D&D 5E Where are the Dials and Levers?

It was said there would be dials and levers to modify the game to suit your own ends. I thought this would be different than previous editions. Instead this is similar to other editions in that it is a la carte. I assumed this would be more of a series of game modes with certain modes strongly attributed to major rpg play styles. Perhaps this will be in upcoming books that I am unaware of?

This edition is the strongest in relation to house ruling. It has a simple core which allows a wide array of possibilities for creative players and DMs.

Does D&D have enough styles of play for your group to play how you want? Do you even want all those dials and levers? Would you want a different mode of play?

Something that was discussed a while back that relates to this:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?269298-Spaghetti-Sauce

If I want tons of dials and levers I run Fantasy Craft, Hero System, or GURPS. If you want the D&D experience which you can house rule pretty easy 5th edition is where it is at.

Here they are:

Optional Rules and Variants
• Customizing Ability Scores (PHB 13)
• Variant Human Traits (PHB 31)
• Variant Criminal: Spy (PHB 130)
• Variant Guild Artisan: Guild Merchant (PHB 133)
• Variant Noble: Knight (PHB 136)
o Variant Feature: Retainers (PHB 136)
• Variant Sailor: Pirate (PHB 139)
o Variant Feature: Bad Reputation (PHB 139)
• Equipment Sizes (PHB 144)
• Multiclassing (PHB 163)
• Feats (PHB 165)
• Encumbrance (PHB 176)
• Playing on a Grid (PHB 192)
• Renown (DMG 22)
• Planar Traits
o Feywild Magic (DMG 50)
o Shadowfell Despair (DMG 52)
o Blessed Beneficence (DMG 59)
o Pervasive Goodwill (DMG 59)
o Overwhelming Joy (DMG 60)
o Hunter’s Paradise (DMG 60)
o Beast Transformation (DMG 60)
o Power of the Mind (DMG 61)
o Mad Winds (DMG 62)
o Abyssal Corruption (DMG 62)
o Vile Transformation (DMG 63)
o Cruel Hindrance (DMG 63)
o Pervasive Evil (DMG 64)
o Bloodlust (DMG 66)
o Law of Averages (DMG 66)
o Planar Vitality (DMG 67)
• Loyalty (DMG 93)
• Training to Gain Levels (DMG 131)
• More Difficult Identification (DMG 136)
• Mixing Potions (DMG 140)
• Scroll Mishaps (DMG 140)
• Wands That Don’t Recharge (DMG 141)
• Automatic Success (DMG 239)
• Only Players Award Inspiration (DMG 241)
• Flanking (DMG 251)
• Diagonals (DMG 252)
• Facing (DMG 252)
• Proficiency Dice (DMG 263)
• Ability Check Proficiency (DMG 263)
• Background Proficiency (DMG 264)
• Personality Trait Proficiency (DMG 264)
• Hero Points (DMG 264)
• Honor Score (DMG 264)
• Sanity Score (DMG 265)
• Fear and Horror (DMG 266)
• Healer’s Kit Dependency (DMG 266)
• Healing Surges (DMG 266)
• Slow Natural Healing (DMG 266)
• Epic Heroism Rests (DMG 267)
• Gritty Realism Rests (DMG 267)
• Firearms (DMG 267)
• Alien Technology (DMG 268)
• Plot Points (DMG 269)
• Initiative Score (DMG 270)
• Side Initiative (DMG 270)
• Speed Factor (DMG 270)
• Action Options (DMG 271)
• Hitting Cover (DMG 272)
• Cleave Through Creatures (DMG 272)
• Injuries (DMG 272)
• Massive Damage (DMG 273)
• Morale (DMG 273)
• Spell Points (DMG 288)
• Demon Summoning (MM 53)
• Quasit Familiar (MM 63)
• Imp Familiar (MM 69)
• Erinyes Rope of Entanglement (MM 73)
• Dragons as Innate Spellcasters (MM 86)
• Drider Spellcasting (MM 120)
• Drow Magic Armor and Weapons (MM 126)
• Ettercap Web Garrote (MM 131)
• Genie Powers (MM 144)
• Kuo-Toa Monitor (MM 198)
• Nonhuman Lycanthropes (MM 206)
• Mephit Summoning (MM 217)
• Mind-Flayer Arcanist (MM 222)
• Psychic Gray Ooze (MM 240)
• Pseudodragon Familiar (MM 254)
• Quaggoth Thonot (MM 256)
• Satyr Pipes (MM 267)
• Slaad Control Gems (MM 274)
• Poltergeist (MM 279)
• Thri-Kreen Weapons and Psionics (MM 288)
• Troll Loathsome Limbs (MM 291)
• Vampire Warriors and Spellcasters (MM 298)
• Yugoloth Summoning (MM 311)
• Giant Lizard Traits (MM 326)
• Diseased Dire Rats (MM 327)
• Cave Bear (MM 334)
• Familiars (MM 347)

Yeah, we made a few tweaks as we went, namely to combat after the DMG came out, and my two players that were loving the campaign but only "okay" on the system are big fans now. We played Rules As Written first, but we've since added:

Proficiency Dice
Hero Points (with the caveat that a Critical Failure on a Death Save cannot be reversed, but you can spend a Hero Point INSTEAD of rolling to guarantee a success)
Revised Critical Hits (we used a Critical hit table I found online, plus we double damage AFTER modifiers, not before)
Massive Damage
Morale
and more tactical combat options (like Flanking...my players love to take advantage of that sort of thing).

The two big dials that I have twirled:

Spell points from the DMG.
Speed Factor initiative variant loosely based on the DMG.

In essence, I have everybody declare actions in order of Int, then resolve actions simultaneously. We only roll initiative when it matters, e.g. to see if the allosaur bit the wizard before the monk sank the dagger in its eye.

And yeah, I use feats, multiclassing and variant humans, too, but I don't consider those "dials and levers" in the same way.

Remathilis said:

Here they are:

Optional Rules and Variants
• Customizing Ability Scores (PHB 13)
• Variant Human Traits (PHB 31)
• Variant Criminal: Spy (PHB 130)
• Variant Guild Artisan: Guild Merchant (PHB 133)
• Variant Noble: Knight (PHB 136)
o Variant Feature: Retainers (PHB 136)
• Variant Sailor: Pirate (PHB 139)
o Variant Feature: Bad Reputation (PHB 139)
• Equipment Sizes (PHB 144)
• Multiclassing (PHB 163)
• Feats (PHB 165)
• Encumbrance (PHB 176)
• Playing on a Grid (PHB 192)
• Renown (DMG 22)
• Planar Traits
o Feywild Magic (DMG 50)
o Shadowfell Despair (DMG 52)
o Blessed Beneficence (DMG 59)
o Pervasive Goodwill (DMG 59)
o Overwhelming Joy (DMG 60)
o Hunter’s Paradise (DMG 60)
o Beast Transformation (DMG 60)
o Power of the Mind (DMG 61)
o Mad Winds (DMG 62)
o Abyssal Corruption (DMG 62)
o Vile Transformation (DMG 63)
o Cruel Hindrance (DMG 63)
o Pervasive Evil (DMG 64)
o Bloodlust (DMG 66)
o Law of Averages (DMG 66)
o Planar Vitality (DMG 67)
• Loyalty (DMG 93)
• Training to Gain Levels (DMG 131)
• More Difficult Identification (DMG 136)
• Mixing Potions (DMG 140)
• Scroll Mishaps (DMG 140)
• Wands That Don’t Recharge (DMG 141)
• Automatic Success (DMG 239)
• Only Players Award Inspiration (DMG 241)
• Flanking (DMG 251)
• Diagonals (DMG 252)
• Facing (DMG 252)
• Proficiency Dice (DMG 263)
• Ability Check Proficiency (DMG 263)
• Background Proficiency (DMG 264)
• Personality Trait Proficiency (DMG 264)
• Hero Points (DMG 264)
• Honor Score (DMG 264)
• Sanity Score (DMG 265)
• Fear and Horror (DMG 266)
• Healer’s Kit Dependency (DMG 266)
• Healing Surges (DMG 266)
• Slow Natural Healing (DMG 266)
• Epic Heroism Rests (DMG 267)
• Gritty Realism Rests (DMG 267)
• Firearms (DMG 267)
• Alien Technology (DMG 268)
• Plot Points (DMG 269)
• Initiative Score (DMG 270)
• Side Initiative (DMG 270)
• Speed Factor (DMG 270)
• Action Options (DMG 271)
• Hitting Cover (DMG 272)
• Cleave Through Creatures (DMG 272)
• Injuries (DMG 272)
• Massive Damage (DMG 273)
• Morale (DMG 273)
• Spell Points (DMG 288)
• Demon Summoning (MM 53)
• Quasit Familiar (MM 63)
• Imp Familiar (MM 69)
• Erinyes Rope of Entanglement (MM 73)
• Dragons as Innate Spellcasters (MM 86)
• Drider Spellcasting (MM 120)
• Drow Magic Armor and Weapons (MM 126)
• Ettercap Web Garrote (MM 131)
• Genie Powers (MM 144)
• Kuo-Toa Monitor (MM 198)
• Nonhuman Lycanthropes (MM 206)
• Mephit Summoning (MM 217)
• Mind-Flayer Arcanist (MM 222)
• Psychic Gray Ooze (MM 240)
• Pseudodragon Familiar (MM 254)
• Quaggoth Thonot (MM 256)
• Satyr Pipes (MM 267)
• Slaad Control Gems (MM 274)
• Poltergeist (MM 279)
• Thri-Kreen Weapons and Psionics (MM 288)
• Troll Loathsome Limbs (MM 291)
• Vampire Warriors and Spellcasters (MM 298)
• Yugoloth Summoning (MM 311)
• Giant Lizard Traits (MM 326)
• Diseased Dire Rats (MM 327)
• Cave Bear (MM 334)
• Familiars (MM 347)

Click to expand...

You just typed all this out?! Your dedication is a credit to the new edition.

SirAntoine said:

You just typed all this out?! Your dedication is a credit to the new edition.

Click to expand...

I did it a while ago (when the DMG came out) as a way of tracking all the optional stuff in the books. To be fair, I might have missed one or so in the MM.

Remathilis said:

I did it a while ago (when the DMG came out) as a way of tracking all the optional stuff in the books. To be fair, I might have missed one or so in the MM.

Click to expand...

Looking through the MM (for the sake of completeness), you missed:

* Trap Soul (Demilich optional action, MM pg. 49)
* Devil Summoning (MM pg. 68)
* Bone Devil Polearm (MM pg. 71)
* Ice Devil Spear (MM pg. 75)
* Rogue Modrons (MM pg. 224)
* Revenants with Spells and Weapons (MM pg. 259)
* Insect Swarms (MM pg. 338)
* Warhorse Armor (MM pg. 340)

Still, your list is impressive. Kudos!

Thank you sir. Will add it to my list.

Remathilis said:

Here they are:

Optional Rules and Variants

Click to expand...

You missed:
• Variant Entertainer: Gladiator (PHB 131)
• Level advancement without XP (DMG 261)
o Session-Based Advancement (DMG 261)
o Story-Based Advancement (DMG 261)

Agreed impressive list.

Though many of these I would not consider a dial or lever like emdw45 says. For example the planar traits and many of the monster manual options and variants.

• Customizing Ability Scores (PHB 13)
Point buy - yeah I guess this is a variant but if it were missing people would figure out a way anyway.

• Variant Human Traits (PHB 31)
For when feats are available. I think many who use feats would consider this the default.

• Variant Criminal: Spy (PHB 130)
• Variant Entertainer: Gladiator (PHB 131)
• Variant Guild Artisan: Guild Merchant (PHB 133)
• Variant Noble: Knight (PHB 136)
o Variant Feature: Retainers (PHB 136)
• Variant Sailor: Pirate (PHB 139)
o Variant Feature: Bad Reputation (PHB 139)
Not really in the vein of dials and levers as the customizing backgrounds paragraph seems more like a lever puller than just listing an alternate feature, for instance, I would consider gladiator a separate background not a variant.

• Equipment Sizes (PHB 144)
Pay to make armor fit you perfectly. Ok.

• Multiclassing (PHB 163)
Good lever

• Feats (PHB 165)
Good lever

• Encumbrance (PHB 176)
Default, imo. With the option being abstract. At least that is how it is been done in the past. Now that is flipped. Good lever I guess.

• Playing on a Grid (PHB 192)
Good lever, though more rules for those who want them would be nice and have them on a dial, where you can set the level of detail. DMG has more options.

• Renown (DMG 22)
Good lever

• Planar Traits
o Feywild Magic (DMG 50)
o Shadowfell Despair (DMG 52)
o Blessed Beneficence (DMG 59)
o Pervasive Goodwill (DMG 59)
o Overwhelming Joy (DMG 60)
o Hunter’s Paradise (DMG 60)
o Beast Transformation (DMG 60)
o Power of the Mind (DMG 61)
o Mad Winds (DMG 62)
o Abyssal Corruption (DMG 62)
o Vile Transformation (DMG 63)
o Cruel Hindrance (DMG 63)
o Pervasive Evil (DMG 64)
o Bloodlust (DMG 66)
o Law of Averages (DMG 66)
o Planar Vitality (DMG 67)
Seems like this would be default for the area almost... Uncertain what the gain is by making these options.

• Loyalty (DMG 93)
Good lever

• Training to Gain Levels (DMG 131)
Good lever

• More Difficult Identification (DMG 136)
Good lever, was the default for previous editions. Would have liked more options (a dial) in this area.

• Mixing Potions (DMG 140)
• Scroll Mishaps (DMG 140)
Good levers

• Wands That Don’t Recharge (DMG 141)
Good lever


The following are all good dials and levers. There are a lot more variants in this section of the DMG too. Though still I would have liked to have seen it not be a la carte. A unified play mode, tactical grid mode... etc. Making a list for DMs like this to pick and choose clear options goes a long way to creating a good a la carte menu though.

• Automatic Success (DMG 239)
• Only Players Award Inspiration (DMG 241)

• Flanking (DMG 251)
• Diagonals (DMG 252)
• Facing (DMG 252)

• Level advancement without XP (DMG 261)
o Session-Based Advancement (DMG 261)
o Story-Based Advancement (DMG 261)


• Proficiency Dice (DMG 263)
• Ability Check Proficiency (DMG 263)
• Background Proficiency (DMG 264)
• Personality Trait Proficiency (DMG 264)


• Hero Points (DMG 264)
• Honor Score (DMG 264)
• Sanity Score (DMG 265)
• Fear and Horror (DMG 266)


• Healer’s Kit Dependency (DMG 266)
• Healing Surges (DMG 266)
• Slow Natural Healing (DMG 266)
• Epic Heroism Rests (DMG 267)
• Gritty Realism Rests (DMG 267)


• Explosives (DMG 267)
• Firearms (DMG 267)
• Alien Technology (DMG 268)


• Plot Points (DMG 269)


• Initiative Score (DMG 270)
• Side Initiative (DMG 270)
• Speed Factor (DMG 270)


• Action Options (DMG 271)
• Hitting Cover (DMG 272)
• Cleave Through Creatures (DMG 272)

• Injuries (DMG 272)
• Massive Damage (DMG 273)
• Morale (DMG 273)

• Spell Points (DMG 288)