This variant makes the Attack of Opportunity reaction rarer, thus promoting more maneuvering during combat.

Because standard DnD 5e gives every creature the ability to make an Attack of Opportunity, melee combat often ends up with the creatures standing still (or circling each other) until the other is defeated. This often leads to entire portions of the battlemap not being used.

Changes

• Creatures do not get the Attack of Opportunity reaction by default.
• Knights and Samurai get the Attack of Opportunity reaction at 1st Level.
• The other "Warrior" classes: Barbarians, Blackguards, Dragoons, and Paladins have the option from 6th Level onwards to forgo spending a Skill Point to learn the Attack of Opportunity reaction.
• The "Rogue" classes (except for Fusilier): Assassins, Bards, Monks, Rangers, Tricksters gain the Attack of Opportunity reaction or similar at various levels:
  • Assassins (8th-Level): They can forgo spending a Skill Point from 8th Level onwards to learn the Opportune Backstab reaction.
  • Bards (6th-Level): They can forgo spending a Skill Point from 6th Level onwards, if they have the Blade & Flourish special feature, to learn the Attack of Opportunity reaction.
  • Monks (4th-Level): They can forgo spending a Skill Point from 4th Level onwards to learn the Stand Still reaction.
  • Rangers (4th-Level): They can forgo spending a Skill Point from 4th Level onwards to learn the Disrupt Prey reaction.
  • Tricksters (8th-Level): They can forgo spending a Skill Point from 8th Level onwards to learn the Opportune Backstab reaction.
• The GM uses their discretion as to whether a creature in the Bestiary has the Attack of Opportunity reaction. These should generally be reserved for tough creatures that rely on physical attacks, such as Giant Scorpions, or Dragons. As a general rule of thumb, there is about 4% ~ 15% of creatures that know this reaction, getting higher at higher Challenge Ratings.
• If using this variant, it is recommended to use the Modified Action System variant as well.

Reactions

Attack of Opportunity

(1st Level): Knights, Samurai; (Optional: 6th Level): Barbarians, Bards, Blackguards, Dragoons, Paladins

Reaction Trigger: A creature within your reach makes a ranged attack, leaves a square during its movement, or casts a spell with somatic (S) or material (M) components.

Effect: Make a melee weapon attack against the creature.

Disrupt Prey

(Optional: 4th Level): Rangers

Reaction Trigger: Your hunted prey within your reach makes a ranged attack, leaves a square during its movement, or casts a spell with somatic (S) or material (M) components.

Effect: Make a melee weapon attack against the creature.

Opportune Backstab

(Optional: 8th Level): Assassins, Tricksters

Reaction Trigger: A creature within your reach is hit by a melee attack from one of your allies.

Effect: When your enemy is hit by your ally, you capitalise upon the distraction. Make a melee weapon attack against the creature.

Stand Still

(Optional: 4th Level): Monks

Reaction Trigger: A creature within your reach leaves a square during its movement.

Effect: You strike out when your foe tries to flee. Make a melee weapon attack against the creature.

This variant increases the number of bonus actions a creature can take, and makes moving cost a bonus action, trying to allow for more choices on your turn.

Changes

• You now have 2 bonus actions on your turn, rather than 1 bonus action.
• You can move up to your speed as a bonus action (select one speed type).
• You can spend 1 action to use something that requires a bonus action.
• You no longer have a free object interaction (see the Interact bonus action below).
• The Dash action now allows you to move up to 1.5× your speed.
• You can only activate a specific spell or skill once per turn (e.g. you cannot use Spiritual Weapon three times on a turn).

Generic Bonus Actions

Crawl

If you are Prone, you move up to half of your walking speed and remain Prone.

Defend

You can only use this once per turn. You gain a +1 bonus to your AC and your Saving Throws until the start of your next turn.

Demoralize

With a sudden shout, a well-timed taunt, or a cutting putdown, you can shake an enemy's resolve. Choose a creature within 10m of you whom you're aware of. Contest your Charisma (Intimidation) check against that target's Wisdom (Insight) check. If the target does not understand the language you are speaking, or you're not speaking a language, you take a –4 penalty to the check. On a success, the target takes a –1 penalty to all of its d20 rolls and save DCs until the end of its next turn.

Regardless of your result, the target is temporarily immune to your attempts to Demoralize it for 10 minutes.

Drink a Potion

You consume a potion that you have at hand (most of the time, you will need to use a bonus action to Interact, in order to first retrieve the potion).

Drop Prone

You fall

Prone

Escape

You attempt to escape from being

Grappled

Critical Success (+10). You get free and remove the Grappled condition imposed by your chosen target. You can then move up to 2m.
Success. You get free and remove the Grappled condition imposed by your chosen target.
Critical Failure (–10). You don't get free, and you can't attempt to Escape again until your next turn.

Feint

With a misleading flourish, you leave an opponent within melee reach of you unprepared for your real attack. Contest your Dexterity (Acrobatics), Strength (Athletics), or Charisma (Deception) check against that opponent's Wisdom (Insight) check. On a success, you gain Advantage on your next melee attack roll that you attempt against it before the end of your turn.

Focus

You gain a +1 bonus to your attack rolls this turn.

Interact

You use your hand or hands to manipulate an object or the terrain. You can grab an unattended or stored object, open a door, or produce some similar effect. You might have to attempt a skill check to determine if your Interact action was successful.

Search

If you're looking for creatures, choose an area you're scanning. If precision is necessary, the GM can have you select a 12m Cone centred on you, or a 6m radius Sphere within line of sight. You might take a penalty if you choose an area that's far away. You make a Wisdom (Perception) check, and the result is compared to the Dexterity (Stealth) DC of the hidden creatures in the area.

If you're using Search to look for objects (including secret doors and hazards), you search up to a 4m square adjacent to you. You make an Intelligence (Investigation) check, and the result is compared to the DC to detect each object in the area.

Stand

You stand up from

Prone

Stride

You move up to your walking speed.

Take Cover

You press yourself against a wall or duck behind an obstacle to take better advantage of cover. If you currently have half cover, you instead gain three-quarters cover, which provides a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity Saving Throws. Otherwise, you gain the benefits of half cover (a +2 bonus instead).

This lasts until you move from your current space, use an attack action, become unconscious, or end this effect as a free action.

Specialty Bonus Actions

These actions are useful under specific circumstances. Some require you to have a special movement type.

Avert Gaze

You avert your gaze from danger. Choose one of the following:

1. You fully avert your gaze. You cannot see the creatures or objects that you averted your gaze from. This usually means that you are considered Blinded against those creatures or objects, but also means you do not need to make a Saving Throw against a visual ability that requires you to look at a creature or object, such as a medusa's petrifying gaze. Your gaze remains averted until the start of your next turn.
2. You partially avert your gaze. You gain Advantage on Saving Throws against visual abilities that require you to look at a creature or object, such as a medusa's petrifying gaze. Your gaze remains averted until the start of your next turn.

Burrow

Provided you have a burrow speed, you dig your way through dirt, sand, or a similar loose material at a rate up to your burrow speed. You can't burrow through rock or other substances denser than dirt unless you have an ability that allows you to do so.

Climb

You move up to your climb speed (if you do not have a climb speed, you spend one extra metre of movement for each metre of movement). Your GM might ask you to attempt an Athletics check if the climb isn't easy for you, and they determine the DC based on the nature of the incline and environmental circumstances. If you have a climb speed, the DC is usually lower.

Fly

Provided you have a fly speed, you move through the air up to your fly speed. Moving upward (straight up or diagonally) uses the rules for moving through Difficult Terrain. You can move straight down 2m for every 1m of movement you spend. If you Fly to the ground, you don't take falling damage. You can use this action to fly 0m to hover in place. If you're airborne at the end of your turn and didn't use a Fly action this round, you fall, unless you have the Hover trait or are being held aloft by magick, such as by the Fly spell.

Mount

You move onto an adjacent creature and ride it. If you're already mounted, you can instead use this action to dismount, moving off the mount into a space adjacent to it.

Point Out

You indicate a creature that you can see to one or more allies, gesturing in a direction and describing the distance verbally. That creature is hidden to your allies, rather than undetected. This works only for allies who can see you and are in a position where they could potentially detect the target.

Recall Knowledge

You attempt a skill check to try to remember a bit of knowledge regarding a topic related to that skill. The GM determines the DCs for such checks and which skills apply.

The following skills can be used to Recall Knowledge, getting information about the listed topics. In some cases, you can get the GM's permission to use a different but related skill, usually against a higher DC than normal. Some topics might appear on multiple lists, but the skills could give different information. For example, Arcana might tell you about the magickal defenses of a golem, whereas Smiths' Tools could tell you about its sturdy resistance to physical attacks.

• Arcana: Arcane theories, magickal traditions, creatures of arcane significance, and arcane planes.
• History: Local history, key personalities, legal institutions, societal structure, and humanoid culture.
• Medicine: Diseases, poisons, wounds, and forensics.
• Nature: The environment, flora, geography, weather, creatures of natural origin, and natural planes.
• Religion: Divine agents, divine planes, theology, obscure myths, and creatures of religious significance.
• Tools: The subject matter of the tool (e.g. Alchemist's Supplies: alchemical reactions and creatures; or Tinker's Tools: engineering and constructs).

Swim

You move up to your swim speed (if you do not have a swim speed, you spend one extra metre of movement for each metre of movement). In most calm water, you succeed at the action without needing to attempt a check. Your GM might ask you to attempt an Athletics check if the swim isn't easy for you, and they determine the DC based on the nature of the water and environmental circumstances. If you have a swim speed, the DC is usually lower.

This variant allows for the option of spells and abilities that force saving throws to have tiers of success. In addition to success (at or above the save DC) and failure (below the save DC), there is critical success (at or above 10 + the save DC) and critical failure (at or below 10 + the save DC). The basic effect of critical success is being completely unaffected, and critical failure being 1.5× damage, however, each spell or ability specifies the details. For those who do not use this variant, they can simply ignore the critical success and failure options listed.

At lower levels, the disparity between saving throws that you are proficient in is lower, but this widens at higher levels. This is excacerbated when using this variant, as critically failing becomes more and more likely. Thus, if you use this variant, giving half proficiency to saving throws that they are not proficient in is advised.

Changes

• Use the critical success and critical failure options as listed in the spell or ability.
• Critical success occurs when the roll is at least 10 higher than the save DC (e.g. if the DC was 14, rolling a 24 or higher).
• Critical failure occurs when the roll is at least 10 lower than the save DC (e.g. if the DC was 14, rolling a 4 or lower).
• If you rolled a 20 on the die (a "natural 20"), your result is one degree of success better than it would be by numbers alone. If you roll a 1 on the d20 (a "natural 1"), your result is one degree worse. This means that a natural 20 usually results in a critical success and natural 1 usually results in a critical failure.
• From 5th-Level (or CR 5) onwards, all creatures add half of their proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any saving throw they make that doesn't already include their proficiency bonus.
• Legendary Resistance increases the degree of success of the saving throw by 1 (e.g. if they succeed a saving throw, they automatically critically succeed).