The Shielded Lands/Campaign Rules

These rules govern The Shielded Lands.

General Rules

1. Every player is allowed one character at a time, created according to the character creation rules.
2. Time will be tracked according to the campaign calendar
   • The current campaign date is 4 Sandstone 1212.
3. The entire party has one XP value, which is used to determine every character's level (e.g., when the party has 2,700 XP, the entire party is level 4).
4. Magical items are not "identified" during a short rest. Rather, a character can spend one hour to attune to the magical item to determine what effects it may have and how to use it.
   • This does not reveal the name of the item, or any secret effects, nor does it consume any of the charges (if any) the item has.
   • This is done in lieu of a short rest, during the same time period.
   • The identify spell works per RAW.
5. Falling unconscious due to 0 HP requires death saves per RAW. If the character survives, they gain a level of exhaustion upon waking.
6. To use the help action with a skill check, the helper must be proficient in the skill being checked.
7. The spell Counterspell does not exist and may not be taken under any circumstances.
8. Some feats have been adjusted, as listed below:

   • Mage Slayer

     The attack made as a reaction from this feat occurs before the spell triggering the feat finishes casting. This means that successfully causing damage to the spell caster will require a concentration save to finish casting the spell. Failing this concentration save results in the spell being lost but the spell slot still having been spent.

     Revenant Blade

     This feat is not restricted by race.

9. Some minor adjustments have been made to certain sub-classes, as listed below:

   • Arcane Archer

     Arcane Shot can be used Proficiency bonus times per short rest instead of just twice. You are still limited to one use per turn.

10. The spell Disintegrate will disintegrate magical items that are not artifacts or otherwise explicitly protected against disintegration.
11. If a dead character is revived, that character returns with 0 levels of exhaustion.

Travel Rules

While traveling distances in the world, you can only travel a certain distance per day when using your normal walking pace:

Travel Distances

Pace	Speed	Other Effects
Fast	30 miles	-5 passive Perception
Normal	24 miles
Slow	18 miles	Able to use Stealth

These speeds are subject to change when traveling over harder to traverse terrains or during adverse weather conditions.

Downtime Rules

Downtime activities will generally be handled per Xanathar's Guide to Everything pages 125-134.

Using Spell Scrolls

1. Anyone who is literate (Intelligence >7) can attempt to use any spell scroll in their possession.
2. All spell scrolls are one-use items that are destroyed with their use.
3. Costly material components are already accounted for in the scribing of spell scrolls, so they are not necessary when cast from a spell scroll.
4. If the spell on the spell scroll is on your classes' spell lists and is of a spell level you can cast, you can cast the spell off the spell scroll with no additional checks.
5. Otherwise, you must pass an Arcana(Intelligence) ability check to successfully cast the spell. The DC is set by:
   • If the spell is on your character's spell list but is above the spell levels you can normally cast: the DC of the check is 10 plus the level of the spell​.
   • If the spell is not on your character's spell list and at a spell level you can normally cast (has slots): the DC of the check is 12 plus the level of the spell​.
   • If the spell is not on your character's spell list and is above the spell levels you can normally cast: the DC of the check is 15 plus the level of the spell​.
6. If you fail to cast the spell scroll, you must make an Intelligence saving throw of the same DC as casting it. If you fail that saving throw, a scroll mishap will happen.

Rules Updates

1. These rules may change from time to time.
2. Generally, at least one weeks notice will be given before changes are made.
3. Any characters already in the party that complied with the previous version of the ruleset is grandfathered into the new rules, though any new characters must comply with the latest version of the ruleset at the time of their introduction.