If you aren’t familiar with BAM, it is my rules light 5e comparable RPG named “Bold Against Monsters” that I refer to as BAM. It is available for free (or pay what you want) on DriveThruRPG HERE.
I am proud to announce that I have just published my first title on DriveThruRPG. My new title, Bold Against Monsters, was just activated for public sale. It’s free (or pay what you want) so please check it out and, if you like it, please tell all your friends!
This is an update to the version that I posted here last week. I added information regarding magic items, revised the cover image, and made many minor corrections and revisions (mostly cosmetic). The file is somewhat larger because it is 2 pages longer and I increased the resolution on all the images.
Get your free copy there (or pay what you like if you can and want to help support me). Also it would help a lot if you could spread the word about it and where it can be found.
Some of you have mentioned in the past that I should publish some of the stuff that I have always provided here for free. I want to assure everyone that everything on this blog will continue to be free. I am hoping that by publishing on DriveThruRPG I might reach a larger audience and maybe even start making a little more than I get from the adds here on this site. Please let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below.
Update: 11/2/2025 The PDF is no longer free on DriveThruRPG. But I am now providing a freee copy HERE on this blog.
I am proud to announce that I am now a DriveThruRPG affiliate, anyone going to DriveThruRPG.com by clicking to a link here on my site will be tagged as visiting via my link. If they make a purchase anywhere on that site within 15 days of coming to DriveThruRPG via my link, I’ll receive a small percent of that purchase (excluding gift certificates) credited to my account.
If you sometimes purchase things from DriveThruRPG and would like to help me out, it will cost you nothing to use this link to go to that site.
Let me introduce Bold Against Monsters. (You can call it BAM.). This is a new D&D 5E compatible rules-light Role Playing Game that I – the Old Dungeon Master – just finished writing.
I started with the 2014 versions of Dungeons and Dragons (5E). Then, based on my 40+ years of DMing, I eliminated or changed things I thought could be improved, added things I prefer from the 2024 versions of Dungeons and Dragons (5.5) and Tales of the Valiant (ToV), and used some of the concepts found in ShadowDarkRPG (SD), modified for a more 5E compatible campaign. To all of this, I added some of my favorite house rules to come up with the Table Top Role Playing Game – Bold Against Monstrers. This is the game I like best. Give it a try, I think you will like it too.
This Core Rule Book contains everything you need to play the game (except for the dice). It is compatible for use with any published 5E adventure for characters up to level 10. It can serve as an introduction to 5E role playing for new players or anyone looking for a game with familiar characters you can easily create and quickly play. Character creation, level advancement, inventory tracking, proficiencies, spellcasting, combat, and more have been simplified without moving too far from the basics I love about the 5E game system.
This was made possible through the use of the D&D 5E and D&D 5.5 rules as published under Creative Commons License in SRD_CC_v5.1 and SRD_CC_v5.2 respectively, the ToV rules published as “Black Flag Roleplaying” under the ORC license, and the “Shadowdark RPG Third-Party License V1.1”. No AI was used in creating this. All artwork was found on-line with commercial licenses, or created by the author.
Update #1: 6/24/2025 (BAM Rules_v2.pdf) Minor changes Removed the “Lifting and Carrying” and the “Push, Drag, or Lift” sections. They were in conflict with “Gear Slots”. I renumbered the pages (and updated the Table of Contents) so now when going to a page in the PDF, the number on the page will match the page number of the PDF file. Corrected misspellings (thanks to the comment from larrymannplays). Made a couple of cosmetic and formatting changes.
I’m always looking to improve my resources for the D&D community! I would love to hear your feedback on this new RPG. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I am especially interested in your opinion on which rules you like or would have done differently.
Download your free form-fillable PDF BAM character sheet HERE.
The BAM Core Rule Book includes a character sheet on the back cover, but I also created this form-fillable version.
You will need to enter your ability modifiers and character level before the calculations for Weapons and Armor Class can be made. You can select Ancestry, Background, Class, Deity, and Weapons from drop-down lists, or enter any text in the box. For selected text, the features and other information below will fill in. For Ancestry, Background, Class, or Weapons text you typed in, you can enter any information below as you would like. To change the information below a selection you made, just change the name (adding a space behind the name will do). Clearing the text in the box, or making a different selection from the drop-down, will delete all the text below it.
Selecting your armor and shield from the drop-downs will calculate and display your Armor Class (AC).
Refer to the BAM Core Rule Book for information regarding Gear Slots. All the Weapons, Armor, Tools, and other equipment listed in that book can be selected from drop-downs, or you can type any text you want into the boxes.
There are now free Class Reference Sheets available to download HERE.
I posted a 5E version of this some time back. (My friend Nicholas sent me this excellent combat tracker. If anyone knows who created it, please let me know so I can give credit to him or her.) Erichthegree commented on that post today that it needs to be updated to the new D&D 5.5 conditions, so that is what this is. One complaint I have with the new Player’s Handbook is that the conditions are not presented all together in one place. This can be used for that, but I did have to abbreviate them a lot in order to get them to all fit in a single column.
If you are one of us who are adapting to the 2024 version of D&D (D&D 5.5), Tales of the Valiant, or some other RPG you are finding that your old spell cards need to be updated. I made these without any symbols so you can use different colored cards for different classes, or school of magic, or any way that makes sense for the game you are playing.
These cards are 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″, 10 cards on an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet. Each PDF file has 2 pages. The first page has 10 cards you can fill in with the spell info, and the second page has the 10 colored backs.
They are 8 1/2″ x 11″ so they are easy to print and to find backings or plastic sleeves to fit them in.
I oriented them with the long dimension horizontally to make it easier for the DM to see over.
I only listed information that might be needed during play – so no player creation or dungeon creation information.
Update #1: 4/27/2025 Enlarged the text size in “Weapon Options.”
Let me know what you think about this new ToV DM Screen in the comments below.
I’m preparing to run a ShadowDark adventure for a group and some of the players are new to Table Top Role Playing Games. Since my copy of the rule book will be the only one at the table, I thought a combat reference sheet for each of the players would be handy, so I created this one.
You can download your own free copy of the PDF file HERE.
There are a lot of things that I like about the new 2024 rules for Dungeons and Dragons (D&D 5.5) but there are several things that I don’t care for. Before I run a D&D 5.5 game, here are the house rules I will be using to address some of these issues. I am sure that I will be updating this list from time to time as I run across other problems. These are in addition to, and in some cases may replace, my existing 5E house rules that I posted here: D&D 5E – My House Rules.
House rules I will use when running a D&D 5.5 campaign
1) I will be using the new (2024) rules exclusively. Players may not use spells, races, classes, subclasses, etc. from any earlier publications. 2) I will be using the house rules I posted here: The Old DM’s House Rules on Hiding and; 3) You cannot attack an ally. This includes opportunity attacks. 4) You can swap weapons (sheath one weapon and draw another one) once, and only once, on your turn. 5) I will have to nerf many spells, Conjure Minor Elementals for example. (I may provide details in a future post.) 6) Most on-going spells end when their caster dies and you can end any spell you have cast (no action required) if you aren’t incapacitated. 7) No crafting of magic items. 8) Background. Create your own. Just make up any background you want. Then, based on that background;
Ability Scores. Increase three ability scores by 1, or one by 2 and one by 1, to a maximum score of 20.
Skill Proficiencies. Select any two skills to be proficient in.
Tool Proficiency. Select one tool to be proficient in.
Equipment. Select any equipment pack, or 50 GP.
9) House rules to prevent weapon mastery abuse.
You can’t use the weapon mastery feature of a weapon if you use it as an improvised weapon. An example would be throwing a melee weapon that doesn’t have the thrown property or making a melee attack with a ranged weapon.
Save: For mastery features that allow a save to avoid the effect, it will be either a DEX or STR saving throw and the DC is 8 plus the ability modifier used to make the attack roll and your Proficiency Bonus. You should always have that number calculated and ready to give to the DM when needed.
Cleave: A single attack roll is used against both targets. The two targets must be within 5 feet of each other, within your weapons reach, and positioned so that they could be hit with a single swing of your weapon.
Graze: A poison weapon does no poison damage on a miss. A roll of a natural 1 does not graze.
Nick: Reword this to “When you make an attack action with this weapon you can make a second attack with it. You can make this extra attack only once per turn.”
Push: Must be horizontally (not up into the air). The target can save to resist being pushed. If the creature is hit more than once by weapons that have this property, the distance they are pushed doesn’t exceed 10 feet.
Sap: The target can save to resist the Sap.
Slow: If the creature is hit more than once by weapons that have this property, or they are (or have been) affected by the use of the Slasher Feat, their total Speed reduction never exceeds 10 feet.
Topple: If the creature is hit more than once by weapons that have this property, they automatically save.
Vex: Reword this to “If you hit a creature with this weapon and deal damage to the creature, you have Advantage with the same weapon on your next attack roll against that creature before the end of your next turn.”
Additional house rules I may implement, depending on the adventure
1) No flying characters. 2) Player characters may not have an evil alignment. 3) No Multiclassing. (Multiclassing is no longer listed as an optional rule as it was in 5E.) 4) No Firearms. 5) No bastions. 6) I LIKE opposed checks. 7) My “rule of cool”: If I think it is cool I MAY allow it ONCE.
Call to action.
I’m always looking to improve my resources for the D&D community! I would love to hear your feedback on these house rules. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
D&D 5E’s rules for hiding are a mess. I previously posted my thoughts on this in my post D&D 5E – Stealth and Hiding. In a similar vein I posted D&D 5E – House Rule – Pop-up Archer. I was hoping that the 2014 update would improve on the hiding rules, but I was disappointed. Also, I am a fan of Tales of the Valiant, but they left the hiding rules pretty much unchanged. So I decided to replace the rules on hiding in 5E with my own house rules and here they are.
This replaces everything I said on those previous posts.
In the house rules below, every rule applies equally to PCs and other creatures.
The first thing I did was create a new condition called “Hidden.”
The Hidden Condition
Hidden: The creature or creatures that you are hiding from are unaware of your location.
Clarification:
The terms “you are hiding” and “you are hidden” or “you have the Hidden condition” are synonymous.
Being “stealthy” is trying to remain undetected which is the same as trying to hide.
You are hidden if the creature you are hiding from is unable to determine your location by sight, hearing, smell or any other sense it possesses.
This is the most common situation. The Creature is trying to determine where you are.
It may be wanting to attack you, but it can’t see or hear you.
An example could be when you are invisible (it can’t see you) and you are being very quiet (it can’t hear you).
Another example would be when you move to a position behind total cover, such as behind a tree or a barrel and try to remain unseen and unheard.
You are hidden if the creature you are hiding from doesn’t notice you.
This is typically when a creature you are trying to sneak up on is currently unaware of your presence. They may be distracted or simply looking the other way. You attempt to both quickly and silently sneak up from behind.
Another example might be if you are attending a royal party and attempt to pick the pocket of a noble. You try to avoid attracting his attention while you get close enough to pick his pocket without being noticed.
A third example would be if you transformed into a small spider and are simply there to gather information while observing from the ceiling in the corner of the room.
You are hidden if the creature you are hiding from can’t distinguish you from others.
In this case they can see you and they may know that you are near and a possible threat, but you are among others and it doesn’t know which one you are.
You may be trying to blend in with the crowd, or you might be attempting to hide while disguised as (or transformed into) a sheep in a flock of sheep.
Benefits to Being Hidden
If you are hidden from all your opponents before the first round of combat you will surprise them and get a free round to attack them before they can react. (You are no longer hidden after you attack.)
On all targeted attacks against you, the attacker must first identify where he thinks you are located. The attack will automatically miss if you are not in that 5 foot area. The attack is made with disadvantage, even if you are not in the targeted area, and the DM simply tells the attacker if his attack missed.
If you are hidden you make attacks with advantage if you can see the target. However, you will no longer be hidden if the attack hits or misses.
When can you hide?
During combat, hiding is an action.
In combat or not, you can’t hide from a creature that can perceive your location.
Clarification:
The DM determines when conditions are right for making a hide check, including in the following examples.
You can attempt to hide from one or more creatures if they do not currently see you clearly or perceive your location by any special senses they might have such as darkvision, blindsight, tremorsense, or truesight.
Another situation where you can attempt to hide is when the creature you are trying to hide from is distracted or looking away from your location.
How do you hide?
You make a Hide check [a Dexterity (Stealth) check].
Make a note of the results of that check to be used later.
Unless you indicate one or more specific creatures that you are attempting to hide from, it will be assumed that you are attempting to hide from your foes and not from your allies.
When are you no longer hidden?
Until you are discovered or you stop hiding, the hide check you made is contested by the Wisdom (Perception) check of any creature that might notice you or that actively searches for signs of your presence. You are discovered and no longer hidden from creatures that win the contest. The DM may choose to use the creature’s Passive Perception score rather than making a Perception check.
You are no longer hidden from a creature that can hear you if you make noise.
You are no longer hidden from a creature that can hear you if you speak louder than a whisper or cast a spell with a verbal component.
You are no longer hidden if you make an attack of any kind if it hits or misses.
Difference between hidden and invisible
Invisible: Being invisible means you can’t be seen by normal sight or darkvision but creatures might still locate you by sounds you make, tracks you leave, your smell, the way the air or plants move around you, or some other way. Hidden: If a creature can’t perceive your location by seeing you, or by any special senses, you can attempt to hide from it. So if a creature is dependent on sight alone to perceive your location, you can attempt to hide from it if you are invisible.
Clarification:
If you are invisible and hidden, when a creature locates you, you will no longer be hidden from it but you will still be invisible.
If a creature can’t be detected by using any of your senses then you can only guess at its location.
If you can notice some clue as to its location you must succeed in a Perception check to locate it.
You can make this check with advantage if you use the Search action.
If it has attempted to hide, your Perception check will be against its hide check.
Advantage and Disadvantage
Here is a summary of situations where your character might have advantage or disadvantage based on hidden or invisible conditions.
Attacks you make against a creature you can’t see are made with disadvantage.
If you are hidden or invisible, attacks you make against a creature you can see are made with advantage.
If you attack a creature that is hidden from you, you must guess at its location (identify the square you think it is in) before you make the attack and the attack is made with disadvantage. The DM will tell you if the attack hit or missed. If it missed you will not know if the creature was in that square or not.
If you attack a creature that is invisible but not hidden, you may first make a perception check to see if you can notice some indication of where it is located. If you determine the creature’s location, your attack is made with disadvantage. Failing the perception check, proceed as you would if it were hidden.
Handling Total Cover
Have you ever had a player that wanted to stay behind total cover during combat and just step out and fire his arrow on his turn and then step back? I don’t like this. It doesn’t make for cinematic, or heroic combat. Here are a couple of house rules I have implemented to address this and other similar situations.
If you are behind total cover and hidden, if you move out from behind that cover, you are no longer hidden to creatures who can see you. However, the first attack you make the round you come out from cover is made with advantage.
This is to reward you for being stealthy.
If you are behind total cover but are not hidden and cannot see your target, if you move out from behind total cover and attack, the first attack you make that round is made with disadvantage.
This is because you will have to locate your target visually and do not have time to take careful aim.
If, during your turn, you move from an exposed location to a location behind total cover, one creature that can see you can take a reaction to make an attack with disadvantage against you with a ranged weapon it is holding.
This assumes of course that the attacker hasn’t used its reaction this round and meets any other requirements for making the attack. For example, if it has a longbow in hand, it must have the other hand free and access to an arrow it can draw and fire.
The attack will necessarily be rushed. That is why it is made with disadvantage.
The attack is made when you are in the last exposed 5 foot space that the creature can see before you enter total cover.
The limit of one creature taking the reaction is imposed to prevent a deluge of arrow attacks against a character seeking refuge.
Remember that you can now only attempt to hide this round by taking the hide action. If you have already taken an action (to attack for example) you might not have another action available.
If, during combat, you move from an exposed location to a location behind total cover it is assumed that your opponents are taking note of where you are hiding. Therefore, if you then take the hide action, unless you move at least 15 feet while remaining behind total cover before moving out into the open, the Wisdom (Perception) check of any creature that might notice you is made with advantage.
Note that this will typically mean that they will have advantage on noticing when you re-appear if you have stepped behind a tree or barrel for example and can’t move 15 feet or more before leaving an area of total cover.
If they succeed in their perception check, you are not hidden from them so your first attack after revealing yourself is made with disadvantage instead of with advantage (refer to the Advantage Disadvantage section above).
Dungeon Master Assistance 