D&D 4e House Rules

Action Points

In addition to the normal stated use for Action Points, you may also use them to:

• Reroll a Skill check during a Skill Challenge.
• Immediately roll a saving throw as a Minor Action.

Rituals

• Characters must cast rituals of their level using full time and gold piece requirements. These are potent magic for the character, and not easily short-cut.
• Characters may cast rituals of one to two levels below their level using full time and gold piece requirements. They may opt to spend a healing surge t'o negate the time requirement or the gold piece requirement. They may spend two healing surges to negate both.
• Characters may cast rituals of three to four levels below their level using either the time or gold piece requirement, whichever they choose. The other is negated. They may still spend one healing surge to negate both.
• Characters may cast ritual of five or more levels below their level with neither time nor gold piece requirements.
• The standing exceptions to these rules are:
  • Enchant Magic Item: Gold piece requirements always apply to magic items. Common items may be created with reduced time requirements, as though the Enchant Magic Item ritual were being cast at a level equal to the magic item being created. Uncommon items retain the time and gold piece requirements. Rare items cannot be created through this ritual, although this ritual may be the final step in a quest intended to create such an item.
  • Raise Dead: Gold piece and time requirements always apply.

Sacella

• Sacella (sing. sacellum) are places in the world - sometimes naturally occuring, sometimes deliberately constructed - in which rituals are "programmed" into the locale.
• Before a sacella can be used, it must be identified and then studied.
  • Identifying a sacella requires an Arcana, Religion or Nature check (DC 10 + the level of the ritual). This roll may be made any time the character stops to examine an area, including searching it for treasure, traps and the like.
  • Once identified, it must be studied before using it to gain any benefits. This requires a period of study of at least an hour. Once each hour, the one doing the studying may make an Arcane, Religion or Nature check (DC 20 + the level of the ritual). This may be re-rolled with another hour of study if failed, and the DC is reduced by 2 per reroll.
• The rituals in a sacella can be performed by those who do not know the ritual through the use of a Skill Challenge, performed at a level equal to the ritual's level.
  • Rituals of a higher tier than the operators cannot be performed. They may participate taking Aid Another rolls, however.
  • Performing the ritual is a Skill Challenge of the ritual's level. DCs are based on the relative character level and ritual level: if the ritual is lower level, the DC are easy; if they are equal level, the DC is moderate; if the ritual is higher level, the DC is hard.
  • Sacella rituals are Complexity 5 if the ritual is of the same tier. If it is one tier lower, it is Complexity 3, and if two tiers lower, it is Complexity 1.
  • Each round of Skill Challenge checks in performing the ritual takes an amount of time equal to half the ritual time.
  • Instead of gold pieces, each operator must pay 1 Healing Surge when the ritual is completed.