A collection of homebrew notes for Petros Moros’ awesome RedHack, by Daneel

Rush.

Traits1
This is an alternative for skills, for those who don’t want to go the old-school way and
just get rid of skills altogether.
Instead of discrete skills, new characters start with two traits, which are the
expression of a PC's specific talents and history: their natural physiological
advantages, cultural background, education, former employment and specific
training, etc. If the player and GM agree that one of your character’s traits applies to
your attempted action, you add your proficiency bonus to the roll. Unless a feat
explicitly states otherwise, you only get to add your proficiency to a roll once, no
matter how many traits you have that may apply to the situation.
Traits are an opportunity (and an invitation) to develop and establish your character's
identity and place in their fantasy world. For example, you could define your tribal
warrior character as a “Reaver of the Red Lion tribe.” That trait both establishes the
character's place in the world and contributes to the GM's worldbuilding efforts (Is
there even a Red Lion tribe? Well, there is now!)
Naturally, the GM and player must agree on the scope of a PC's traits, to ensure
their usefulness does not stretch to an unfair degree that would take away from the
other players' chances at the spotlight, or reject traits that simply do not match the
party’s planned setting and/or game style.
If using traits, however, the Expert feats Savant, Skilled, and Gifted need
replacement to make up for the absence of skills.

Feat Prereqs Details

Gain a new trait based on your character’s development
Experienced -
and experiences thus far.
Double proficiency bonus for rolls in which you apply one
Gifted Experienced
of your traits.
Savant - Gain permanent advantage in one of your traits.

1 Shamelessly copied from the legendary Kevin Crawford.

Variant Rule: Racial Traits
Consider defining a racial trait for all non-human races that replaces the
sourcebook’s original racial bonus (or don’t replace it and just give both to your
players, why not?). A racial trait may encompass species, ethnic, and/or cultural
heritage, as applicable to the group’s specific game setting. The following are some
examples:

• Dwarves gain the trait “Dwarven senses”, which involves their ability to see
in complete darkness and navigate underground environments.
• Elves gain the trait “Elven senses”, reflecting their keen senses and their
ability to see clearly even in very dim lighting.
• Halflings gain the trait “Halfling subtlety”, which represents the advantages
of their small frame and their ability to avoid notice and remain unobtrusive.
Human characters start play with three traits of their choosing. Alternatively, humans
may choose one from a list of traits representing the different cultures and regions
of your setting. Or you may come up with a general list of “regional traits” for all
characters regardless of race. It’s your game; do what’s best for it.

Combat Stunts2
RedHack—and generally all TTRPGs—encourages creative thinking and out-of-the-
box problem solving, but how do you adjudicate actions in combat more complex
than “I attack” or “I cast X spell”? A character should be allowed to, let’s say, “jump
off the balcony, swinging on the chandelier with my free hand for momentum to throw
myself at the enemy on the ground floor, knocking it down with my body as I plunge
my sword through its chest.” How do you resolve that? Here’s a proposal for a
universal resolution system for such dastardly deeds.

• Any description more complex than a single action is resolved with an

appropriate ability or attack roll at disadvantage. Furthermore, you don’t
normally get to add your proficiency bonus to the roll.
• If you do have a trait (or a Skill, if you do not use traits) that applies to any
individual element of the complex action, then you don’t roll at disadvantage.
• You only get to add your proficiency bonus to the roll if you have a second
applicable trait (or proficiency), or the Martial Training feat if the complex
action includes a weapon attack.

2 Inspired by Venger Satanis’ Epic Acts of Awesome.

Alternative Spellcasting Rulings
Tinkering with RedHack’s simple and great spellcasting rules has a twofold purpose:
helping players use spell lists from the current edition of the world’s most played
tabletop RPG, its former editions and many impressive hacks, and/or allowing
freeform spellcasting limited only by players’ imaginations and the GM’s fair ruling.

Spellcasting Themes
Spellcasters should pick one or two themes for their magic’s focus and aesthetics.
Restrictions breed creativity, and the purpose of themes is to encourage players to
narrow the scope of their spell choices instead of playing mages with a hodge-podge
of different, unrelated spells.

Spells from Other d20-based Fantasy Systems

Most tabletop RPG systems sharing the d20 foundation also share similar spell
systems, relying on spell lists and spell levels. This makes it relatively easy to use
them in RedHack.

• Adapt only spells that do not deal damage or restore lost hit points. Channel
Destruction handles all instances of spell damage, and healing is not the
purview of spellcasting in RedHack.
• Encourage players to pick spells based on their character’s themes. Further
encourage creative interpretations for how a spell fits their themes—how does
the tentaclemancer explain adding the Haste spell to their repertoire?
• Only adapt spells of up to 5th-level. The Spell DC is 8 + spell level x 2,
meaning 1st-level spells have a DC of 10, and the strongest 5h-level spells a
DC of 18.
• Variant Mishaps: As an alternative rule, you suffer a magical mishap if you
fail the casting roll and the number on the d20 is the spell’s level or less.
• For the purpose of proficiencies and feat effects, assume 1st- and 2nd-level
spells are Minor, 3rd-level spells are Moderate, and 4th- and 5th-level spells
are Major. Alternatively, replace all feats that grant proficiency with
Minor/Moderate/Major spells with the following:

Feat Prereqs Details

Proficiency in casting 1st-level spells. Gain 2
spells of any levels you’re proficient. Can be
Spellcasting Cantrips (Arcane) or
taken up to 4 more times to gain prof. up to
Progress Druid (Primal)
5th-level spells. Can’t be taken multiple times
in the same level.
Freeform Spellcasting
RedHack’s simple spellcasting rules suit a more freeform style, unbound by spell
lists and limited only by players’ creativity and the group’s common sense to avoid
disrupting the game with overwhelmingly powerful or absurd magics. Implementing
freeform spellcasting in RedHack is as simple as adjudicating whether a player’s
proposed spell belongs to the Minor, Moderate, or Major category.

• Damaging spells are the easiest because Channel Destruction takes care of
any necessary rulings. If the player aims for a more sustained effect—like a
sword of holy energy, or a field of lingering magical flames—, then make it
demand concentration instead of forcing a new casting on every turn.
• Minor spells provide an instant or short-lived, specific advantage; in combat,
a benefit potent enough to turn the odds in the party’s favor if the targets fail
their save—a sleep spell, negating the enemy’s signature ability, forcing
disadvantage on a specific type of attack or ability. Out of combat, an instant
effect that facilitates a single instance of exploration or roleplaying, if
unimpeded by enemy magic—opening an ordinary lock, divining the route to
food or shelter, rendering a creature friendly and obedient.
• Moderate spells provide a more significant advantage or benefit; an effect
enough to singlehandedly resolve a single combat—invisibility, or the ability
to see invisible enemies; a taser-like stunning spell, or a silencing field that
prevents the use of magic with verbal components—, exploration, or
roleplaying challenge—creating food out of thin air, asking a corpse for the
name of its killer, automatically decipher a code or script in a forgotten
language.
• Major spells have overwhelming effects that trivialize a single element of the
game: creating extradimensional spaces to stop worrying about load and
encumbrance; flight and teleportation render overland travel irrelevant; the
power to completely control the actions of a creature makes either combat or
roleplaying unnecessary.
Adapting spells from other games and freeform spellcasting are not exclusive to
each other as long as you stick to the Minor/Moderate/Major categorization instead
of spell levels. Even if you only implement freeform casting, you may consider
allowing a number of “Recorded” or “Known Spells” (gained from the proficiency and
Arcane Study feats) the character has memorized or recorded in a spellbook. Known
Spells would have some kind of advantage over freestyled spells—no mishaps, or
mishaps only on a roll of 1, for example. If you have the Control feat, you could
consider it also granting advantage on rolls to cast your Known Spells.
Alternative Rulings (Not Rules)
A few notes on variant rulings that may or may not help your game.

• For groups who would rather have hardier characters as in the 5th edition of
the world’s most popular TTRPG (5E for short), the easy solution is to
implement additional Hit Dice on every level instead of merely 12 additional
HP spread across ten levels.
• The easiest formula to convert monsters is RD = 10 + HD. Then implement
the monster’s signature feature(s) or action(s). For 5E monsters, use RD =
10 + Challenge Rating (CR) instead, rounded up.
• While many people favor Usage Dice, they are in no way simpler—and are in
fact more involved—than individual item tracking, which works just fine as
long as the GM implements a strict time tracking of in-game time. My personal
experience is that UDs work best for the more valuable and/or exotic
consumables—potions, poisons, and alchemical items, for example.
• Replenishing SUP by foraging sometimes breaks suspension of disbelief—
how do you turn the nondescript stuff you gather from the wild into both
alchemical bombs and materials to repair your armor? If that bothers you,
state that characters need the appropriate proficiency (or trait) to forage SUP
intended for purposes other than replenishing mundane items.

A Collection of Tables
The following pages include several tables for the consideration of GMs and players.

• The Big Traits Table, for those who want some quick ideas for a new
character.
• Additional feats proposing new ways to customize characters. GMs should
not just add them to the existing tables without consideration, because feat
bloat could easily become detrimental to the game.
The Big Traits Table
d100 Background Personal Qualities Relationships
Academy At home in the
00-03 A familiar sight at the port
teacher wilderness
Small town
04-07 Strikingly attractive Veteran enjoyer of harlots
blacksmith
Apprentice Can pass for a
08-11 Acquainted with many mercenaries
alchemist (different race)
Charlatan
12-15 Can pass for a noble An ex in every town
exorcist
Construction
16-19 Contempt for authority Associated with (guild name)
foreman
20-23 Copper miner Dexterous hands At home in the criminal underground
24-27 Court dancer Easily overlooked Beloved by animals
Disgraced Cares for the plight of (d6: 1-2 slaves/3-4
28-31 Excellent balance
concubine orphans/5-6 the sick)
Escaped
32-35 Expert climber Dedicated to (specific faith)
slave
Experienced
36-39 Fleet of foot Foreign spy
fisherman
Far East
40-43 Hard to fool Former employee at a large temple
outlander
44-47 Folk healer Hawkeye Former lover of a palace official
Wildlands Friend of (d6: 1-2 tribe/3-4: criminal group/5-
48-51 Tireless endurance
explorer 6: secret society)
Indebted Friends with (d6: 1-2 noble/3-4 temple/5-6
52-55 Hobbyist tinkerer
farmer merchant)'s servants
Temple
56-59 Terrifying appearance Relatives everywhere
acolyte
Studied Talented (musical Secret child of (d6: 1-2 noble/3-4 merchant
60-63
herbalist instrument) player prince/5 high priest/6 god)
Jaded
64-67 Natural escape artist Keeping an affair with a married lover
mercenary
Swore vengeance against (name of person,
68-71 Jungle hunter Natural liar
faction, or institution)
Manor Known for (d6: 1-2 bravery/3-4
72-75 Nightingale voice
steward temperance/5-6 compassion)
Open-minded to other Met a (d6: 1-2 demon/3-4 dragon/5-6 fey) as
76-79 Noble wastrel
cultures a child
Nomadic Once saved a demon's life (innocently or
80-83 Perpetually apathetic
tribesman willingly)
Practiced in ancient Parents belonged (or belong) to (secret
84-87 Palace scribe
languages society)
Practiced Remembers the old Raised by (d6: 1-2 wild beasts/3-4
88-91
burglar traditions prostitutes/5-6 fey)
Rapacious Rosy-cheeked pretty Reputation for (d6: 1-2 cruelty/3-4: libido/5-6:
92-95
pirate boy arrogance)
Retired
96-99 Skilled in legerdemain Market researcher for a merchant friend
gladiator
New Arcane Feats
Feat Prereqs Details
Advantage on scroll crafting and casting rolls with scrolls
Arcane Scribe Minor Spells
you make.
On successful casting, gain AC bonus = spell level (+1
Arcane Shield Cantrips from cantrips - +4 from Major) until your next turn. Failed
castings incur equivalent AC penalty.
Arcane Sneak
Stealth Caster Can make sneak attacks with Channel Destruction.
Attack
When casting, you can hold the spell and define a
Contingent
Minor Spells condition that triggers its release and effect. Only one spell
Spells
can be withheld at a time.
Spell Contingent You can withhold spells up to your proficiency bonus. You
Inscription Spells can inscribe contingent spells on objects.
Add +2 to your spellcasting roll per level of exhaustion you
Overchannel Cantrips
willingly take.
Signature
Minor Spells Pick a spell you know. Advantage on casting roll.
Spell

New Divine Feats

Feat Prereqs Details
Once/rest, action to deal 1d6/level damage, divided among
Castigation Vow
any number of undead and evil creatures in sight.
Disruption Protection Enemies have disadvantage on spellcasting rolls.
Enduring Action. An ally gains +d4 to their d20 rolls for the entire
Bless
Blessing encounter.
Enemies of your faith have disadvantage on morale checks
Inquisitor Vow
against you.
Protective
Bless Action. Two allies gain +2 AC until your next turn.
Blessing
Vow and Deal CON damage to an adjacent helpless or willing target
Sacrifice another Divine for an equal bonus to a future d20 roll of your choice.
Feat Doesn’t stack.
When fighting enemies of your faith, the damage die of your
Weapon of
Vow weapons rises 1 step, and your mundane weapons are
Devotion
treated as magical.
New Expert Feats
Feat Prereqs Details
Craft
You can create potions and contraptions that reproduce the
proficiency (or
Artificer effect of cantrips, but don’t need concentration. Non-instant
crafting-related
effects last 1 round/level in combat, 10 min/level otherwise.
trait)
Instead of extra damage, target suffers disadvantage on all
Crippling
Artery Slice d20 rolls and attacks against target have advantage until
Strike
your next turn.
Elegant
- Use CHA instead of DEX for AC and DEX saves.
Footwork
Embrace (Level) times per day, use LCK instead of the relevant ability
-
Fortune for a d20 roll.
After each rest, pick a feat without prerequisites. You have
Imitator -
that feat until your next rest.
Even if you fail a knowledge-related check, you know
Networking -
somebody who has the knowledge you lack.
If both initiative rolls would make you act first, you get an
Rapidstrike Alert
extra action in your first turn of combat.

New Primal Feats

Feat Prereqs Details
Catfall - Double jump distance. Reduce all fall damage by 3d6.
Successful attacks after leaping or falling at least 10 feet
Pounce Catfall
deal +2d6 damage.
Natural Spell Wild Skin Can cast spells in animal form.
Environmental effects no longer give you exhaustion.
Outdoorsman -
Environmental damage halved.
When healed more than needed to recover all lost HP,
Primal Vitality -
excess healing becomes temporary HP that are lost first.
When disengaging, you can stealth as part of the same
Skulker -
action. This doesn’t allow hiding in plain sight.
Wild beasts do not attack you and your allies unless
Wild Soul -
attacked first.
New Warfare Feats
Feat Prereqs Details
Quick action. Make a dancing check (DEX or CHA
Battle Dance - (Perform)). The result becomes your AC until somebody hits
you.
Blade
- Use CHA instead of STR for melee attack and damage rolls.
Flourish
Careful Spend your move aiming instead to gain advantage on your
-
Aiming next ranged attack roll.
If your melee attack deals more damage than needed to
Cleave - reduce the target to 0HP, deal the excess damage to
another target within reach.
Damage die rolls with two-handed weapons cannot roll
Firm Blows -
lower than your STR modifier (min 0).
Once per round, make an attack roll as quick action when
Martial
Parry attacked. Your AC against that attack becomes the result.
Training
Must be wielding a melee weapon or a shield.
Supreme When you have advantage on a ranged attack, roll 3d20
Accurate
Precision instead of 2d20 and use the best result.