June 2022 (D20 Rules Archive)

This Page is an Archive – these rules are no longer in use

D20 Chaos One-Shots are a chance to try out the very best characters against ridiculous odds. Every month the gauntlet is laid down to players to make a Level 20 build to group up and take on epic trials and god-like evil creatures. Are you up to the challenge?

Each themed event is spread over a week, with multiple sessions scheduled for different parties to face the challenge (usually 10 sessions, at least one per day, 6 players per session). In the weeks leading up to it each player can sign up to a single upcoming session, but in the final days players can opt to play in multiple session to fill in any gaps in the other parties as well.

There are two main types of event – Chaos Escape (challenges vary between low-combat puzzle/sneaky problems to high-combat arena clashes and Boss battles) and Chaos Towers (either Attack or Defences style, but high-combat all the way).

Character and Magic Item rules change each time to keep things interesting, but expect level 20 with a range of powerful items (always wanted to try that particular Legendary?) and a big pile of gold to spend!

Create your character sheet in D&D Beyond using the campaign link supplied in the discord Rules channel, which will allow you to select from all officially published races and classes. Unless specifically excluded in a particular month (for example due to theme) content from any any official published Wizards of the Coast DnD 5e book (including Critical Role) can be used in the one-shot, for magic items, races, classes etc.

Basic Build

1. Players make a Level 20 Character
2. Standard Array or Point Buy 
3. HP is Fixed Formula
4. No Homebrew or Unearthed Arcana except what I provide for the specific theme
5. Players will use the Variant Encumbrance rules
6. Players start with the Gold Buy option (roll for gold, no starting equipment)
7. Players start with the following
   • 8000 Extra Gold
   • 6 Magic items (not Consumable items or single-use temporary effects)
     • All items can be any rarity up to Legendary
     • If your first 5 items are Very-Rare or lower then you can pick an unclaimed Artifact from the list as your 6th item (see approved Artifacts below)
     • Check with admins if you are unsure if an item is “single-use” or “consumable”.
   • 12 workweeks of downtime

Approved Sources

8. All Official Races are approved for use except for Custom Lineage, Variant Human, and any race now marked as Legacy (since publication of Monsters of the Multiverse)
9. All Official Sub-Races are approved for use including Critical Role variants
10. All Official Backgrounds are approved for use including Custom Backgrounds
11. All Official Classes are approved for use including Critical Role classes
12. All Official Sub-Classes/Archetypes are approved for use including Critical Role sub-classes
13. Multiclassing is allowed
14. Tasha’s Cauldron Customize your Origin and Optional Class features are approved
15. All Official Feats are approved for use except Aberrant Dragonmark, Svirfneblin Magic and Lucky
16. All Official Spells are approved for use except Wish and Simulacrum
17. Players will be given one free Feat with every race
18. All Official WOTC Books are approved for magic items, summons, and familiars
19. Players may select Themed Homebrew Feats, Backgrounds, or Items provided by me in place of their normal selections

Magic Items & Crafting

20. Cannot attune to or benefit from more than one magic item of the same name (+1/+2 count as the same)
21. No more than 6 magic items with the same name (scrolls, etc) in your inventory (except healing potions)
22. Any Item attuned to a creature under your control (Familiars, Companions, etc.) counts against your character’s limit of 3 attuned items
23. Any Magic Items that give you free flight (broom, carpet) must use an attunement slot
24. Players can use their downtime for the following
    • Use Gold to buy Mundane equipment, Healing potions, Spell/Crafting components, or Consumable magic items
    • Craft Consumable Magic Items up to Rare rarity
    • Training – 1 skill, tool or language learned in (10 – INT modifier) weeks – costs 100gp per week for trainer.
25. Players must provide a list of items they have crafted or purchased to be signed off by an admin (to be cross-checked against rules for crafting and item prices)
26. Firearms or Future tech cannot be used except for my themed items where appropriate
27. Players may choose only one Tome or Manual
28. Players who use the following items will have tweaks made to the items
    • Broom of Flying requires holding on with one hand while in the air
    • Blackstaff has no Master of Enchantment feature
    • Potion of Giant-Size can only affect non-magical weapons
    • Spell Gems require the spell’s normal casting time when the gem is used (acts as a reusable scroll)
    • Dragon Masks can only heal from damage dealt by a hostile creature (no friendly fire or terrain damage)
    • Artifacts are unique, so only one player per group can wield each one.
    • Akmon, Hammer of Purphoros does not give immunity to exhaustion.

Gameplay Tweaks

Please be mindful of other players and don’t use strategies that will significantly limit them being able to participate or have fun. To keep the game running as quickly and smoothly as possible, the following extra rules apply to our level 20 games:

27. Players may have a max of your Proficiency Bonus tokens under your control on the board (6 for level 20)
28. Players will not be given a Short or a Long Rest during the event
29. No spell effects can be active at the start of the game, anything cast during downtime will have expired unless it has an indefinite duration (until dispelled)
30. Divine Intervention can only be used to heal creatures you can see using their own hit dice
31. An Artificer can only choose one “Replicate Magic Item” Infusion
32. Players can’t use Mythic or Legendary Actions from a creature’s stat block (Legendary Resistances are ok)
33. Magic items are always absorbed into a Shape changed or Wildshaped form unless the new form is the same size class and has the same size body part (e.g. hand/head) as your original form
34. Cannot trade, sell or share magic items, or team up for crafting (only share healing potions)
35. Leftover gold can be donated to the party
36. Armor Class and Spell Save Difficulty Class are capped for speed and fun:
    1. No Armor Class (AC) can exceed 24
    2. No Spell Save (DC) can exceed 24

Dark Souls

Optional higher challenge mode, request this when signing up so your character can be rolled for you:

• Choice of 3 random rolled race/variants and background
• Choice of 3 random rolled class and subclass/archetype (can combine 1-3 for multiclass)
• Choice of 2 sets of random rolled stats – fixed to specific ability scores
• Cannot use Tasha’s Customize Your Origin or Optional Class Features
• Otherwise use normal rules above.

Approved Artifacts

• Akmon, Hammer of Purphoros (Mythic Odysseys of Theros)
• Axe of the Dwarvish Lords (Dungeon Master’s Guide)
• Blade of Avernus (Balder’s Gate: Descent into Avernus)
• Blade of Broken Mirrors (Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)
• Dekella, Bident of Thassa (Mythic Odysseys of Theros)
• Ephixis, Bow of Nylea (Mythic Odysseys of Theros)
• Grovelthrash (Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)
• Khrusor, Spear of Heliod (Mythic Odysseys of Theros)
• Lash of Shadows (Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)
• Mace of the Black Crown (Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)
• Mastix, Whip of Erebos (Mythic Odysseys of Theros)
• Orb of Dragonkind (Player’s Handbook)
• Ring of Winter (Tomb of Annihilation)
• Ruin’s Wake (Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)
• Silken Spite (Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)
• Sword of Kas (Dungeon Master’s Guide)
• The Bloody End (Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)
• Will of the Talon (Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount)