D&D 5E What are your favorite optional rules?

[jmartkdr2]

Feats and multiclassing are common enough that I sometimes forget they're not supposed to be standard.

Changing the ability score for a skill check is always technically available to the dm, though I find even dms who say they'll use it don't use it often.

 

[aco175]

We still use flanking, but I know it is a point for many. We do not have the big damage feats so it kind of makes up for some.

We do not use massive damage saves, not sure if they came up much. Maybe if a player metagames something like jumping off a 100ft cliff since his PC has 150HP and likely will not die.

 

[Shiroiken]

Feats and Multiclassing are generally assumed in our games, so you could consider them favorites. We just recently had an epic scene with Climbing onto a Bigger Creature in my last session that's currently made it my favorite.

Spoiler: Castle Amber Encounter

The party is running Castle Amber and had to face the undead colossus. For those unfamiliar, its a wizard magic jarred into basically a 100 ft tall flesh golem, carrying his body in a basket on its back. To defeat it, they had to toss magic dust up its nostrils, with a total of 10 attempts (2 per PC). The party had a flying carpet and a flying Summoned Steed to work with, while the colossus was guarded by two dozen winged ghouls.

I figured the party would either: fight the ghouls first or make flyby attempts at the colossus while being harried by the ghouls. Nope! Instead, they hid the barbarian among a bunch of debris on the flying carpet, which they dropped into the basket while flying past. The barbarian shackled, blindfolded, and gagged the body, while the rest of the party flew away, taking the ghouls with them. The barbarian then climbed up the colossus's back and onto his face, where he climbed inside the nostril! The colossus took a couple of swats at him, but failed (I rolled a 1 and a 4). Without any chance of failure, he dumped all of the dust into the colossus's lung, where it immediately collapsed. The ghouls fled with the colossus's collapse, but I expected a fight against the wizard... except he was already neutralized.

Tying skill checks to other attributes based on the situation.

I personally consider this mandatory.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Variant ability scores for skill checks is my go-to. I don't even consider it an optional rule anymore... I think of the set ability score / skill pair is the variant that I'd have to have a very good reason to use (the pandemic game where everyone was using DDB was the only time I've used it because DDB isn't set up for the better way.)

 

[jgsugden]

Playing on a Grid
Multiclassing
Feats
Drink your potion as a bonus
My own ability score generation rule (2d6+4)
When you use an action to become invisibile, you get to make a free stealth check to become hidden
Planar Effects from DMG
Guns from DMG and expanded
Fear and Horror from DMG
My Flanking rules (if you're flanked, there is no advantage, but you provoke from all adjacent if you move at all)
Visions (Low Light, Onfravision, Ultravision)
5 Types of Magic (Arcane, Divine, Nature, Psionic and Supernatural)
Touches (going to a plane or dying forever taints you with the essence of death or the plane - this is used in mechanics - for example, animals shy away from death touched at first)
Planar Designed (I have one Hell Plane and One Heaven plane with regions inside them - a much better design fo my setting)
The Ethereal is a Reflective plane like the Feywild or Shadowfell - and reflects the Far Realms

 

[Quickleaf]

What optional rules do you guys play with? Which ones do you hate?

And on a highly personal note, do you allow for saves vs. death by massive damage?

(Comic related.)

Here's my System Shock rules, which is closest to your personal question...

System Shock represents the body being pushed beyond its limits, and may be called for when:
• Creature fails its saving throw against a rogue’s Sapping Attack (see my Class Document).
• GM might allow a Called Shot (BETTER INSPIRATION) to trigger a system shock roll.
• A resurrected creature’s roll on the DANGEROUS RESURRECTION table indicates system shock.
• Creature is pushed past its maximum exhaustion (EXHAUSTION REVISED).
• Creature recovers from a debilitating magical condition like petrification or being permanently polymorphed, and fails a DC 15 Constitution save.
• Certain weird magic, magic items, traps, or planar effects might require a DC 15 Constitution save against system shock.


d10 Effect
1 Target drops to 0 hit points and begins making death saving throws.
2 Target drops to 0 hit points, but is stable. It regains consciousness (1 hp) in 1d4 hours.
3 Target falls unconscious for 1d10 minutes.
4 Target falls unconscious for 1 minute, but may be revived by another creature taking an action.
5 Target falls unconscious until the end of their next turn.
6 Target is stunned and cannot speak until the end of their next turn.
7 Target is incapacitated and cannot speak until the end of their next turn.
8 Target can’t take reactions or attack and has disadvantage on ability checks until the end of their next turn.
9 Target can't take reactions and has disadvantage on attacks and ability checks until the end of their next turn.
10 Target can't take reactions until the end of their next turn.

 

[LordEntrails]

Diagonal distance (1, 2, 1, 2,,,) I can't stand diagonals always counting as one/5 feet.

 

[Scott Christian]

We really like feats.

 

[Clint_L]

Stunting - players proposing a skill check in order to gain advantage on a roll, facing disadvantage if they fail.

And drinking a potion as a bonus action.