Best Rules Add-Ons

[S'mon]

Flanking giving Advantage is a bad rule - if you really want Flanking,

I have a house rule that if there are already 4 enemies adjacent to a target then the 5th+ attackers have Advantage on their attacks, which covers the rear-attack type situation. It is ok but does not add that much interest in practice. I suspect maybe giving characters advantage on a stealth check to creep up behind target & attack with advantage would work better.

 

[Shiroiken]

Thanks! Do you know where this can be found?

I just want to stop with the saving throws. I'm fine with attack rolls and ability checks.

I found it here on the forum in an older post near when 5E began. Someone came up with it because they preferred 4E's defenses instead of saving throws. I haven't used it myself, but there was quite a lot of interest in it at the time. I tried to search for it, but was unsuccessful. I think I put the full gist of it in my previous post though.

Edit: upon reflection, it might have been on the WotC forums before they went defunct.

 

[Coroc]

I use the rule on a natural 1 all sorts of things can happen, but also to the mobs but it is not obligatory that something happens, and I alone decide what happens. I roll in the open (always).
The things that may happen are often comical but sometimes tough aka you hit an ally and sometimes fatal, like a missed save on a nuke spell.

 

[Nebulous]

My group added flanking, but quickly dropped it. Advantage (already not hard to come by) just became trivial.

Yeah, I didn't use if for that reason. Instead, I added +1 damage.

 

[Oofta]

About all I use is the variant rest rules because it suits the pace of my games better since I rarely do dungeon crawls.

I have a couple of simple house rules (bows that allow strength, ability mod items add to the score don't replace it), but that's a different topic.

 

[Ristamar]

Thanks! Do you know where this can be found?

I just want to stop with the saving throws. I'm fine with attack rolls and ability checks.

http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/UA5_VariantRules.pdf

Saving Throws
When a character forces an opponent to make a saving throw, that player instead makes a saving throw check. The bonus to the d20 roll for a saving throw check equals the effect’s save DC - 8.

The DC for this check equals 11 + the target’s saving throw modifier. On a successful check, the character overcomes the target’s resistance and treats the target as if it failed its saving throw. On a failed check, the target is treated as if it succeeded on its save.

As with attacks, the saving throw check has advantage if the target would have disadvantage on its saving throw, and vice versa.

 

[iserith]

http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/UA5_VariantRules.pdf

Thank you! I may start a thread on this next week to gather opinions, especially as to what class features and the like would be impacted by this change and any other things to be on the lookout for. I'm considering this rules variant for my next campaign. I've never liked saving throws and I like them less and less every time I have to roll a gang of them during play as it interrupts the flow of a PC's turn in my view. I prefer a PC's turn to largely be them rolling, not me, with some exceptions (such as a contest).

 

[Satyrn]

Was I dreaming or was there an option, perhaps in a UA, where they did away with saving throws in favor of 4e-style defenses? I would love to try that out. I'm so sick of making saving throws as DM. I'd like to reduce my number of rolls if possible.

I think that was in the playtest . . . was that one of the things you argued for?

On topic: I didn't like the flanking when my table tried it, and I haven't found any value in adding more tactics stuff to the game (apart from using the grid). But you might as well give it a go.

Mote usefully: I have found that requiring spending hit dice to heal during a long rest makes dungeon crawling more fun/challenging. It's sort of a step in between the standard healing rules and the DMG's gritty realism healing

 

[aco175]

If you have newer players, I would suggest that you not use house rules, and perhaps optional rules, until you get used to playing the so-called right way.

I have gotten in the habit from 4e of letting the player roll the save for the monster, similar to attacking his reflex from 4e. I could flip the numbers and give the monster a save DC, but the player just tried to roll low instead of high. Again, maybe not for new players, but it lets the player roll instead of just saying "I shoot sacred flame" and not get to roll anything.

 

[Geeknamese]

I give a +1d6 Damage to attack’s from flanking (because it’s always fun to roll more dice) but I also count an attacker circling an enemy and entering the rear square as leaving threat range, prompting an opportunity attack.