D&D 5E Reducing Power Gaming

What about slowing leveling? Double XP required to reach levels 5-9, Quadruple the amount for levels 10-14, etc.

I ran a long campaign of 5e, over 100 sessions, it played like 1e/2e becuae I leveled based on XP gained, ignore the math and make every encounter extra deadly, limit magic items, and the one main house rule, removed cleric cantrip. I also limited classes and races to better mirror 1e, but that was more preference than a power level thing. Charachters died regularly, players had a great time,

The big question I want to ask is: what do your players think about this? Are they having fun with 5E as-is? If so, you have a problem. The DM gets to have fun like everyone else, but if the players want something you don't want to give them, that's a problem.

My suggestion is to take a look at the myriad of other games out there. There's ShadowDark for example, which does a lot of what you're asking for. Or any number of the OSR games might be more to your taste. Or Castles and Crusades or Worlds Without Number ... there are a lot of games that present themselves as doing exactly what you want. I suggest seeing if your players are interested in them.

You can run 5E and stay at low levels and strip out the different options but ... why? I'll be honest, I would (and have) played a Castles and Crusades campaign and had fun. I don't think what you're proposing would be a game I'd want to play. Talk to your players. Reach an accommodation with them.

Greg K said:

What about slowing leveling?

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This is what I was going to say.

It does not sound like the OP is concerned about what people typically mean when they say Power Gaming (meaning players who Min/Max every detail of their character for optimal damage), they sound more concerned about the general power curve of 5e DnD regardless of optimization. Best way to slow that down is just to play at low levels.

Honestly, just play a different game. Making OP characters with lots of powers and mowing down baddies is kind of the point of 5E. Take it from someone that had 10 pages of houserule notes and was still rolling my eyes at how easily my Lv12 mobs were being massacred.

Pathfinder 2E would be the easiest to switch a new group who loves 5E but want more of a challenge. Rules are free too, so always a plus.

Some houserule suggestions. Probably you should not do all of these unless you just hate your players, but one or two may help:
•Double the amount of XP needed to level.
•Make the PC's spend money and downtime on training before they level up.
•Use Milestone leveling instead, and just don't give out milestones very often.
•Ban multiclassing.
•Ban feats (if you're using the 2014 rules. If you're using the 2024 rules, they're pretty deeply baked in).
•Ban weapon masteries (if you're using the 2024 rules.)
•Adopt the optional spell points system from the 2014 DMG, but reduce the number of points available.

Or, as others have said, just play 1e or 2e or 3r. Who's going to stop you? The modernity police? Convincing your players to try older rulesets will likely be no more difficult than convincing them to play with any of the above houserules.

If you have to play 5E though, I'd suggest:

• Limiting rests. I like the Middle Earth's rule where you can only Short Rest when in safe areas (i.e., not dungeons).
• Not rolling for stats, use point buy or array to keep them bounded.
• Only average HP on LevelUp.
• Never give out magic items that increase AC.
• Focus on challenges that are Role-Play based and are not combat or skill checks. For instance, sneaking into the castle to get to the prince before the evil assassin does should be the actual challenge, not the combats or checks that take place during it.

Jahydin said:

Honestly, just play a different game. Making OP characters with lots of powers and mowing down baddies is kind of the point of 5E. Take it from someone that had 10 pages of houserule notes and was still rolling my eyes at how easily my Lv12 mobs were being massacred.

Pathfinder 2E would be the easiest to switch a new group who loves 5E but want more of a challenge. Rules are free too, so always a plus.

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Does switching to PF 2 really fix anything?

First, play another game. If not just 1E, I'd guess you'd like Shadowdark.

You also might want to just let it go...5E is a wild power fantasy....that is why players want to play it. And the players think you want that to: They think you want to sit there and watch them power game.

Banning power gaming things general does not work. The players are never going to be happy.

But what you can do is alter the game world:

Adjust the games level. Sure the characters might be a CR 4 or something by the books....but if they can do incredible act of power they are not that low CR. So simply adjust the game upwards 5-10 CR.

Set the games hardness to 'below novice'. Make it super easy. Like a cartoon or anime. Have simple A to B plots or no plots. And lots of weak, but flashing looking foes.

Set the games hardness at 'not easy'. For the typical 5E players this, to them, is 'beyond impossible'. 5E is made for power gaming only if you as the DM rolls out the red carpet. So, don't do that. If you use orcs and owlbears they will obliterate them. But there are lots of other monsters. Use them. There are a ton of 5E monster books out there. Ranged attacks. Area of effect magic. More hit points. More damage reduction. More foes. Foes with new and strange abilities and such. You might need to homebrew some.

Go Beyond the Rules. Leave all that power gaming on the page. Make your setting a complex living world. So, sure a character can pew pew 120 a round....but that won't save the town from the curse.

Jahydin said:

Pathfinder 2E would be the easiest to switch a new group who loves 5E but want more of a challenge. Rules are free too, so always a plus.

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As someone not a fan of Pathfinder 2e, there is no assurance that switching to PF 2e will be greeted favorably. It might, but it might not.