Rules FAQ

What is the difference between core rules, optional rules, and house rules?

Core rules are the normal published procedures a ruleset assumes. Optional or variant rules are published alternatives that a group uses only when the DM or campaign adopts them. House rules are table-created changes or additions. D&D Portal campaign rules are house rules or campaign rulings when they intentionally differ from the published baseline, and they must be labelled as such.

Core or baseline rules

A baseline rule is part of the ordinary rules framework being used for the campaign.

Examples in the 2014 Fifth Edition baseline include:

  • initiative using Dexterity checks;
  • one action on a normal turn;
  • difficult terrain costing additional movement;
  • attack rolls compared with Armor Class;
  • resistance halving qualifying damage;
  • advantage and disadvantage using their normal d20 procedure.

A campaign does not need to separately opt into each of these when it says it uses that ruleset.

Published optional and variant rules

Official books also contain rules explicitly presented as optional or variant.

Those rules are published, but publication does not make them automatically active at every table.

A campaign may adopt one variant and reject another.

The rule remains an **optional** or **variant** rule until the campaign adopts it, and its published source still matters.

Third-party rules

Published third-party material is neither official Wizards of the Coast core material nor automatically homebrew.

Classes such as Captain, Champion, Messenger or other licensed/published third-party material can have real published mechanics while still depending on campaign availability.

The same provenance principle applies to rules modules: identify the publisher and source instead of flattening everything into “official” or “homebrew.”

Homebrew rules

Homebrew is original game material created outside the published rules being referenced.

A homebrew rule may add a new mechanic or replace an existing one.

It should say clearly what it changes so players do not need to reverse-engineer which part of the published baseline still applies.

Campaign rulings and table agreements

A campaign ruling may be much smaller than a full homebrew system.

Examples include:

  • a party using stricter checks in a specific type of environment;
  • a DM deciding how an ambiguous interaction works at that table;
  • a campaign modifying a rest rule;
  • a table agreeing not to track a particular resource.

These rulings belong in campaign notes or variant data rather than in the universal short answer.

Why the distinction matters

Without provenance labels, players cannot tell whether a rule is:

  • expected everywhere under the chosen ruleset;
  • an official option;
  • from a third-party source;
  • original homebrew;
  • specific to one of D&D Portal's parties.

Keeping those labels separate makes it clear which rules are baseline, optional, third-party, homebrew, or campaign-specific.