D&D (2024) People That Have Actually Read the DMG: What Optional Rule(s) Do You Want To Get Expanded In One D&D?

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

As we all know, no one reads the D&D 5e Dungeon Master's Guide. However, for the few people on this site that have, what optional parts of it do you think should be expanded upon in the One D&D playtest?

By "expanded", I mean given heavy revisions the same way that Inspiration and Exhaustion have been revised in the current playtest documents.

There are 3 optional rules in the DMG that currently come to mind:

1. The Loyalty Score: Found in Chapter 4 of the DMG, the Loyalty Score is a way for the DM to keep track of how loyal party-member NPCs are to the party. Currently, it's pretty bare-bones and has only been used in one official adventure before (Out of the Abyss), so I think revising it and making the rules more important could help in future official adventures.
2. Proficiency Dice: I like the idea of Proficiency Dice. I've never used it, because I don't think my players would like it, but I like the idea of it. However, revising Proficiency Dice to apply only in certain situations could help make it be used more frequently.
3. Flanking: Currently, flanking gives people that attack a flanked target advantage on the attack roll, which is probably too effective. If revised to be a bonus to hit (maybe a d4 or +1 per flanking creature), then it might be used more, adding more strategy to D&D 5e combat.

What about you? What other optional rules do you think can/should be revised and/or expanded? Do you have any thoughts on the optional rules I listed and possible revisions/expansions for them?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Flanking could give an extra weapon die, or rather an extra roll of your weapon’s damage dice. This would make it a beefier bonus for strength PCs with bigger weapons.

I want a lot more special actions. Trip, Overrun, etc, very cool. Expand on it, and put it in the PHB.

Minor Traits (for magic items). Things like “Temperate: you ignore extreme weather” are very fun and good. Each effect should be a common magic item.

Pie in the sky: use the damage by spell level chart to make a system for sorcerers to make thier own combat spells on the fly. Make the table more in depth.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Flanking is the big one because that is the one that most tables I've played at either use or would use if the rules were better. Basically most people I've played with seem to feel like there should be some sort of flanking bonus, and those who don't use the DMG advantage from flanking system avoid it because it's bad (trivializing advantage, which is plugged into too many other features), not because they would not like to have a flanking system of some sort. Personally I add a d4. It seems simple enough, is not nearly as good as advantage, but stacks with advantage.

However I think an improved flanking rule should not be in the ghetto of DMG optional systems, it should just be part of the base game because I think most people would want to play with it. I think the basic nature of DMG optional rules is "ideas we liked but couldn't nail down well enough to be satisfied with and decided the base game could work without", and I'm okay with that when it happens, but rules ending up there is a sign of failure. If they come up with something that works well and isn't overly complicated it should be in the base game.

 

[Raith5]

I am happy with flanking only applying to Rogues.

In a similar vein would like to see marking and some other tactics expanded as maneuvers or stances for Fighters and Paladins.

 

[tetrasodium]

As we all know, no one reads the D&D 5e Dungeon Master's Guide. However, for the few people on this site that have, what optional parts of it do you think should be expanded upon in the One D&D playtest?

By "expanded", I mean given heavy revisions the same way that Inspiration and Exhaustion have been revised in the current playtest documents.

There are 3 optional rules in the DMG that currently come to mind:

1. The Loyalty Score: Found in Chapter 4 of the DMG, the Loyalty Score is a way for the DM to keep track of how loyal party-member NPCs are to the party. Currently, it's pretty bare-bones and has only been used in one official adventure before (Out of the Abyss), so I think revising it and making the rules more important could help in future official adventures.
2. Proficiency Dice: I like the idea of Proficiency Dice. I've never used it, because I don't think my players would like it, but I like the idea of it. However, revising Proficiency Dice to apply only in certain situations could help make it be used more frequently.
3. Flanking: Currently, flanking gives people that attack a flanked target advantage on the attack roll, which is probably too effective. If revised to be a bonus to hit (maybe a d4 or +1 per flanking creature), then it might be used more, adding more strategy to D&D 5e combat.

What about you? What other optional rules do you think can/should be revised and/or expanded? Do you have any thoughts on the optional rules I listed and possible revisions/expansions for them?

I used proficiency dice for a couple campaigns & they worked well after the initial breaking in period & allowed some neat stuff like magic items that make say 1=2 or 1 & 2=3 on the proficiency die for a thing to raise the average without raising the ceiling. I wouldn't mind them being default or a PHB variant to lower the bar for a gm wanting to use a rather innocuous rule. Most of the resistance was one or two players who got fussy because it was hard to use them in ddb even though they really wanted to use ddb instead of physical stuff.

Flanking & facing rules are almost written as if the author of those rules wanted to make sure nobody tried to use badwrongfun grid combat rather than ToTM, they could use massive improvements

I'd like to see body slots+explained slot affinities & bonus types become an optional rule for use alongside attunement slots.

 

[CleverNickName]

Spell Points

 

[Benjamin Olson]

I used proficiency dice for a couple campaigns & they worked well after the initial breaking in period & allowed some neat stuff like magic items that make say 1=2 or 1 & 2=3 on the proficiency die for a thing to raise the average without raising the ceiling. I wouldn't mind them being default or a PHB variant to lower the bar for a gm wanting to use a rather innocuous rule. Most of the resistance was one or two players who got fussy because it was hard to use them in ddb even though they really wanted to use ddb instead of physical stuff.

Given that everything in 5.5 will probably be some variation of "give a number of allies equal to your proficiency bonus a bonus equal to your proficiency bonus proficiency bonus times per day", it will probably feel like a pretty weird system to use proficiency dice in. The only thing you won't be using your proficiency bonus for is actual proficiency.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Bloodied (pg 248) Morale (pg 273) as part of a comprehensive fight or flight system.

 

[Horwath]

Spell Points

this.

All casters with spells known (to limit versatility) and spell points as default.

Wizard can start with ritual caster feat.

 

[Li Shenron]

By "expanded", I mean given heavy revisions the same way that Inspiration and Exhaustion have been revised in the current playtest documents.

"Expanded" in the same way as Inspiration means made mandatory. That's a step backward for me even if they "expand" something I personally like.