Hyrulean Guidelines
All content within this compendium can be used interchangeably with the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In a Hyrulean campaign, consider using the following rules to make your game feel more Zelda-like. Everything within this compendium assumes these rules are used, but their use is entirely optional.
Contents
Magic points
| Spell Level |
Magic Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 2 |
| 2nd | 3 |
| 3rd | 5 |
| 4th | 6 |
| 5th | 7 |
| 6th | 9 |
| 7th | 10 |
| 8th | 11 |
| 9th | 13 |
- See spells.
Spellcasting classes available to player-characters use a version of the Spell Points variant rule described on page 288 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, referred to here as "magic points." Magic points are used primarily to cast spells and they replace spell slots and spell levels in Hyrule. Casting a spell requires the expenditure of a specific number of magic points. The adjacent table lists equivalents if using spell points to cast leveled spells, or if using spell slots to cast point spells.
A player-character's total number of magic points, if any, are determined primarily by their class and their current level in that class. Other effects can increase a character's magic points. Casting spells and sometimes other features requires you to spend some of these magic points. You cannot cast spells or use features which require spending magic points you lack.
Any spent magic points are fully restored after a long rest. Some class features and magic items can restore a limited amount of magic points otherwise.
Point values
Hyrulean spells have levels, but are predominately listed by the number of magic points needed to cast them. For example, a D&D spell of 3rd-level would be listed here as a "5-point" spell.
The most magic points you can expend on a single spell when you cast it is your "magic limit." Your magic limit is determined by your class(es) and level.
High-level spells
Spells which cost 10 magic points or more (7th level spells or higher) are particularly taxing to cast. Normally you can only cast one such spell even if you have magic points to spare, and regain the ability to cast such a powerful spell when you finish a long rest. Some features can let you cast more of these powerful spells between rests.
Overpowering spells
Like normal D&D spells, some Hyrulean spells can be cast "At Higher Levels." To "overpower" a spell, you must spend extra magic points as the spell describes. For example, casting life normally costs 2 magic points. You can improve the amount of heart points it recovers by expending extra magic points when you cast it.
When overpowering a spell, the number of magic points you expend at once still cannot exceed your magic limit.
If you cast a spell from a special feature or a magic item instead of a class, you can only overpower the spell if your class(es) and levels enable it.
Stamina points
- See fighter and opportunist.
Only characters of certain classes gain stamina points. Stamina points are expended mainly to make called shots, for techniques or some other class features, and for a few magic items.
Normally, your stamina points are fully replenished upon completing a short rest.
Spellcasting with stamina points
Any character with stamina points can expend them in place of magic points. Doing so simply requires expending 1 stamina point for every 1 magic point that would need to be expended. Any stamina points used in this way do not replenish until the character completes a long rest.
Called shots
- See combat.
Just before making a weapon attack roll, a player-character can make a called shot either by expending 2 stamina points, or by taking disadvantage on the attack roll. One cannot make a called shot if the attack roll would have disadvantage anyway.
A called shot generally aims for wherever the target is most vulnerable, such as gaps in a warrior's armor, or a monster's eye. This kind of called shot maximizes the damage dice rolled on a hit (e.g., treating 1d8 as simply 8), including any extra dice rolled as part of a critical hit or from other features.
Some creatures in Hyrule have specific weaknesses to called shots made against a part of its body, referred to as a "weak point." Generally, a player-character should be able to identify a weak point fairly easily unless it is specifically concealed. Making a called shot targeting a specific weak point (e.g., "I aim for its tail") induces a particularly debilitating condition or extra damage, as described under the Weak Point trait of a relevant creature.
Wisdom-based group initiative
- See combat.
While Zelda doesn't feature turn-by-turn combat, it often employs a back-and-forth in which the protagonist(s) are looking for their chance to strike. This may be best represented in D&D with Wisdom-based group initiative.
Combat is structured with groups instead of individuals. All player-characters make a Wisdom check for initiative (instead of a Dexterity check), and the median result of these checks is used on behalf of the player-characters' group. The DM makes a similar roll on behalf of the antagonistic group. The higher roll wins the initiative; re-roll ties if they occur. When it is a group's turn, all members of that group can act in any order they choose, or even act simultaneously.
If there are more than two groups in combat, each rolls its initiative separately. In the rare circumstances an individual's allegieance changes mid-battle, it either joins the appropriate initiative in the next round, or rolls a separate initiative for the next round, as appropriate.
To help speed up combat, it is suggested that the DM have initiative scores for monsters rolled in advance.
Quick rest
- See rest.
Hyrule employs a variant of rest like one found on page 267 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.
With quick rest, a long rest requires only 1 hour. You need not sleep for a long rest, but you still must limit yourself to restful activity such as reading or keeping watch.
To gain the benefits of a short rest, you need only rest 5 minutes, but at the end of the rest you must expend one of your Heart Containers (or "Hit Dice"). If you merely rest for 5 minutes without expending Heart Containers, you do not gain any benefits of a short rest. Since NPCs usually don't have Heart Containers, they usually don't benefit from short rests.
This changed rule is closer to Zelda games in which combat is routine and healing is quick. This rule also merges well with magic points, as they subtly encourage spellcasters to burn through their magical reserves more quickly than spell slots would. Quick rest can make combat easier, but a concerned DM can compensate for this by increasing the Challenge Rating of encounters.
Rupees replace coins
- See equipment.
The primary currency in Hyrule is rupees. All items in this compendium have their value listed in rupees. One rupee is equal in value to one silver piece.
Rupees appear as small, uniformly-shaped gems of various bright colors. Different colors of rupees are of proportionally different value. Just as a modern 10-dollar bill is worth 10 dollars, a yellow rupee is worth 10 “rupees.”
Conversions from silver and gold pieces are listed below.
| Green Rupee | 1 r | 1 sp |
| Blue Rupee | 5 r | 5 sp |
| Yellow Rupee | 10 r | 1 gp |
| Red Rupee | 20 r | 2 gp |
| Purple Rupee | 50 r | 5 gp |
| Silver Rupee | 100 r | 10 gp |
| Gold Rupee | 300 r | 30 gp |
*Any item which would cost less than 1 sp effectively has a cost of 1 rupee.
For the sake of simplicity, the DM could elect to use only green rupees (1 sp each) for all transactions.
Heavier armor
- See armor.
If you do not meet the Strength score requirement of the armor you are wearing, you are restricted as though you lack proficiency with that armor. This means you would have disadvantage on any ability check, saving throw, or attack roll that involves Strength or Dexterity. You would also be unable to cast spells.
Difficult climbing and swimming
- See Time and Movement.
Whenever you as a player-character attempt to climb or swim, you must make a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Difficult conditions may encourage your DM to impose a higher DC. Easy circumstances like climbing a ladder can omit the need for this check entirely.
If you start your turn swimming, this check must be made at the start of your turn. Otherwise, you make this check at the first point you attempt to move by climbing or swimming.
On a successful check, you can swim or climb by expending 2 feet of your speed for every 1 foot of progress.
On a failure, you lose 2 stamina points if you have any, and you are incapacitated until the start of your next turn. If you have stamina points remaining after this loss, you can still climb or swim 1 foot by expending 2 feet of your walking speed.
If you have a climb speed or swim speed, you can move the distance of this speed without making any check.
This rule intends to more accurately reflect Zelda games in which climbing or swimming is either difficult or impossible without magic items.
Bonus Die
- See Using Ability Scores.
Some game effects can grant you a "Bonus Die" for certain ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, or damage rolls. For example, the Yogi feat grants you a d4 Bonus Die on saving throws to maintain concentration.
If you have several Bonus Dice which apply to the same roll, they do not combine. Use only the largest Bonus Die that applies.
Ability score maximum
- See Using Ability Scores.
Normally, the maximum score a player-character can have for any ability score is 20. This can be considered the "soft cap."
The Paragon feat, magic items, blessings, and other features can permanently increase a character's ability score maximum above 20. For particularly powerful high-level characters, these effects can combine to push it even higher. For example, a high-level fighter can use the Champion feature to increase her Dexterity score maximum by 2, and also use the Paragon feat to increase her Dexterity score by an additional 2. This fighter would thus have a maximum Dexterity score of 24.
Even in cases of these extremely powerful characters, an ability score can never—ever—be pushed above 30. This can be considered the "hard cap."
Other considerations
What follows are not transformative rule changes, but veteran D&D players may wish to note these differences:
- "Hit points" and "Hit Dice" are instead referred to as "heart points" and "Heart Containers," respectively.
- Hyrulean classes grant extra proficiencies for higher Intelligence scores. This is meant in part to make Intelligence a more useful ability compared to the other five.
- Hyrulean classes are balanced assuming stamina and called shots are used. Consequently, some classes may be much weaker than official classes if these rules are omitted or ignored.
- For a player-character, using a formal "background" is optional. The compendium encourages any player to create their own backstory independent of a background.
- Some weapons are a little different. The blowgun, lance, and whip weapons each have an additional special property unique to each of them. The blowgun and trident are classified as simple weapons instead of martial. Several weapons' costs are adjusted to be more balanced based on each weapon's usefulness.
- Many creature pages have a cost or wage listed. These prices are based on the creature's capabilities, and not the creature's disposition, the market's supply-and-demand, or Hyrulean culture. As with all prices these should be adjudicated by your DM.
- Every creature page has a list of "gear" that can be looted if the creature is defeated. This is meant to replace the Treasure tables from the Dungeon Master's Guide. Over the course of a campaign, this method on average gives a party a larger number of total magic items, but fewer magic items of high rarity.
- For a DM that prefers to use the traditional table method from DMG, this compendium features tables meant to replicate Magic Item Tables A through I found on page 144 of the DMG. On these tables, D&D items are replaced with Zelda items of comparable power level and usefulness.
- Magic items are implied to be more abundant and available than they are in official D&D material. It's assumed player-characters can buy any common or uncommon magic items with relative ease.
- A few magic items are of even greater rarity than "legendary," which are referred to as "epic." This sixth tier of magic item exists primarily to cater to canonical Zelda items with effects too powerful for normal D&D standards, such as the clock.
- Races of Light are suitable races for player-characters, and are meant to replace or augment races found in the Player's Handbook. However, this compendium also includes race traits creatures as bizarre as octoroks and rare as horseheads. These unusual races cannot be used for player-characters under default rules. Unusual races should only be allowed by the DM on an individual basis.
