Stamina Rules for Dungeons and Dragons, 5th Edition

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D&D 5E Stamina Rules

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D&D 5E Stamina Rules Character Sheet

STAMINA LITE ______________________________________________________________________________________________

This supplement to Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition is built on the foundation of Stamina Lite, which will also form the rules basis for Stamina TTRPG, an RPG which is itself inspired by D&D 5E.

ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Normally, D&D 5E never allows Advantage and Disadvantage to stack or, when there are multiple sources of each, to do anything other than cancel each other out. However, D&D 5E has many different ways that multiple ways that Advantage or Disadvantage can stack, and these rules add more, so for these rules, it is recommended that if a roll has multiple sources of Advantage or Disadvantage, then you roll more than two D20's to see what the final value is, with each source of the opposite cancelling out one Advantage Die or Disadvantage Die.

NEW STATS ______________________________________________________________________________________________

This ruleset replaces Spell Slots, “x many times per day,” and the default Exhaustion rules with two new statistics: Stamina, to reflect how close a creature is to gaining Exhaustion Levels, and Mana, or mental stamina, to reflect how close a creature is to gaining Mental Exhaustion.

STAMINA

Your character has a maximum number of Stamina Points (SP) equal to 5 + your Constitution modifier. You can spend 1 SP to Sprint, doubling your Speed for 1 round, or to gain Advantage on any one melee weapon attack or any one ability check or saving throw that uses Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution (you must make this decision before you roll). Every time your Stamina Point total goes down and the new result is negative, you must make a Constitution Saving Throw with a DC equal to 10 + the absolute value of your current SP. On a failed save, you gain a level of Exhaustion (same as in normal D&D 5E Rules). You can spend 1 SP to ignore the effects of Exhaustion for one round, but this can make you gain more Exhaustion if you still have a negative amount.

MANA

Your character has a maximum number of Mana Points (MP) equal to 20 + your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (your choice), and you can spend 1 MP to gain Advantage on any one ranged weapon attack or any one ability check or saving throw that uses Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. Every time your Mana Point total goes down and the new result is negative, you must make a Saving Throw with the ability score that you used to calculate your maximum MP, with a DC equal to 10 + the absolute value of your current MP. On a failed save, you gain Mental Exhaustion, which means that you cannot expend any more MP, you have Disadvantage on ability checks that use Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, and you cannot cast spells or do other activities that could require Concentration or extreme mental effort.

RESTING

10 minutes of resting is enough to regain 1 SP. On a Short Rest, your SP returns to its maximum value, and you regain 1d6 expended MP. On a Long Rest, you gain all the benefits of a Short Rest, and you lose 1 level of Exhaustion as well as Mental Exhaustion, if you have Mental Exhaustion and lose it over a Long Rest, you also regain a number of MP equal to half your maximum; if you do not have Mental Exhaustion, a Long Rest restores your MP to its maximum value.

DETERMINATION (OPTIONAL) ______________________________________________________________________________________________

In this variant, you are proficient with all saving throws (which I recommend regardless, as saving throw bonuses don’t go up as fast as DC’s do in 5E), and add your Proficiency Bonus to your Armor Class instead of adding your Dexterity Modifier, or add only half your Proficiency Bonus (round down) if you normally wouldn't add your Dexterity Modifier or would only add it to a maximum of no more than 2 (I also recommend this change in general). You also have a number of Determination Points (DP) equal to your Proficiency Bonus. Whenever you fail a saving throw or get hit by an attack, you can expend 1 DP to treat the save as if you had rolled a 20 on the die or add 10 to your AC against that attack, potentially turning the failure into a success or the hit into a miss. When your DP total goes down and the new result is negative, you must make a special saving throw with only your proficiency score as a bonus and a DC equal to 10 + the absolute value of your current RP. On a failed save, you become Discouraged, meaning you can no longer spend DP and can add only half your proficiency bonus to your saving throws, instead of all of it. Discouragement can only be removed by having your DP restored to its maximum value.

RESTORING DETERMINATION

You regain 1 DP whenever your character gains a great victory, such as defeating a boss or other important enemy or acting strongly in line with your personality, ideals, bonds, and flaws, similarly to how you gain Inspiration. In fact, one good rule for your DM to use would be to let you regain 1 DP whenever you gain Inspiration or whenever you spend Inspiration and the resulting roll is a success (or simply to give DP instead of Inspiration, in case having both would be too gamebreaking or too complicated to easily keep track of).

STAMINA-LIKE HEALTH BAR (OPTIONAL) ______________________________________________________________________________________________

In this variant, which makes the game considerably more challenging for PC's, especially higher leveled ones, no detrimental effects happen when your hit points fall to 0. However, they can fall below 0, and whenever hit points are lost and the new total is negative, you must make a new type of death saving throw, which is a Constitution saving throw that gains any benefits added to normal death saves. The DC equals 10 + the absolute value of your current hit points, and if you fail, you die. This rule can be applied to only PC's or to PC's and NPC's or enemies; the latter makes the game harder, but can create more interesting options for the end of combat if combined with the additional optional ruleset listed below.

INJURY DEBILITATION (OPTIONAL) ______________________________________________________________________________________________

In this variant, which makes the game more gritty for PC's and enemies alike, you become Bloodied while you have less than half of your hit points and are Dying when your hit point total is less than 0. While Bloodied, you gain one extra level of Exhaustion, which lasts until you are no longer Bloodied, and while Dying, you gain two additional levels of Exhaustion and lose 1 hit point every 10 minutes until you are no longer Dying. It is recommended with this ruleset that Level VI Exhaustion be changed from death to mere unconsciousness, and that death can only happen from Exhaustion if you are already at Level VI Exhaustion and gain an additional level through starvation or similar environmentally-based means.
  With this variant rule, stabilizing a Dying creature causes them to regain 1 hit point every 10 minutes until they are no longer Dying, rather than lose 1 hit point. If you have the Healer feat, the first bullet point is replaced with the following:
  You can use this feat on a Dying creature even if it has been used on them since their last rest. When you do, you heal double the amount of hit points you normally would with this feat.

OTHER STAMINA LITE RULES ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Stamina Lite has many other rules that intersect with D&D 5E’s rules, sometimes applying usage of SP or MP to places that D&D 5E has other rules for dealing with. Few of these will break the game, but none are required for it, so it is best for DM’s to decide if any of these other rules will improve their game on a rule-by-rule basis, if at all.

DETERMINING THE COST OF SPECIFIC ABILITIES

For this system to work as intended, the cost of using class- or race-specific abilities will generally be expressed in terms of SP and MP, rather than the consequence-free “x many times per short rest or long rest” that D&D 5E normally uses. This is designed to help balance out the enormous number of things that high-level characters can do and to make using different abilities more decision-laden, since no ability is free and every good ability limits your ability to use others the more you use it.

Below are recommendations for determining the cost for different D&D 5E special powers, beginning with spellcasting and ultimately enumerating specific class-based abilities unique to each class.

SPELLCASTING ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Spellcasting costs MP, with the highest level of spell that you can cast costing 9 MP, and any spell levels below that costing proportionately less, as shown on the table below. Note that, as is normal for this ruleset, the number of spellcasting resources you have doesn’t go up; instead, the cost of each spell goes down as it becomes increasingly effortless for you to cast it.

COMMON RESOURCE COSTS ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Proficiency Bonus/Ability Score Modifier Times Per Short Rest: Costs 2 SP at level 1, then 1 SP starting at level 11.

Proficiency Bonus/Ability Score Modifier Times Per Long Rest: Costs 5 MP at level 1, then 4 MP starting at level 5, 3 MP starting at level 11, and 2 MP starting at level 17.

Once Per Short Rest/Once Per Long Rest: If these powers are racial features, leave them as is. Individual class features are addressed below.

INDIVIDUAL CLASSES

Below are recommendations for the unique abilities of each class, by class (for now, only including content from the original Player’s Handbook for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition).

ARTIFICER ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Spellcasting: Use this table, which uses SP, in place of the normal Spellcasting table for this ruleset:

• 	SP Cost/Spell Level
  Highest Castable Spell Level	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
  1st	5	–	–	–	–
  2nd	3	5	–	–	–
  3rd	2	3	5	–	–
  4th	1	3	4	5	–
  5th	1	2	3	4	5

• Infuse Item: Costs 7 MP per infused item (no limit to how many you can have) at level 2, 6 MP at level 6, 5 MP at level 10, 4 MP at level 14, and 2 MP at level 18.
• Spell-Storing Item: Costs 15 MP.

SUBCLASSES

• Alchemist:
• Experimental Elixir: Costs 3 MP.
• Chemical Mastery: Greater restoration and heal are added to the number of spells you know, and don’t count against the total number of spells you know. Greater restoration is a normal 5th-level spell for you, and heal costs 10 MP to cast.
• Armorer: No changes, except as noted in the general rules.
• Artillerist: No changes.
• Battle Smith: No changes, except as noted in the general rules.

BARBARIAN ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Rage: Costs 5 MP at level 1, then 4 MP at level 3, 3 MP at level 6, 2 MP at level 12, 1 MP at level 17, and becomes at-will at level 20.
• Relentless Rage: No change.

SUBCLASSES

• Path of the Berserker:
• Frenzy: Costs 5 SP, but only causes Exhaustion if your SP total goes below 0 and you fail your Constitution Save, as normal.
• Path of the Totem Warrior: No changes.

BARD ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Bardic Inspiration: Costs 2 SP at level 1.
• Font of Inspiration: Bardic Inspiration now costs 1 SP, and gains an additional attribute: a creature who spends a Bardic Inspiration die can choose to gain either 1d4 Temporary SP or 1d6 Temporary MP, instead of adding the result to a die roll (no action required, but it must happen during the creature’s turn). These temporary resources, if not expended, are lost after 10 minutes. Superior Inspiration: You gain either 1d6 Temporary SP or 2d6 Temporary MP when you roll initiative. These temporary resources, if still unspent, are lost at the end of the initiative encounter.

SUBCLASSES

• College of Lore:
• Peerless Skill: You can choose to gain Temporary SP or MP yourself instead of adding to a roll, as with Font of Inspiration.
• College of Valor: No changes.

CLERIC ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Channel Divinity: Costs 3 SP at level 2, then 2 SP starting at level 6, and 1 SP starting at level 18.
• Divine Intervention: Costs 10 MP, and cannot be used again for seven days if it succeeds. At 20th level, it still costs 10 MP, but can be used again immediately even if it succeeds.

SUBCLASSES

• Knowledge Domain: No changes.
• Life Domain: No changes.
• Light Domain: No changes, except as noted in the general rules.
• Nature Domain: No changes.
• Tempest Domain: No changes, except as noted in the general rules.
• Trickery Domain: No changes.
• War Domain: No changes.

DRUID ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Wild Shape: Costs 2 SP.

SUBCLASSES

• Circle of the Land:
• Natural Recovery: Once per Long Rest, you may double the amount of MP you regain when taking a Short Rest.
• Circle of the Moon:
• Elemental Wild Shape: Costs 4 SP.

FIGHTER ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Second Wind: Costs 2 SP at level 1 and 1 SP at level 17.
• Action Surge: Costs 2 SP at level 2 and 1 SP at level 17.
• Indomitable: Instead of being able to reroll saving throws, you gain a +1 bonus to AC at level 9, which increases to +2 at level 13 and +3 at level 17.

SUBCLASSES

• Champion: No changes. To buff this subclass, you can spend 2 MP to turn any hit into a Critical Hit starting at level 3, then for 1 MP starting at level 15.
• Battle Master:
• Superiority Dice: Costs 3 MP at level 3, 2 MP at level 7, and 1 MP at level 15.
• Relentless: You gain 1d4 Temporary MP whenever you roll initiative. This temporary resource, if still unspent, is lost at the end of the initiative encounter.
• Eldritch Knight: No changes.

MONK ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Ki: This ruleset does not use Ki Points. All of the options listed with this feature cost 1 MP at level 2 and become at-will starting at level 11.
• Stunning Strike: Applies when you spend 1 SP to gain Advantage on the melee weapon attack and the attack hits.
• Diamond Soul: Instead of either feature, you gain a passive +5 bonus to all saving throws.
• Empty Body: Invisibility costs 4 SP; astral projection costs 8 MP.
• Perfect Self: You gain 1d6 Temporary SP or 2d6 Temporary MP when you roll initiative. These temporary resources, if still unspent, are lost at the end of the initiative encounter.

SUBCLASSES

• Way of the Open Hand:
• Wholeness of Body: Costs 9 MP.
• Quivering Palm: Costs 3 MP.
• Way of Shadow:
• Shadow Arts: Costs as much as 2nd level spells would normally cost if your maximum castable spell was equal to your monk level divided by 2 (round up).
• Way of the Four Elements:
• All Elemental Disciplines: You have all disciplines that you are a high enough level to qualify for, rather than choosing a few. Use the table below to determine the MP cost of each discipline based on the original Ki Point cost.

  	MP Cost/Original Ki Cost
  Monk Level	1 Ki	2 Ki	3 Ki	4 Ki	5 Ki	6 Ki
  3	3	6	–	–	–	–
  5	2	4	6	–	–	–
  9	2	3	5	6	–	–
  13	1	2	4	5	6	–
  17	1	2	3	4	5	6

PALADIN ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Divine Sense: Ignore the “1 +”, use general rules as listed above.
• Lay on Hands: This ruleset does not use a separate healing pool for this feature. Instead, this feature uses SP, and you can spend up to a number of SP equal to your proficiency bonus whenever you use an action to activate this feature. For each SP you spend, the target regains a number of hit points equal to your paladin level. You can choose to neutralize one poison or one disease for every 5 points of healing you sacrifice to do so.
• Channel Divinity: Costs 3 SP.

SUBCLASSES

• Oath of Devotion:
• Holy Nimbus: Costs 5 MP.
• Oath of the Ancients:
• Undying Sentinel: Costs 7 MP.
• Elder Champion: Costs 7 MP.
• Oath of Vengeance:
• Avenging Angel: Costs 9 MP.

RANGER ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

(No changes, except as already noted above in the general guidelines.)

SUBCLASSES

• Hunter: No changes.
• Beast Master: No changes.

ROGUE ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Slippery Mind: Gain a +5 bonus to all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws, potentially in addition to adding your proficiency bonus.
• Stroke of Luck: Costs 2 SP.

SUBCLASSES

• Thief: No changes.
• Assassin: No changes.
• Arcane Trickster:
• Spell Thief: Costs 5 MP.

SORCERER ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Font of Magic: There are no Sorcery Points in this ruleset. Instead, you can replace any or all of the MP you use to cast your sorcerer spells with SP.
• Metamagic: Use SP in place of Sorcery Points for all Metamagic options.
• Sorcerous Restoration: Once per Long Rest, you gain all the benefits of a Short Rest after only 1 minute of Resting.

SUBCLASSES

• All Subclass Features That Use Sorcery Points: Use MP in place of Sorcery Points for all subclass abilities.
• Draconic Bloodline: No changes (except as noted above).
• Wild Magic:
• Wild Magic Surge Table, result 59-60: You regain 1d6 MP and 1d4 SP.
• Wild Magic Surge Table, result 99-00: You regain all SP and MP.

WARLOCK ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Pact Magic: Costs 4 SP at level 1, then 2 SP starting at level 2 and 1 SP starting at level 17.
• Mystic Arcana: As a normal spellcaster (consult the Spellcasting Table above), but unable to cast spells of lower than 6th level with these features.
• Eldritch Master: Once per Long Rest, you gain all the benefits of a Short Rest after only 1 minute of Resting.

SUBCLASSES

• The Archfey:
• Fey Presence: Costs 1 MP at level 1, then becomes an at-will ability at level 11.
• Misty Escape: Costs as much as your Pact Magic feature.
• Dark Delirium: Costs as much as your Pact Magic feature.
• The Fiend:
• Dark One’s Own Luck: Regain use after you gain the benefit of Dark One’s Blessing again.
• Hurl Through Hell: No change.
• The Great Old One:
• Entropic Ward: Costs as much as your Pact Magic feature.

ELDRITCH INVOCATIONS

• All Invocations Which Let You Cast 1 Spell Once Daily: As a Mystic Arcanum, but can be cast at any level.

WIZARD ______________________________________________________________________________________________

CORE CLASS

• Arcane Recovery: Once per Long Rest, you may double the amount of MP you regain when taking a Short Rest.
• Spell Mastery: No change.
• Signature Spell: You can cast your Signature Spells using SP instead of MP at any level, but cannot cast them for free.

SUBCLASSES

• School of Abjuration: No changes.
• School of Conjuration: No changes.
• School of Divination:
• Portent: Each portent die costs 6 MP at level 2 and 4 MP starting at level 14. You must decide at the end of each Long Rest how many futures to foresee.
• Expert Divination: The MP cost of all Divinations spells is halved for you (round down), to a minimum of 1 MP.
• The Third Eye: Costs 2 SP.
• School of Enchantment: No changes.
• School of Evocation: No changes.
• School of Illusion:
• Illusory Self: Costs 2 SP.
• School of Necromancy: No changes.
• School of Transmutation:
• Shapechanger: Costs 1 SP.

FEATS

ENDURING BODY ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Hardy and resilient, you gain the following benefits:

• Your Stamina Point maximum increases by two.
• You have advantage on saves made to avoid Exhaustion.

ENDURING MIND ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Accustomed to intense mental strain, you gain the following benefits:

• Your Mana Point maximum increases by five.
• You have advantage on saves made to avoid Mental Exhaustion.

ENDURING SOUL ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Determined and strong-spirited, you gain the following benefits:

• Your Resolve Point maximum increases by two.
• You have advantage on saves made to avoid Discouragement.