D&D 5e overrides
Given the desire to play a DnD campaign in the world of Deystrum, the following overrides must apply in order for a true 5e campaign to be feasible:
Magical powers per player is not limited at seven
Given that player characters in DnD can know dozens (if not more) spells and have several prepared or ready to cast at different times, having only seven abilities doesn't make sense. The total number of magical people in the world remains unchanged, and the rules about keeping that number fixed remains. (On death of a magical person, the next child born will be magical). Instead, the player's total level should be divided by three (rounding up) to indicate their Deystrum power level. See the table below for reference:
| DnD Total Level |
Deystrum Power Level |
| 1-3 | One |
| 4-6 | Two |
| 7-9 | Three |
| 10-12 | Four |
| 13-15 | Five |
| 16-18 | Six |
| 19-20 | Seven |
This means several things are spoken about differently:
- A player is referred to as a seven not because they have seven abilities, but because the world just measures everything by sevens as a maximum, in the same way that use 10 as the maximum in the metric system.
- A player does not obtain level 19+ in DnD by the time their player character turns 13-years-old and level ups don't happen once per year. Instead the person gains magic or power in a normal DnD way.
- A seven is not locked into a template of powers, like movement or immortality.
Deystrum's abilities supplement DnD5e Spells
The abilities listed here in the world anvil are distinctfully concatenated with DnD 5e's spell/ability book. For spells that are duplicate or extremely similar (like Weathermancy vs Weather Control or Permanent Polymorph vs True Polymorph), the Deystrum spell will have a DnD equivilant description and/or be homebrewed into the campaign. Alternatively the DM can choose which interpretation to use. Passive abilities, like Immortality or Rebirth, will transfer into Feats. Some spells will not be possible, and are listed below:
Ressurection or clone of any kind - Due to Deystrum's magical power balance
Spells whose Damage/Effect is necrotic (typically those found in the Necromancy school)
Spells which create or manipulate undead
Unavailable Spells / Abilities
- Mass Polymorph, Temporary Polymorph. (Polymorph is slightly different in Deystrum – read Spells Modified below) For creatures that would normally cast Polymorph, consider conjuring a beast of some kind or having that creature have Shapeshifting (Deystrum).
- Animal Shapes, Gaseous Form, Draconic Transformation
- ALL spells that do Necrotic Damage. Spells that give an option for damage type (like Illusory Dragon) cannot use Necrotic Damage and must pick another.
- Most spells that deal with alternative planes, such as Plane Shift, Demiplane, Astral Projection, Gate, and so on.
- Teleport, Transport via Plants, Word of Recall, Dimension Door, Teleportation Circle, Tree Stride or similar long range (>100ft) transportation/teleportation spells.
- Passwall is not available.
- Non-damaging necromancy spells are limited to the “no-inherently evil stuff in Deystrum” and some are not available such as: Speak with the Dead, Spirit Shroud
Spells Modified
- Invulnerability only lasts for 5 rounds (30 seconds).
- Several high level “element” based spells (fire, water, lightning) require a certain feat, see “Spells / Important things added” below for those details.
- Shapechange -> Shapeshifting
- True Polymorph is replaced by Permanent Polymorph. (Temporary) Polymorph is not available.
- True Resurrection, Ressurection – These spells still work, except that the resurrected creature returns with no magical powers of any kind (effectively a level 1 creature with no “magical” classes, like Wizard or Sorcerer). Clone suffers similar effects – the clone of the creature has no magical abilities or spells.
- Wish works as written except that it cannot allow spells already disallowed in these sections.
- Conjure Celestial and Summon Celestial can summon a being that isn’t necessarily chaotic good as well, if desired. (think “Summon Demon”)
- Etherealness functionality works the same but narratively there is no Ethereal plane, so there will be no creatures there, and the spell effectively becomes “walk through walls”
- Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise – there are no lower or upper planes, but the spell works as written – have the DM deem if the creature selected would have likely been in either planes, were they to exist.
- Telepathic Bond – The distance is limited to 1 mile of the original caster and the spell ends if the caster is stunned or otherwise incapacitated.
- Reincarnate is replaced by Rebirth
- Banishment causes the creature to become immune to all damage but also incapacitated for the duration. The effect cannot be dispelled (but still ends after one minute). They do not leave your vision, but instead appear to be slightly faded. All other “planar” effects do not apply.
- Black Tentacles can be any color the caster decides and any other similar shape that makes sense for the area of effect (like stony thorns).
- Feign death becomes an illusionary spell and does not have any negative conditions associated with it. If the target is attacked, moves or becomes poisoned, diseased or similar the effect ends immediately.
- Life Transference is replaced by Life Leech.
- Misty step is replaced/renamed by/to Flanking Step (functionally the same spell).
- Wild Shape for druids is replaced by Shapeshift, and thus the animal they transform into becomes the only animal they can transform into.
Special callouts and additions
- Weathermancy feat
- Related spells: Storm of Vegeance, Sleet Storm, Storm Sphere, Control Weather, Call Lightning, Chain Lightning, Lightning Arrow, Lightning Bolt, Lightning Lure, Thunderclap, Thunderwave, Thunderstep, Investiture of Wind, Destructive Wave, Whirlwind, and Thunderous Smite
- All related spells perform as written except that the character MUST have the Weathermancy feat for all 5th level spells or higher.
- The feat grants the character any related cantrips and a number of charges equal to their level divided by three (minimum of one). The charges can be consumed for any of the related spells instead of consuming a spell slot.
- Geomancy feat
- Related spells: Bones of the Earth, Earth Tremor, Earthbind, Earthquake, Erupting Earth, Earthen Grasp, Mold Earth, Investiture of Stone, Transmute Rock, Wall of Stone, Magic Stone, Stone Shape, Stoneskin, Meld into Stone, and Move Earth.
- All related spells perform as written except that the character MUST have the Geomancy feat for all 5th level spells or higher.
- The feat grants the character any related cantrips and a number of charges equal to their level divided by three (minimum of one). The charges can be consumed for any of the related spells instead of consuming a spell slot.
- Blazekin feat
- Related spells: Control Flames, Flame Arrows, Flame Blade, Flake Strike, Investiture of Flame, Produce Flame, Sacred Flame, Fireball (including Delayed Fireball), Fire bolt, Fire Storm, Heat Metal, and Wall of Fire.
- All related spells perform as written except that the character MUST have the Blazekin feat for all 5th level spells or higher.
- The feat grants the character any related cantrips and a number of charges equal to their level divided by three (minimum of one). The charges can be consumed for any of the related spells instead of consuming a spell slot.
- Hydromancy feat
- Related spells: Control Water, Create or Destroy Water, Shape Water, Wall of Water, Water walk, Watery sphere, Freezing sphere, Purify Water (Homebrew), Ice Knife, Ice Storm, Investiture of Ice, Binding Ice, Wall of Ice, Cone of Cold, Ray of Frost, Snowball Storm, Maelstrom, Freedom of the Waves, and Tsunami.
- All related spells perform as written except the character MUST have the Hydromancy feat for 5th level spells or higher.
- The feat grants the character any related cantrips and a number of charges equal to their level divided by three (minimum of one). The charges can be consumed for any of the related spells instead of consuming a spell slot.
- The homebrew feats mentioned above cannot stack or be combined on a single character.
- Unique abilities become unique per continent (DM discretion)
Mastery is replaced
Ability mastery in Deystrum is replaced with proficiency, skill modifiers, or spell slot levels in DnD5e.
New races and options
In order to give DnD players more options when playing in Deystrum, the list of races will expand to meet the standard list of races from DnD5e and the existing races of Deystrum will be ammended:
- Nektolen - Another word for elf. The silvery hair is baseline, such that there will be a homebrew race called the Nektolen Elves. This will replace Wood Elves as an option. All other elves, within reason, should be considered variants of the Nektolen.
- Sundken - Human variant homebrew race that starts with more strength and other applicable bonuses.
- Urblon - Human variant homebrew race that starts with more intellect and other applicable bonuses.
- Dwarves, Halflings, Gnomes - Dispersed normally amongst the population. A new dwarven small-city is located IN Mount Frojan.
- Half-Orcs, Tieflings - Allowed, but considered pariahs in most cities.
- Dragonborn - Strongly suggest that this is not allowed at this time. It just doesn't make sense in Deystrum's world.
Additional races found in other source books
Here's a quick list of races that do an do not make sense in Deystrum. Of course, it's up to your DM ultimately, but those not allowed would require quite a bit of canonical changes. If something in the allowed list conflicts with the "Do not recommend," the do not recommend list wins the contest. For example, "all human variants allowed" vs "No 'Mark of the *' variants allowed" - in this example all human variants are allowed that aren't "Mark of the *"
Okay to use: Aarakocra, Aaasimar, Bugbear, Centaur, Changling, All Gnome variants, All Human Variants, All Dwarf Variants, All Elf Variants, Fairy, Goliath, All Halfling variants, Minotaur, Orc, Owlin, Satyr, Vedalken
Not recommended: Genasi, Gith (all), Goblin, Harengon, Hobogoblin, Kalashtar, Kenku, Firbolg, Kobold, Lizardfolk, Loxodon, Pixie, Shifter, Tortle, Leonin, Tabaxi, Warforged, Verdan, Yuan-ti, Any/All "Mark of the ____" races
Other recommendations
- Players should start at level 3 in DnD5e
- Players should campaign after the events of the first book of Deystrum (Orphan Kings) or before it.
... more soon!
