English Version 2.0 (July 2023)
Our rules are split into 3 parts - Basic, Auxillary Tables and Advanced. You are now reading part III, Advanced Rules, mainly explaining the details of how OPK works and adjudicating problematic, but rare cases that may happen during play or between games. Here you can return to Tutaj możesz wrócić do Basic Rules.
If you have any questions or require any rules clarified, we invite you to our Discord Server (https://discord.com/invite/BWYKVxk) and point you towards the channel #rules-opk.
Introduction. Creating the Rules
2.1. Which adventures can be played in OPK?
2.2. What are the exact rules we use during play?
2.3. Difficulty level of adventures and Dungeon Master’s adjustments
2.4. Minimum requirements to play an adventure
2.6. Permanent effects resulting from spells cast before an adventure
2.7. Downtime activities during adventures
3.1. Distributing ACP, DT and Money
3.3. Special rules for magic items
3.7. Swapping and adding items to adventures
4. Character death, recovering bodies and resurrection
5. Character development between adventures
6.1. How to become a Dungeon Master?
6.2. Rights and privileges of a Dungeon Master
7. Transition rules: season 1 and beginning of season 2
This part of the rules contain detailed concepts that are not required to participate in OPK games. Here we adjudicate cases that are rare or insignificant during normal course of play and explain the origin of some of the rules. This also includes rules important for the Dungeon Masters - they are worth reading if you would like more insight into their decision-making or plan to join as a Dungeon Master.
Basic Rules of OPK are based on rules of Adventurer’s League (AL): a worldwide Dungeons and Dragons association for organized play. However, years of experience have shown that stubbornly clinging to AL rules is not satisfactory to the players, so new rules were created and our organization changed name from AL: Kraków to NielegAL, and then OPK. In the summer of 2022, to start fresh after the pandemic, we did another revision of the rules and The Great Reset, marking the beginning of OPK season two (we have no plans for a third) and after a few months of testing, in the spring of 2023, the current version was created - we hope it is close to being final.
All rules modifications are proposed by Dungeon Masters and voted on democratically. Usually, voting on a new rule or modification takes two weeks, though it can be ended early if it has an absolute majority of DM votes after a week. Introducing a new rule requires a majority vote, so a multiple choice votes can have a second voting round with the two most popular options. We value stability of the rules (and sticking close to the base DnD rules), so if a new rules idea does not improve the player experience significantly we are unlikely to introduce it.
We are often asked about the choice of sourcebooks for character creation. Due to voting, there is a number of exceptions, but the general rule is to allow sourcebooks and options that relate to the world of Toril, particularly Faerun, or are at the very least not directly at odds with them. After all, this is where the majority of adventures happen. Therefore, creatures and concepts that appear in e.g. Eberron or Strixhaven do not fit OPK games. We also consider the fact that “setting specific” sourcebooks are written more poorly and with less attention to mechanical and story cohesion than “generic” sourcebooks, the latter being allowed in OPK.
During OPK adventures you may sometimes encounter characters that violate one or more basic rules of character creation. This is likely a Dungeon Master’s character, who ran many games in OPK and by doing so earned the priviledge of creating a non-standard character. Nonetheless, we try to make them an exception, rather than rule (and avoid giving Dungeon Masters a mechanical advantage).
Oftentimes the standard descriptions of races, classes, spells and items are insufficient to express a particular character concept that we wish to play. Therefore, we allow the rule generally known as “Flavor is free”, often followed by “Free of cost, free of consequence”. What does that mean?
The character’s physical appearance, their faith, the appearance of their spells, weapons and armor and other small details like that are fully under the player’s control, with the following rules:
They do not alter the mechanical properties and usage of the character aspects mentioned above.
They do not contrast with the general atmosphere of the world of Faerun/Forgotten Realms.
The player wishing to introduce such changes should take care not to cause other players’ discomfort.
Examples of good use of the Flavor is Free rule:
The tiefling race has a number of particular features (like darkvision or fire resistance). This cannot be altered when choosing this race. But the extent to which the character’s fiendish heritage is visible is entirely up to the player: they can seem almost like a regular human or half-orc, have a few ‘fiendish’ traits such as forked tongue or oddly-coloured eyes, or can be Hell incarnate - horns, tail, hooves, sharp teeth. A dwarf character can be described as very short and small, to the point they can be mistaken for a gnome or a halfling, but it does not cause them to be “small” for the purposes of game mechanics (e.g. they cannot ride a mastiff).
A cleric gains power from and answers to a deity. As an example, a character worshipping the Faerunian god Oghma (or other Faerunian gods, the list can be found in the PHB) is an excellent fit for OPK. Worshipping gods from Earth’s mythologies or from another fantastical realm (e.g. Athena, Thor, Paladine or Ehlonna) is less fitting, but still acceptable. You can even come up with your own deities (as long as it fits thematically to the world): after all, Toril is a massive world and deities popular in one small town can be completely unknown (or known under a different name) a hundred miles away. A character with levels in the cleric class may not even be a cleric: the deity chose a person outside of the clergy to carry out their will, so long as the character’s behaviour matches the religion’s beliefs. For example, a cleric of Tymora may be a wandering gambler who offers up his fate to her. The blessings of Torm may be bestowed upon a private investigator known for seeking justice. Furthermore, the divine gifts do not have to match the typical deity’s domain: a cleric of Torm can channel the powers of the Trickery Domain, and a cleric of Tymora can specialize in the War Domain. Nonetheless, story cohesion should be maintained - the cleric draws power from a supernatural being and should not openly stand against them and their edicts.
Going further, other classes can be flavorfully interpreted in a way that is far from the stereotype: a hedge witch whose horrid cackling distracts their enemies can be a Bard of the College of Lore, using their Cutting Words ability in that way. A goblin shaman covered in furs with mysterious carvings is not necessarily a Druid - they can be a Wizard who wears their spellbook in this way.
A shield gives the mechanical benefit of +2 to AC, takes one hand to use and is donned/doffed using one action. The player may decide if it’s a small buckler, a massive tower shield, even a parrying dagger or an improvised barrier. A maul wielded by a pirate Barbarian can be described as an anchor, and the sword of a Samurai Fighter can be a katana, as long as they do not change the weapon’s damage dice and damage type (and is clearly a weapon). A Paladin swearing the Oath of The Ancients can highlight it by describing their armor as completely green.
The warlock spell Eldritch Blast can manifest simply as a stream of energy hitting the target, but can also be a Cthulhu tentacle shooting out of the caster’s ear (Great Old One Warlock), hellfire briefly engulfing the target (Fiend Warlock), a flying fist made of water (Marid Genie Warlock), an ancient bandage rapidly unfurling and slapping the enemy (Undead/Undying Warlock whose patron is a powerful mummy lord) etc. Regardless, none of these descriptions change the fact that the spell requires an attack roll to hit and deals force damage, with the amount determined by Eldritch Blast’s rules.
Examples of incorrect use of the Flavor is Free rule:
In a world where interventions of supernatural beings are public and obvious to anyone, an atheist or worshipper of absurd deities, such as the cleric of Clinker Brick, Flying Spaghetti Monster or Terry Prachett’s Goddess of Things That Get Stuck in Drawers, would be treated as out of their mind - such concepts should be avoided as they do not fit Faerun. We also discourage from playing characters that belong to real-world religions (or parodies of them) because of the potential discomfort of other players.
Racist elf, who collects dwarven beards as trophies and insults dwarves at every opportunit is not a good fit for OPK games. Such character can be offensive to other player characters (like dwarves) that can join the adventure. This could cause party conflict (why would someone go on adventures with such a simpleton?) or force other characters to roleplay against their concept (a dwarf would either have to consider such elf an enemy, or swallow their pride and be forced into roleplaying a coward instead of a proud adventurer). This does not contribute positively to the fun at the table and is not welcome. Of course, a character can have their prejudices - flaws are an interesting aspect of a character - but roleplaying those flaws should be done in moderation (a good example would be Legolas and Gimli from Lord of the Rings). The best thing to do is ask and make sure that other players and the DM are okay with this.
Just because your shield is very small, it doesn’t allow you to hold a weapon in that hand, use it to reload a hand crossbow or cast spells (without other rules allowing it) or throw it away without spending an action. Just because your goliath is very tall, doesn’t allow them to treat their sword’s reach as 10 ft if they lean in. Just because your rapier is flavored as a rolling pin (even if the DM allows it) doesn’t mean the damage type of the weapon changes to bludgeoning. Just because your DM allowed your familiar to have the statblock of an owl, but look like a pidgeon, doesn’t mean they will let them seamlessly blend in with the city’s pidgeons and tail a suspicious NPC that way. Just because a druid describes their newly-bought half-plate as made of wood, leather and magic energy, doesn’t cause the half-plate to cease being metal. In summary, changes to the character’s flavor will never give mechanical benefits.
If you have any doubts, we recommend consulting your character “flavoring” ideas with other players and DM to find a satisfying solution.
The list of adventures permitted to be played in OPK can be found in a separate document, Katalog Przygód (Content Catalogue) - we do not recommend players to peek inside due to potential spoilers. Most of them are official adventures, acknowledged by DnD publishers as official scenarios for Adventurer’s League, but there are other documents accepted by OPK Dungeon Masters after thorough testing and elaboration.
Most well-known official campaigns published by creators of DnD 5e (called ‘hardcovers’, like Curse of Strahd and Descent into Avernus) are generally not played in OPK, because we focus on short adventures that can be finished in one evening. We do plan on introducing pieces of them into OPK in the future.
The Content Catalogue contains modifications to adventure that adjust them for OPK play. Each DM should verify before playing if the selected adventure has any modifications.
Many OPK rules written in this document may seem contrary to the base DnD rules. For example the list of downtime activities is completely different from sourcebooks, splitting adventure rewards is up to the DM and not the players, you may not throw away or sell a magic item, etc. It is worth noting, however, that almost all of these rules apply between games and ensure that characters participating in an adventure will not grossly imbalance it. With those extra rules we try to balance between allowing players various options for developing their characters and ensuring players who are not interested in “bookkeeping” between games are not useless in comparison to those that use these options.
This is all meaningless during games, however, where we try to stick as close to the original rules as the creators intended. Why? First, each game has different participants and explaining each rule we’ve changed would be a waste of time. But more importantly, we believe that before you try to change rules, you should know what the rules are and the interactions between them.
The main thing to keep in mind was written into the Basic Rules: every rule of DnD can be changed or rejected by the DM (as written in the DMG), if they think it will make the game more interesting and enjoyable to the players. But for the reasons stated previously, our DMs try not to abuse this privilege. Players can expect that for the most part, the rules of the game will be as written in the PHB and other sourcebooks of DnD 5e. Whenever there is doubt, the DMs support themself with the DMG. We generally avoid using optional rules (variant: encumbrance, flanking etc.), because they are usually not well refined. Optional rules in use are:
To explain edge cases we use the Sage Advice Compendium - a list of questions and answers to the game rules available at the DnD publisher’s website.
The rules mentioned above, without interpretation, addition or “common sense assumptions” (definitely without any natural laws of our world) are the basis of RAW, meaning Rules As Written, and we try to adhere to these rules in every game. Everything that is explicitly allowed by these rules is allowed in our games. Everything that is explicitly forbidden by these rules is forbidden in our games. But what of the cases “in between”?
Often used (but less binding for DMs than RAW) expansion to the rules is RAI - Rules As Intended, which adds interpretation of what the authors of the rules intended to achieve. The basis of such interpretation are tweets and other claims by Jeremy Crawford, lead designer of DnD 5e. Moreover, sometimes the author’s intent can be interpreted by comparison with other rules or looking at the norms of the genre as a whole.
Other cases (in practice even the cases that can be explained by RAI) are up to the DM’s interpretation and adjudication (known as DM fiat).
We want to highlight that DM fiat also includes cases that are commonly confused with RAW, better explained by the acronym TRDSIC - The Rules Don’t Say I Can’t. If the rules do not clearly explain what happens in a particular situation and do not explicitly confirm or deny a possibility, then the DM decides what happens. There is an infinite amount of possibilities and a finite number of rules. Therefore, not everything that isn’t forbidden is permitted. Just because the rules don’t say that your character can’t fire lasers from their eyes, instantly vaporizing every enemy, doesn’t mean they can (and no DM would allow it). Conversely, the rules don’t have a chapter about character’s blood circulation to assume that it happens and the characters do not die moments after the adventure starts. The natural laws of our world are not necessarily the laws of the game world and trying to draw any conclusions from them (be it biological, physical, economical and other) is pointless. (Un)fortunately, in all such cases we are reliant on the DM’s common sense.
Finally, the primary rule and goal of our games is for everyone to have fun at the table. Even the RAW have gaps that can be abused. Even worse, using such gaps in the rules can be miserable for some of the players at the table. A good example for this are Bag of Holding bombs that can be mass-produced by an artificer (if you don’t know - you shouldn’t). Using this (and other) RAW abilities can trivialize a lot of encounters, making them dull. Therefore, even if you 100% adhere to the RAW, do not be surprised if the DM asks you not to do something for the sake of fun at the table. It is not malice, or “DM versus players” mentality, but merely the fact that the DM cares about fun for everyone at the table.
The DMs usually know the rules better than the players (and sometimes follow adventure’s guidelines that instructs them to alter these rules), but they’re not infallible. It is fine to ask for rules clarification during play, if the player suspects the DM is making a mistake. In particular, the DM focuses on general rules - if a character is resistant to poison or has active abilities, it is on the player to know when and how to use them: the DM may not remember. Similarly, a player (particularly an experienced one) is expected to know the spells they cast and their RAW/RAI interpretation (though the DM will adjudicate edge cases). Besides, even if the DM is not budging on their interpretation of the rules while the player thinks otherwise, all discussion on the topic should be done after the game. Even if the DM is wrong, they do not do this out of malice, and arguing during games is simply wasting time.
We caution against trying to “surprise” DMs and fellow players with an uncommon or absurd rule interpretation (even if it is fully within RAW) during games. A surprised DM, if they haven’t heard of that interpretation of rules, will have to adjudicate it on the spot based on their gut feeling in order to not waste game time. The end result may not be what the player intended (even if they’re right). It is better to inform and discuss with the DM such uncommon rules before game starts. If the idea follows the rules and adds to the gameplay, the DM may even cooperate with the player.
Usually the adventures suggest how to modify them depending on the number of players and the average character level. For example, a T1 adventure can be played by 6 characters with levels: 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3. The same adventure played by 3 characters with levels 2, 1, 1 can have completely different encounters. However, the final decision about the difficulty level is done by the DM, who can take into account: the specifics of the adventure, player experience, how well optimized the characters are. Of course, the DM should not aim to opress the players and characters, but to provide a challenge that is satisfying to overcome.
The DM has a lot of freedom to modify adventure details, so long as the main goal and obstacles on the way to it remain unchanged. If the DM wants to modify the difficulty of particular encounters in an adventure, it is recommended to use statblocks provided by that adventure (two reasons: avoid unforeseen consequences and allow the players to accurately gauge the monster abilities and threat level). Minor adjustments, such as changing the number of enemies, slightly altering spell selection, adjusting tactics or max HP total are allowed (some adventures even recommend it). Modifying the scenery is also acceptable. We caution against major adjustments, such as replacing an enemy in combat with a different one (if necessary, it is best to discuss with fellow DMs). Under no circumstances should a DM introduce entirely homebrew enemies, items, or majorly adjust the statblocks given by the adventure! Remember, OPK is supposed to teach playing DnD and any monster encountered on an adventure should not be too different from the official version.
The minimum amount of people required to run an OPK game is three players + the DM. In extreme circumstances (e.g. third player dropping on very short notice) the game can be played by two players.
To allow players the option to either advance through levels quickly, or to play more games in a certain tier, the characters can develop at a different rate. The rate of development must be declared to the table before the results of the game are recorded (in particular, before permanent magic items are distributed) and adjust the adventure rewards accordingly.
a) Standard Rate: Full ACP and related rewards. Can obtain permanent magic items.
b) Half Rate: ACP, gold and DT earned from the adventure is halved (rounding down if required). Cannot obtain permanent magic items.
c) Zero Rate: No ACP, gold and DT from the adventure. Cannot obtain permanent magic items.
Please note! The intention of the above rule was to make it possible to complete the storyline with one character, which would be impossible under the standard rules due to promotion to a higher Level of play. Please do not abuse this option, especially for the purpose of “hunting for perfect magics” or keeping a character at one of the highest levels of a given Tier and showing off its power (which in the long run would reduce the enjoyment of the game for other participants).
Some spells cast on a session can have long-lasting consequences for the player character, potentially extending to future games. As written in Basic Rules: “Before the adventure starts, the player who wishes to use such effects should prepare a list of all continuous effects on the player character with all their variables (e.g. the trigger of Contingency spell, statblock and sourcebook of a bound creature, the effects of a Wish). The DM has the right to verify this list before adventure and disable such effects for the duration of the adventure they’re running. Continuous effects not declared before adventure start cannot be used for that adventure. With the DM’s permission, the character may cast a spell (like Find Familiar) before the adventure begins, keeping in mind the spell’s cost.”
This approach may seem like it relies too much on the DMs whim. Unfortunately, it has to be this way. A lot of adventures were not built to handle characters bringing in swarms of powerful beings magically bound into service, or the players having resistance to all damage from repeated casting of Wish. Tracking what happened in previous games is also problematic. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that every DM will have the same approach - some may allow bringing in a lot of effects from previous games, some very little.
As a rule of thumb, magically summoned familiars and mounts, so long as they do not die, can be carried over to the next adventure (if declared beforehand). As for other effects - it is best to ask (for example on our Discord, in the channel #zasady-opk, where DMs can voice their preferences).
If the adventure includes long periods of downtime (like a 3-day travel by boat) then the characters may spend DT on activities permitted by the DM, but the DT must be deducted from the character’s total at the end of the adventure.
The DM hands out ACP and DT for the adventure in the following way:
a) If the adventure has a system for giving ACP for Story Objectives and Bonus Objectives (e.g. adventures of season 8-9), then ACP is gained as described by the adventure.
b) If the adventure has no such system, 1 ACP is gained per 1 hour of predicted game length. If the estimated game time of the adventure is 4 hours, the characters can gain 4 ACP from it. To gain the maximum number of ACP for that adventure, the characters must reach the end and fulfill the adventure’s goal.
The DM has the final say how much ACP (and what other rewards) a character receives. For example, if a character dies in the middle of an adventure or doesn’t participate for some reason, the DM can award them less than other characters (or give no rewards whatsoever).
Additionally, for every ACP a character earns they receive 2,5 DT.
Gold is earned according to adventure’s guidelines and divided evenly between players at the end of a game or adventure. This concerns adventures written in line with the rules of seasons 1-7.
In case of adventures where gold and other treasures with gold value do not appear (like adventures written in line with the rules of season 8), the DM should place treasures in sensible locations, according to the table below. This also applies to adventures that describe gold rewards based on tables other than the one below (e.g., Season 10+). The given value is the average gold a character can earn for every hour of adventure game time. In other words, in a regular adventure, where the players fulfill their goals but did not go “above and beyond”, they should receive compensation equal to the amount in the table, adjusted for tier and game time. For example, each character participating in a 4 hour tier 1 adventure should receive 160 GP (40 GP x 4 hours). If characters avoid or miss spots where the rewards could be found, or do not accomplish all their goals, the gold amount received can be reduced to a minimum of 20% of the average. If the characters accomplished much more than they were expected to, the gold reward can be raised, but the cap is 150% of the average.
| Tier | Gold |
|---|---|
| 1 | 40 GP |
| 2 | 175 GP |
| 3 | 450 GP |
| 4 | 4500 GP |
During adventures, the characters can find one or more magic items. In such cases, except when clearly indicated otherwise by the adventure, one of the characters may keep the magic item permanently. To determine who, the DM should, after the adventure concludes, go through the below list of question for eazch item separately. Common magic items do not count against the number of permanent magic items and distributing them does not take into account that number.
Does anyone wish to keep the magic item? If not, no one keeps the item.
Is there more than one character who wishes to keep the magic item? If not, that character keeps the item.
Is there more than one character who is able to use the magic item (they are proficient, satisfy class or spellcasting requirements etc.) and wish to keep it?
a) If not, the only character who is able to use the magic item keeps it.
b) If more than one willing character is able to use the magic item, the character with the least amount of permanent magic items of uncommon or higher rarity keeps the item. In case there is a tie, a fair draw determines who keeps the item - typically by rolling a d20 and comparing results until a winner emerges.
c) If no one is able to use the magic item, the character with the least amount of permanent magic items of uncommon or higher rarity keeps the item. In case there is a tie, a fair draw determines who keeps the item - typically by rolling a d20 and comparing results until a winner emerges.
Keeping common magic items, non-magic items included in the rewards list (not meant for sale), consumables like potions and spell scrolls, does not increase the permanent magic item count and is not affected by Rate of Development. If the item has limitations to its use (like a spell scroll with a Cleric spell) use the above method to determine who can keep it.
Sometimes, an adventure can give the players a choice: keep a non-magic item or sell it for gold and split it between characters. If the first option is taken, the character receiving the non-magic item counts its value as their part of the gold share, meaning they get proportionally less gold than other characters.
An example of magic item distribution:
A 6-player party (Cleric, Wizard, Sorcerer, Fighter, Druid and Rogue) just finished a 4h tier 2 adventure and found a magic Longsword. Cleric, Wizard and Rogue were not interested in the item. Sorcerer, Fighter and Druid were interested. However, the Druid was not proficient with longswords. Fighter was proficient (as they are proficient in all martial weapons, and so was the Sorcerer due being a High Elf. Because the Sorcerer had 3 permanent magic items, and the Fighter had just 1, the Fighter kept the sword.
On the same adventure, the party found a magic Heavy Armor. The Fighter was the only one who wished to keep it, so they did. A spell scroll of Bless was found as well. Both Wizard and Cleric were interested, but the Cleric had priority because Bless appears on the Cleric’s spell list but not on the Wizard’s.
If a magic item is destroyed (e.g. a Gem of Brightness ceases to be magical after expending all charges) it ceases to count against the number of permanent magic items. However, if destroying a magic item is possible, but requires casting spells between adventures (like a Wand of Magic Missile), it is not possible to destroy it like that. With explicit DM permission, they may allow doing it before an adventure (often, like in the case of the Wand of Magic Missile, it would be required to spend DT equal to the number of rolls made to destroy the item).
Each player character has a limit to how many magic items they can attune to. This limit is shared between all player-controlled characters. If a character’s attunement limit is 3, it is not possible for the character to attune to 2 items, their familiar to attune to 1 and their mount to attune to 1 as well, as it would result in 4 attuned items.
Items that give permanent bonuses (e.g. Tome of Understanding, Manual of Golems) can only be used once. Additionally, items that give permanent benefits count against the number of permanent matgic items, even if using them destroys the item. Such benefit can be discarded (unless it conflicts with other mechanical aspects of the character, like a multiclass made possible by boosting the ability score), the item then creases to count against the number of permanent magic items. Such discarded benefit cannot be regained.
Ascendant items (Hoard Items from Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons) are not subject to the degradation described in Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons.
A comprehensive list of magical items permitted in OPK (i.e., no magical item outside of this list is legal in OPK) can be found here.
Adventures may reward characters participating in them with one of the Blessings or Epic Boons described in Chapter 7, section “Other Rewards” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014). Due to the specific nature of this reward, it is governed by the following special rules:
Each Blessing and Epic Boon obtained should be treated as a magic item for the purposes of calculating the number of magic items a character possesses.
For the purposes of adding adventures to the Adventure Catalog, Blessings are treated as very rare magical items, and Epic Gifts as legendary magical items.
When awarding a Blessing or Epic Gift, the rules specified in the adventure apply, with the proviso that if the adventure provides for the blessing to be assigned to only one character without specifying which one, the rules specified in the Advanced Rules - section 3.2. Assigning Items apply.
A character may have more than one Blessing, but only one of the Blessings, chosen by the player before the session begins, has a mechanical effect during the adventure.
A character may have more than one Epic Gift, but only one of the Epic Gifts, chosen by the player before the session begins, has a mechanical effect during the adventure. Furthermore, gifts are subject to the rules in the DMG (2014) and only take effect once the character reaches level 20.
Both Epic Gifts and Blessings can be discarded between sessions so that they no longer count towards the total number of magical items possessed by the character. An Epic Gift/Blessing discarded in this way is permanently lost by the character (unless they obtain a new instance of it in a separate adventure).
Adventures from the WBW-DC series provide characters with the opportunity to obtain powerful boons, bonuses, or magical items in addition to standard rewards. Rewards provided by the adventure as part of the so-called “Pact gifts” (in particular magical items) cannot go beyond the scope of the adventure in which they are described. For example, if the adventure provides for the creation of a pact at the beginning, characters can enter into it and enjoy its benefits until the end of the adventure, but they cannot keep the gifts they receive (including magical items). All other changes in the allocation of magical items and rewards are subject to the general rules.
If there is a possibility of gaining an additional option to summon a familiar with the Find Familiar spell, which allows you to summon a familiar with a stat block different from the stat blocks of the creatures listed in the spell, the DM is required to submit an entry to the CC describing the familiar’s abilities for a vote. Without such an entry, this option is not available.
If a familiar obtained in an adventure is significantly more powerful mechanically than the familiars available in the spell, we suggest that this familiar option be available to the character until the familiar “dies” (i.e., until it first drops to 0 HP or its body is otherwise destroyed).
Some CCC adventures (written by independent authors) suffer from inadequate rewards due to restrictions imposed by Adventurer’s League organizers, effectively forcing them to offer rewards of a rarity lower than the norm for the tier.
If an adventure beginning with the code CCC does not offer a permanent magic item of an appropriate rarity (T1-uncommon, T2-rare, T3-very rare, T4-legendary) as a reward, or has an item that is not legal in OPK (a list of those items can be found in Katalog Przygód), the DM can substitute the reward with a tier-appropriate one. The DM should ensure that the exchange makes sense thematically, can suggest or randomize the item, but is not limited by the item’s type (unless it is necessary for the plot of the adventure). To make the exchange, the DM should announce the need for it, have other DMs agree to it and then record the exchange in Katalog Przygód, to ensure future DMs follow it when running the same adventure.
To increase the enjoyment of players, we introduced a way to resurrect a character even if their body was not retrieved from the place of death and brought to a cleric during the game that they died in.
If the same adventure the character died in is played again, their body can be retrieved. To do so, the party that takes part in the adventure must successfully finish it (complete the adventure’s main goal). If they fail, the character is permanently dead and can no longer participate in OPK games. If they succeed, the character is in the same state they would be if their body was retrieved during their adventure. There is no restrictions on the DM and players participating in such adventure, but the attempt can be made only once.
Remember, a dead character’s resources including equipment (with the exception of elements required for a resurrection) are unavailable until the character is alive again.
A character affected by the lycanthropy curse cannot begin an adventure in OPK games. During the adventure in which such a curse was acquired, or between adventures, a Remove Curse spell must be cast on the character under the influence of such a curse, either by another player character or by paying for the spellcasting service.
Space reserved for complimentary rules, although it doesn’t seem like they’ll be required.
An OPK Dungeon Master (DM) is a person who has ran at least one OPK game in the past half year. In other words, one becomes a DM by running an OPK game, and ceases to be a DM after half a year of not running. Of course, a DM can be reinstated by running an OPK game.
To become a Dungeon Master, you should announce that intention to other Dungeon Masters if you are prepared to run a game in the nearest future. If required, the DM can assist the candidate in choosing the adventure to run. One seat at the table should be reserved for an experienced OPK DM who can assist the new Dungeon Master with running the game and advise on the rules of DnD and OPK (this requirement can be waived, if the Dungeon Master returns to OPK after a period of inactivity).
If the game is announced, a new DM should reach out to the coordinators and moderators of our Discord Server to access our full DM resources.
Aside from running OPK games, the Dungeon Master has two privileges:
They may propose changes to the OPK rules and changes to Katalog Przygód, as well as participate in discussion and voting on such changes.
They may receive Dungeon Master’s Rewards, gained through running games. Some of them aim to compensate the DMs for running games over playing in them and allow their characters to receive rewards, similar to what they would gain if they played a regular OPK game. There are also special DM awards that are rewards for running games in a satisfying manner (variety of games, encouraging new players, games connected by a story arc, running games consistently). Dungeon Master’s Rewards are contained in a separate file.
Would you like to reserve a room for an OPK session?
Write to the R’lyeh Cafe fan page (fb/rlyehcafe) - what date are you interested in and what times are you planning to play? This is particularly important for the venue on weekends, when they are open from the morning and often operate two “shifts” - morning and afternoon for RPG rooms.
R’lyeh Cafe opening hours:
Monday: 5:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m.
Tuesday–Friday: 5:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m.–12:00 a.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.
On Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, one room is reserved for OPK and has a standing reservation. If the room is available on those days (check the portal), please write to R’lyeh to let us know that you are taking it and reserve a table on the portal (the table has already been created, you just need to take it and let us know).
On any other day (or if the OPK room is already occupied), simply write that you need a table for a specific date and time. The staff at R’lyeh try to respond within 24 hours, but keep in mind that they are not always on Facebook – sometimes they are playing RPGs or taking care of things at the venue.
Here you will find all the details regarding the booking rules:
https://rlyehcafe.pl/rezerwacje/rezerwacje-salek-rpg/
First of all, familiarize yourself with the suggested amounts that players should spend – this will help you adjust your playing hours. Also, check how room reservations work on weekend mornings, as you will find additional information about breakfasts there.
Only RPGs can be played in the rooms. However, if you change your plans and prefer to play a board game instead of an RPG session, be sure to inform R’lyeh. Sometimes, customers spontaneously decide to play an RPG – in such cases, the staff tries to move them to a free room so that they have comfortable conditions for playing. You know how important it is to have peace and quiet during a session.
Whatever happened in Cracow’s AL, NielegAL or OPK before 1st of August 2022 is considered ‘season 1’ of OPK and is not relevant to the games of season 2. In particular, the characters that were created back then and adventures they participated in do not influence current games. Of course, it is possible to create these characters from scratch in our new system.
On 1st of June 2023, during season 2 of OPK, a large rules patch and clarifications was introduced. In particular - rules version 2.0 came into effect. OPK player characters who participated in their first game after that date are not subject to previous rules. For characters that were created before that date, a few adjustments are required.
It was therefore decided, that:
Bodies of characters who died in season 2 can be retrieved as described in chapter 4 of Advanced Rules.
If a character played their first tier 2 adventure before 1st of June 2023 and, according to the rules back then, received a free magic item that is not a consumable, they must give it back. In exchange, if the player considers that magic item to be a key element of the character’s concept, they are entitled to a single, free character rebuild (before playing their next game).
If a character received a free consumable magic item, they may keep it if it wasn’t consumed.