House Rules | SunflowerDM

While Pavv follows the core rules of 5th Edition (2014 & 2024), some mechanics have been bent, broken, or reforged to better suit the tone and rhythm of this world.

Variant Rules

Perkins Crit. Critical hits deal maximum damage from all damage dice, plus a normal damage roll and relevant modifiers.

Bonus Action Potions. Drinking a potion takes a bonus action. Administering one to another creature takes an action.

Secret Death Saves. The results of death saving throws will be known only to the DM.

Natural 20 Initiative. When entering combat, a creature who rolled a natural 20 on initiative may choose their position in the initiative order.

Cleave. Characters can spend 300gp and spend an appropriate amount of time training (30 days) to gain the Cleave trait. When a character with this trait makes a weapon attack that reduces a creature to 0 hit points, any excess damage from the attack may be applied to one or more secondary targets under the following conditions:

If the attack is melee, secondary targets must be within the attacker’s melee range.
If the attack is ranged, secondary targets must be in a straight line behind the original target and within the weapon’s range.
The original attack roll must be equal to or greater than the AC of the secondary target.

Per-Session Inspiration. At the start of each session, players choose one character to gain Inspiration until the end of the session. Other players may choose for their characters to gain Inspiration during play; however, each time they do so, the DM gains a use of Inspiration as well. All Inspirations are lost at the end of each session.

Shields

I’ve adopted u/bornasbrooke’s shield rules wholesale for Pavv. All shield options, stats, and mechanics below come from their contribution to “Fixing shields in 5e?” on r/DnDHomebrew. The wording and layout have been formatted for this handbook.

Shield Types

Shield	AC Bonus	Strength	Stealth	Properties	Weight	Cost
Buckler (bossed)	+1	—	—	Bash, Hook, Interpose, Light, Riposte	2 lb.	3 gp
Buckler (strapped)	+1	—	—	Block, Free-Handed, Hook, Riposte	3 lb.	10 gp
Strapped Round Shield	+2	—	—	Hook, Interpose, Riposte, Strapped	4 lb.	4 gp
Heater Shield	+2	—	—	Bash, Block, Hook, Riposte, Strapped	5 lb.	15 gp
Center-Boss Round Shield	+3	Str 13	—	Bash, Block, Mounted, Wall	7 lb.	8 gp
Kite Shield	+2	Str 11	Disadvantage	Bash, Block, Mounted, Strapped, Wall	6 lb.	10 gp
Tower Shield	+3	Str 13	Disadvantage	Bash, Wall	8 lb.	5 gp
Pavise	+3	Str 15	Disadvantage	Cover, Wall	12 lb.	12 gp

Weaponized Shields

Weapon	Damage	Properties	Mastery	Weight	Cost
Madu	1d6 piercing	Finesse, Light, Special	Graze	3 lb.	12 gp
Punch Buckler	1d4 piercing	Finesse, Special	Vex	3 lb.	8 gp

Madu. Also counts as a bossed buckler.
Punch Buckler. Also counts as a strapped buckler.

Shield Properties

Bash. Make a melee attack with the shield. A hit deals damage equal to the shield’s AC rating plus your Strength modifier. If you deal damage, you can substitute Push, Sap, Slow, Topple, or Vex for any other weapon mastery that would apply to that attack.
Block. When a creature attacks you, you can use your reaction to increase your AC against that attack by the shield’s AC rating. Use the listed value instead if the shield specifies a number after Block.
Cover. Use a bonus action to plant the shield in the ground, providing cover to yourself and others. You are Restrained until you use another bonus action to pick it up.
Free-Handed. The shield leaves its arm’s hand available to use an object, hold a spellcasting focus, carry up to three javelins, or wield a weapon. A weapon in that hand gains Cumbersome and Heavy, and your attacks with it cannot benefit from Light or Finesse.
Hook. As a bonus action, attempt to control the weapon or shield of a creature within melee range with a contested Sleight of Hand check against it. On a success, attacks against that creature have advantage for the rest of the turn.
Interpose. When a creature within 5 feet of you is attacked, you can use your reaction to add the shield’s AC rating to that creature’s AC against the attack. Use the listed value instead if the shield specifies a number after Interpose.
Mounted. While you wield this shield on a mount, both you and your mount gain +1 AC.
Riposte. When a creature misses you with a melee attack while you wield this shield, you can use your reaction to make an opportunity attack against that creature if it is in range.
Strapped. The shield leaves its arm’s hand available to hold objects such as a spellcasting focus or up to three javelins. That hand cannot use an object or wield a weapon.
Wall. While wielding this shield, you grant +1 AC to up to two allies within 5 feet of you. If you grant the bonus to two allies, they must be at least 10 feet apart. Two creatures benefiting from each other’s Wall property provide cover to allies behind them.

Weapon Property

Cumbersome. You have disadvantage on attacks with a Cumbersome weapon unless your Dexterity is 13 or higher. You can make these attacks only as part of the Attack action. You can make only one Cumbersome attack per turn unless your Dexterity is 17 or higher.

Tiers of Play & Advancement

Campaigns usually focus on a single tier of play, each representing a different scale of adventure, influence, and power. Character advancement is tied to which tier of play a character is in.

Tiers of Play — Adventurers become heroes…Heroes become legends…Legends become history.

Tier 1: Adventurers (Levels 3-8).

Adventurers focus on a particular region of Pavv, exploring its wilderness, uncovering mysteries, and confronting local threats. Travel, survival, and exploration play important roles as characters establish their reputations and influence within the region.

Tier 2: Heroes (Levels 9-12)

Heroes venture beyond individual regions, becoming involved in conflicts spanning cities, nations, and powerful factions. Access to magic such as Teleportation Circle makes long-distance travel more practical, opening opportunities for political intrigue, shifting alliances, and larger threats.

Tier 3: Legends (Levels 13-20)

Legends confront extraordinary threats whose consequences may extend across Pavv and beyond. Their adventures involve legendary figures, ancient powers, and forces capable of reshaping the world. Their choices can leave a lasting mark on Pavv’s history.

The road teaches. The haven gives you time to practice.

Characters earn 1-5 xp at the each of each session. To level up, characters must meet all XP, gold, and training requirements for the level they are entering. When training is complete, the character deducts their XP and gold costs and gains a level.

Training. Once a character meets the prerequisites, they can begin training by taking a long rest in a haven, such as a secure settlement or protected demi-plane. If they leave to fight or explore, their training pauses. They may resume training when they return to a suitable haven and meet their training requirements again.

Tier Milestones. Before entering the Heroes or Legends tiers, characters must complete a character-specific milestone agreed on with the DM.

Tier of the level you’re entering	XP per level	Training per level	Gold per level	Training requirement
Adventurers (3–8)	8 XP	1 week	10 gp	Train in a haven.
Heroes (9–12)	10 XP	2 weeks	20 gp	Train with a mentor.
Legends (13–20)	12 XP	1 month (4 weeks)	60 gp	Train at a dedicated site.

Overland Travel & Journeys

In Pavv, the journey is just as dangerous as the destination. These rules focus on making overland movement tense, meaningful, and filled with discovery. They are heavily inspired by GiffyGlyph’s Darker Dungeons and Sly Flourish’s Lazy GM Resource Document.

When traveling through the wilderness, each player chooses a role for their character to fulfill. If two players wish to take on the same role, one character can assist the other, granting advantage on the check.

Additionally, certain tools and equipment may offer a bonus to particular checks.

Starting a Journey: To initiate travel, the party must decide on a route (if multiple exist) and a travel pace. Be aware: each route comes with its own inherent risk.

Forced March: Characters can push beyond the limit of the standard 8-hour traveling day. For each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion.

Pace	Per Hour	Per Day	Guide	Forage	Scout
Slow	2 miles	18 miles	Advantage	Normal	Advantage
Normal	3 miles	24 miles	Normal	Disadvantage	Normal
Fast	4 miles	30 miles	Disadvantage	None	Disadvantage

Roles

Guide — Survival, Nature

The guide is responsible for keeping the party on course during overland travel, using maps and cartographers’ tools to navigate the wilds. A successful check keeps the group on track, while failure can lead to becoming lost, straying into danger, losing resources, or suffering exhaustion. A misstep can also delay travel or make resting difficult until the correct path is found again.

Forager/Supplymaster — Survival, Medicine

The forager ensures that the characters remain well fed and hydrated during their journey. Shorter journeys might not require a character to take on this role. A successful check ensures the characters have plenty of food and water for the journey, with provisions remaining unspoiled. On a failure, the characters might lose precious resources (potentially leading to exhaustion), or need to spend additional time searching for resources.

Scout — Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Survival

The scout keeps an eye out for potentially hostile creatures during the characters’ journey. A spyglass will help you scout better. A successful check ensures the characters spot potential hostile creatures and can plan their response. On a failure, the scout might unknowingly lead the party into an ambush or hazard.

Lookout — Perception, Investigation

The lookout protects the camp at night. They can set traps and alarms around the camp—dry twigs, tripwires, the Alarm ritual—to help detect intruders. On a successful check, the lookout will spot threats early enough to prepare the party. On a failed check, the lookout/party may be caught unaware.