D&D 5E D&D Without Adding House-Rules/Home-brew

[Yaarel]

You can get pretty far just with that, almost to the point of not being recognizable as D&D. I made a homebrew setting where every PHB class, subclass, race, and background were refluffed but all mechanics other than name and description of abilities kept intact verbatim.

Yeah. The most stunning example was when someone used a 4e Monk for its unarmed combat to mechanically play a bear. It worked well.

4e is designed for easy reflavoring. 5e bakes narrative into the mechanics, so is sometimes prohibitively difficult depending on what narrative one is trying build.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I figured no, but it had special licenses so it seemed worth asking.

Did it? Hmm.... I guess that might be a gray area then. It would depend on the precise terms I suppose.

But over all better safe to assume no.

 

[delericho]

I would happily play in such a game. I wouldn't run it.

 

[Cadence]

Did it? Hmm.... I guess that might be a gray area then. It would depend on the precise terms I suppose.

They're pretty cool in that they reprint the original adventures as part of them. A lot of the other places describing them say "partnership", but I can't find the press release.

But over all better safe to assume no.

Ok!

 

[MNblockhead]

Sure. I would be happy playing with only what is in the PHB, DMG, and MM; even without any variants like feats allowed; and even not allowing creation of monsters and magic items per DMG rules. I could still have a lot of fun both as a GM and player. Sometimes it can be fun to stick to tight constraints. I believe I could still make interesting stories and challenges with those constraints.

In practice, I use a lot of home brew mechanics in my current campaign. But I see that more as a different way to play and have fun, not a better way.

 

[Mistwell]

We mostly just run through WOTC official adventures using mostly PHB classes and rules as written. Were adults in our late 40s and early 50s with families and we just don't have time for home brew and extensive house rules these days.

 

[Maxperson]

But that's neither RAW or RAI.

The adventuring day is RAW. You are expected to have 6-8 combat encounters during the adventuring day. Less if they are harder, more if they are easier.

 

[DND_Reborn]

They're pretty cool in that they reprint the original adventures as part of them. A lot of the other places describing them say "partnership", but I can't find the press release.

Yeah, I do like them. I had and ran the first, the remake of KotBL, and reviewed others as well.

 

[Umbran]

The adventuring day is RAW.

Can you provide a quote for that?

You are expected to have 6-8 combat encounters during the adventuring day. Less if they are harder, more if they are easier.

So, "expected to have" is elucidating a game design assumption, an expectation, an adventure design recommendation. "Must have" is a rule.

It seems weird to say that a thing the GM doesn't really have control over is a rule. The GM does not control when the PCs choose to advance or retreat, and so cannot really control the number of encounters they have.

 

[James Gasik]

I'd try this at least once. I've yet to play a game bound by these restrictions (not even Adventurer's League, really, since they don't come anywhere near to 6-8 encounters).