill, you roll with Advantage.

After four Grafting checks succeeded, the body part or prosthetic is successfully grafted onto the graftee and Wounded until the target takes a long rest. Afterwards, the body part is healthy. Consult the subsection on Results of Grafting for more details.

Rolling a 20: When a 20 is rolled on the d20, this Grafting check and the next one are automatically successful.

Failing a Grafting check: A failed Grafting check does not make the graft fail. Instead, when a Grafting check fails, the graftee must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw to not take 1d4+1 Piercing damage and 1d4+1 Necrotic damage that can not be reduced.

Rolling a 1: When a 1 is rolled on the d20, the Grafting check automatically fails. Instead of the consequences above, the target must roll a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 4d4+4 Piercing damage and 4d4+4 Necrotic damage on a failed save, half as much on a successful one. This damage can not be reduced.

Affecting a Grafting

Anaesthesia: The Surgery Tools include anaesthetics that can make the graftee unresponsive, giving them the Unconscious condition. The following effects also apply:

Assisting a Grafting: Creatures that are proficient with Surgery Tools or with one of the associated skills may take the Help Action on all of their turns during the Graft to give Advantage on the Grafting checks.

Interrupting a Grafting: When a Grafting is interrupted, the graftee and the body part remain fully unaffected and the Grafting must be started anew.

The Grafting is interrupted when the following conditions are not met:

Results of Grafting

Grafting is very versatile and can lead to many helpful, powerful, ridiculous and hideous results.

Replacing a Disabled Body Part: Similar to a Surgery, Grafting can be used to treat disabled body parts. To do so, the new body part has to be sufficiently similar to the body part it is supposed to replace. After a successful Grafting, the new body part fully replaces the previous one. All benefits and drawbacks of the previous body part are lost, and all those of the new body part are gained accordingly.

Changing a Body Part: Grafting can be used to replace a body part with a different, potentially stronger version of said body part, including the parts of powerful monsters. After a successful Grafting, the new part replaces the previous one similar to what is described above about replacing a disabled body part. Unlike above, the new body part breaks with anatomic conventions, consider adding a plausible amount of drawbacks.

Adding a Body Part: Similarly, a new body part can be added in a place where no such body part was before. The benefits and drawbacks of the new body part now apply to the graftee accordingly. As this most definitely breaks with anatomic conventions and can lead to various benefits, consider adding an appropriate amount of drawbacks.

Potential Benefits: Potential benefits include:

Potential Drawbacks: Potential drawbacks include:

Other Potential Effects:

Rite of Regeneration

When a creature has a disabled or malfunctioning body part, the Rite of Regeneration is the go-to magical way to treat it.

Scene Check: The Rite of Regeneration makes use of the Scene check rules.

Prerequisites: To be able to perform a Rite of Regeneration, a spellcaster has to be able to cast the Cure Wounds spell.

Performing a Rite of Regeneration: A Rite of Regeneration is performed on a singular target creature and lead by one character, the conductor, that rolls all the required rolls, and takes 10 minutes. To successfully perform a Rite of Regeneration, the conductor must succeed on three DC 30 Regeneration checks, as described below.

After three Regeneration checks succeeded, the treated body part is no longer disabled. Instead, it is wounded until the target takes a long rest. Afterwards, the body part is healthy again.

Rolling a Regeneration check: To roll a Regeneration check, the conductor casts Cure Wounds on the target, upcasting if they choose to. The Spell check of this casting is the initial value of the Regeneration check. Any healing transmitted through this casting is also added to the result. If the result is at least 30, the check succeeds.

Rolling a 20: When a 20 is rolled on the d20 of the Spell check, the Rite of Regeneration succeeds without the need for further Regeneration checks.

Failing a Regeneration check: A failed Regeneration check does not make the Rite of Regeneration fail. Instead, when a Regeneration check fails, the target needs to succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw to not receive one level of Exhaustion.

Rolling a 1: When a 1 is rolled on the d20 of the Spell check, the Regeneration check automatically fails and the target receives one additional level of Exhaustion regardless of the saving throw.

Assisting a Rite of Regeneration: Creatures that are also able to cast Cure Wounds may take the Help Action on all of their turns during the Rite to give Advantage on the Regeneration checks. When doing so, they may cast the spell instead of the conductor, using a spell slot of their own.

Creatures that are able to heal the target creature can assist by using their healing abilities during the Rite and before a Regeneration check is rolled. Any healing transmitted to the target will be added to the next Regeneration check.

Interrupting a Rite of Regeneration: When a Rite of Regeneration is interrupted, the disability remains fully untreated and all resources used during the Rite remain spent.

The Rite is interrupted when the following conditions are not met:

Example Scenario

A Thief Rogue flew a bit too close to the sun and had his left leg disabled by the nasty bite attack of a Guard Drake that was not ready to let him pass. Lucky as he is, one of his associates is a Life Domain Cleric that is willing to help, and they've met in an isolated place to minimize disruption. Only their Bard friend presents a significant threat in that regard, though they did offer some Bardic Inspiration to help. The Cleric starts the Rite as its conductor and rolls the first Regeneration check. She rolls the d20 for a 7, adds her spellcasting modifier of +5 for a 12, and casts Cure Wounds with a first level spell slot, for 12 (2d8+3) healing by the spell and 2 healing from the Life Domains Disciple of Life feature, for a total of 26. This is not enough, but with the use of the Bardic Inspiration die the Bard oh-so-graciously offered the check total is a 31, barely making the Regeneration check succeed. Only two more successes to go, and the leg will be properly usable again!

Domestication

like, imagine a potent flying foe having their wings clipped by the party and surrendering to the whims of the party under certain circumstances, now that is something

Domestication is the go-to way to find new friends without having to interact with Humanoids.

Scene Check: Domestication makes use of the Scene check rules.

Requirements: Domestication requires a creature that can be domesticated and is open to be domesticated. Most of the time, this is the case for Beasts, more rarely for Dragons, Monstrosities or Plants, and very rare for Aberrations, Elementals and Oozes. Celestials, Constructs, Fey, Fiends, Giants, Humanoids and Undead are assumed to not be open to be domesticated, though there can be exceptions.

Associated Skills: Animal Handling, Performance.

Domestication: Domestication is done to a singular target creature and lead by one character, the domesticator, that rolls all the required rolls, and takes a few weeks. To successfully domesticate a creature, the domesticator must succeed on a Domestication check five times, rolling up to two per day. The difficulty is 10 + the Challenge Rating of the target creature.

When you use methods that particularly appeal to the target creature, you roll with Advantage.

After the five Domestication checks succeeded, the target is domesticated. Consult the chapter on Pets for more details.

Rolling a 20: When a 20 is rolled on the d20, this Domestication check and the next one are automatically successful. Any increase of the difficulty through previous failures on Domestication checks are reset this way.

Failing a Domestication check: A failed Domestication check does not make the domestication fail. Instead, when a Domestication check fails, the domesticator must roll a d20. On a 10 or above, nothing happens. On a 9 or below, the difficulty of the Domestication check increases by 1 as the target creature grows apprehensive towards you.

Rolling a 1: When a 1 is rolled on the d20, the Domestication check automatically fails. Instead of the consequences above, the difficulty of the Domestication check directly increases by 2.

Affecting a Domestication

Assisting a Domestication: Creatures that are proficient with one of the associated skills may give Advantage on the Domestication checks.

Interrupting a Domestication: A Domestication can only interrupted by an elongated absence of the domesticator or the death of the target creature. After not rolling a Domestication check for a week, the Domestication has to be started anew.

Aspects of Stealth

When using stealth, there are multiple aspects that can lead to being detected. Most commonly, being seen or heard is key to being detected, but scent may also play a role at some points, especially when a creature that may detect you has a keen sense of smell, like a wolf.

Passive Stealth (Scent): You have a base passive Stealth (Scent) score of 15. You can mask your scent to gain a bonus of +5 to this score, but you can also receive -5 to this score when giving off a strong scent that is uncommon for the place you are traversing.

The bonus might be given after applying herbs or some magic to yourself or by being washed. The malus might be given after taking a tour through the sewers, after a tough battle that left you wounded or after strenuous activity that left you sweaty.

When you try hiding from a creature that is close to you, both your Dexterity (Stealth) check and your passive Stealth (Scent) must be below the creature’s passive perception. If the Dexterity (Stealth) check fails, you are heard or seen, as usual. If the passive Stealth (Scent) fails, the creature smells you. This may only be a hint towards your presence (DMs choice) and may not lead to you being seen immediately, but it is reason for the creature to make a Wisdom (Perception) check to try and locate you. For some creatures it may be reasonable to have them be able to locate you based on scent alone, at the DMs discretion.

Example Scenario

A thief tries to sneak past a guard dog. They rolled a 21 on their Dexterity (Stealth) check and have a passive Stealth (Scent) score of 15, because they took no measures to mask their scent (no bonus) and do not smell strongly (no malus).

The guard dog has a passive perception of 12, so the thief gets close to passing him with ease, without a sound, but the guard dog has a keen sense of smell, bumping up his passive Perception for scent to 17. The guard dog smells something unusual as soon as the thief gets too close, and, trying to investigate that unusual scent, the guard dog rolls a Wisdom (Perception) check, resulting in a 19. The guard dog did not see or hear the thief through that, so the thief is still unnoticed and can pass without further worries.

Chapter 3 - Downstream Changes Index Chapter 5 - DM Tools