D&D 5E (Deleted)

[dave2008]

Hopefully posters know from the 5E D&D prefix that I am asking about 5E.

I'll update the OP to emphasize that.

Yes, I assumed as much too; however, I think it is helpful to know how editions affect the need / desire for house rules.

 

[dave2008]

It was a word omission, known as a mistake , when I edited the OP. Sorry for the confusion!




It is right in the title of the thread and in the poll question and in the OP.

"House-rules/ Homebrew" and:

So, I don't know what I could have said to make it clearer.


This I can totally appreciate. If you wish to update your vote, just use your best judgement and thanks!

I think the issue is people see house-rules and homebrew as very different things. Homebrew includes settings, npcs, monsters, etc. That could potentially take up a huge amount of pages that have nothing to do with the rules. I personally only looked at rules when I answered. If I had considered homebrew - well I have over 400 custom "homebrew" monsters on these forums alone. That could easily fill 200+ pages. However, my players ore only concerned with the 1-2 pages of house-rules that we use, so that is how I answered.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Wow. This census sounds like serious business. I better do my part...

Are we accounting for font size and type space? Or are we going by word count?

What percentage of a "page" does a 3x5 index card represent? And 4x6. And 8x10 notebook.

What about hand-written notes? My handwriting is tiny. Does it count even if its illegible?

I got more rules in my head that I haven't bothered writing down. What's the thought-to-page ratio again?

Oh! I'm actually house ruling some things from 5e for other game systems and editions I'm actually playing now. Does that qualify?

 

[dave2008]

Again, so far it seems over 90% of the respondents haven't had any issue getting the concept, which I was trying to keep simple...

Because people didn't say anything doesn't many people don't have issues. It could easily mean they simply didn't notice. Like me until today.

I also find it odd that you you claim: "...is being added to 5E to make it the experience that group wants to play." as you goal when homebrew is often setting independent. My homebrew world started in 1e, really developed in 4e, and continues in 5e. Is it really needed to make the experience that my group wants to play? IDK, it is just what we have always done. In some ways the answer is yes, in others no. Do I count the potentially hundreds (or thousands even) of pages of setting info, NPCs, and monsters. Or just the ones I have added in 5e (even if they are not dependent on 5e). Or do I include none of it. You seem to think the OP is clear, but by grouping house-rules and homebrew and 5e you have made it unclear. It doesn't matter how closely you read it.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I answered 1 to 5, but realistically it is 0 to 1.

 

[dave2008]

Great, but first most of those 40 years wouldn't qualify for the thread given the 5E tag and second unless those pages are homebrew classes, spells, magic items, etc., not world setting content, they don't count even if for 5E.

Wait - why doesn't setting content count has homebrew?! Setting content is the majority of what a lot of people consider homebrew. You didn't say anything about not counting setting info in homebrew.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I think the issue is people see house-rules and homebrew as very different things.

Sure, they of course are very different things, but for the purposes of this poll I asked for both lumped together--

If you have 5 pages of house-rules and 200 pages of homebrew, you vote should be 100+ pages. I am not discerning between the two.

If people want to share just how your content is distributed between the two (as you did) I am sure people might find it interesting.

Homebrew includes settings, npcs, monsters, etc. That could potentially take up a huge amount of pages that have nothing to do with the rules. I personally only looked at rules when I answered. If I had considered homebrew - well I have over 400 custom "homebrew" monsters on these forums alone. That could easily fill 200+ pages. However, my players ore only concerned with the 1-2 pages of house-rules that we use, so that is how I answered.

Then I would appreciate it if changed your vote to 100+ pages then.

Wait - why doesn't setting content count has homebrew?! Setting content is the majority of what a lot of people consider homebrew. You didn't say anything about not counting setting info in homebrew.

I updated the OP to reflect that.

I also find it odd that you you claim: "...is being added to 5E to make it the experience that group wants to play." as you goal when homebrew is often setting independent. My homebrew world started in 1e, really developed in 4e, and continues in 5e. Is it really needed to make the experience that my group wants to play? IDK, it is just what we have always done. In some ways the answer is yes, in others no. Do I count the potentially hundreds (or thousands even) of pages of setting info, NPCs, and monsters. Or just the ones I have added in 5e (even if they are not dependent on 5e). Or do I include none of it. You seem to think the OP is clear, but by grouping house-rules and homebrew and 5e you have made it unclear. It doesn't matter how closely you read it.

D&D 5E does not have an single "official setting", they offer settings you can use, however. D&D 5E DOES have official classes, monsters, spells, magic items, and other things you might use in your setting. If you have added to the official material (more classes, more monsters, etc.) then it is homebrew. If you have modified thing already present in the official material (changed the ranger class, updated monsters, etc.), it is a house-rule.

So, if you made monsters for prior editions and updated them to 5E, you would count them. If you modified monsters in prior editions and updated those modification to 5E, count them.

Things such as worlds, gods, kingdoms, NPCs, is not counted.

Is THAT clear enough for you?

 

[DND_Reborn]

Wow. This census sounds like serious business. I better do my part...

Are we accounting for font size and type space? Or are we going by word count?

What percentage of a "page" does a 3x5 index card represent? And 4x6. And 8x10 notebook.

What about hand-written notes? My handwriting is tiny. Does it count even if its illegible?

Which is why I said in the OP "Use your best judgement." However, in this case you are making me wonder if that is possible.

I got more rules in my head that I haven't bothered writing down. What's the thought-to-page ratio again?

Again, use your best judgement if you want to seriously contribute to the poll.

Oh! I'm actually house ruling some things from 5e for other game systems and editions I'm actually playing now. Does that qualify?

No.

 

[dave2008]

Sure, they of course are very different things, but for the purposes of this poll I asked for both lumped together--

If you have 5 pages of house-rules and 200 pages of homebrew, you vote should be 100+ pages. I am not discerning between the two.

If people want to share just how your content is distributed between the two (as you did) I am sure people might find it interesting.


Then I would appreciate it if changed your vote to 100+ pages then.


I updated the OP to reflect that.


D&D 5E does not have an single "official setting", they offer settings you can use, however. D&D 5E DOES have official classes, monsters, spells, magic items, and other things you might use in your setting. If you have added to the official material (more classes, more monsters, etc.) then it is homebrew. If you have modified thing already present in the official material (changed the ranger class, updated monsters, etc.), it is a house-rule.

So, if you made monsters for prior editions and updated them to 5E, you would count them. If you modified monsters in prior editions and updated those modification to 5E, count them.

Things such as worlds, gods, kingdoms, NPCs, is not counted.

Is THAT clear enough for you?

That is clear, but I don't agree with your distinction and do not wish to participate in this poll. If possible, I will remove my vote. If not, I will leave it unchanged.

EDIT: I could not remove my vote, so I left it unchanged.

 

[DND_Reborn]

That is clear, but I don't agree with your distinction and do not wish to participate in this poll. If possible, I will remove my vote. If not, I will leave it unchanged.

EDIT: I could not remove my vote, so I left it unchanged.

That is fair and if you remind me of your vote, I will not count it.

Thank you.

 

[Oofta]

So wait ... this is supposed to count everything written about the campaign world? Because I have no clue, I have a wiki not ink on dead trees.

 

[Parmandur]

I really don't see homebrew material to be the same as "house rules" at all.

 

[Plaguescarred]

My GREYHAWK campaign has 1-5 pages of houserules and variant rules.

 

[dave2008]

That is fair and if you remind me of your vote, I will not count it.

Thank you.

1-5

 

[DND_Reborn]

1-5

Noted and thanks again.

 

[LordEntrails]

I guess the new thread title means we've given up trying to figure this out?

 

[DND_Reborn]

I guess the new thread title means we've given up trying to figure this out?

I got enough responses to get what I was after.

 

[steeldragons]

How many pages ya got?

Homebrew classes? Check.
Homebrew races? Check.
Rewritten/revamped established/traditional classes? Check.
Old and homebrewed class mechanics? Check.
Homebrew setting/world? Check.
Languages? Check.
Cultures? Check.
Pantheon(s) and established religions from the Vatican analogue to regional/local cults? Check.
Individual deity domain/sphere powers? Check.
Reworked/written magic spheres? Check.
Homebrewed types/spheres of magic (and commensurate powers, spell lists, etc...)? Check.
Revamped (largely to pare down) spell lists for all classes/types of magic? Check.
Homebrewewd Psychic powers/psionic rules (+organizations and setting fluff)? Check.
Homebrewed monsters? Check.
Revamped/reworked traditional/established monsters? Check.
Homebrewed artifacts? Check.
"Martial Maneuvers" mechanic/rules (grapples, holds, parry, "power strike/charge," etc...) ? Check.
[Homebrewed Barbarian class] "Clan Boons" (different clans get different features: save bonuses, attack maneuvers, etc...)? Check.
Roguish special abilities, i.e. "Tricks & Tasks"[tm]? Check.

...I honestly can't think of any more...but if there's a specific area of the game you are wondering about...I have prooooobably done something to tweak it.

EDIT: I suppose it should be noted, I do not give players a manual of hundreds of pages all their own. hahaha. There are packets of relevant info for the world (where they are/start out) and whatever class and/or race specifics they need. But that's it. Things become revealed through play and "need to know" or "as they come up" kind of basis so as not to overwhelm any players/potential players with unnecessary facts and figures.

 

[jgsugden]

Crunch rules - 4 pages. Homebrew spells, monsters, items, Gods, setting, etc... Several Bankers boxes of materials I have generated over 40 yars that I access periodically.

 

[rmcoen]

House rules actually in play: single page "player's aid", front-and-back, condensed and summarized. Probably a quarter of which is "cool things you can do with a Critical Hit, instead of extra damage".

Rules in a word document that I consider "officially part of the campaign" - 20 or so, because after 40 years of playing many games (cough "Magic: The Gathering" cough), my friends and I are all rules lawyers to some extent, and I like to be verbose to eliminate misunderstandings and clarify edge cases. House ruling Falling Damage, for example, takes 3 bullets to say ("d10, cumulative, Acrobatics for half"), plus 6 extra bullets to handle definitions, edge cases, Monk slow fall, different size creatures, etc., plus three examples. House ruling Counterspell into a class ability is simple to say, but takes two pages to describe, define, and address interactions and edge cases and special rules, as well as a paragraph on "what was the intent of this massive change".

Rules I think are cool and I'd like to have in the game: Um... what if I just count the number of documents, instead of the pages? ;-) Heck, I added three more items to one of the docs just reading through this thread (Medicine/Surgery healing d4s, for example). Spell or feat clarifications/tweaks tend to end up in this category. For example, "Power Word Kill does 100 necrotic damage, and instakills if it reduces you to 0 hp." But... the party is 6th level, so this "rule" is not in the "officially part of the campaign" document because they will likely never reach 17th!

Plus three Excel documents for cataloging and categorizing diseases, expanded weapons and armor lists, and one for special materials/abilities and crafting. Lots of columns, lots of rows... and I think now three lines have made it into the game as unique effects.

Homebrew: New spells and items have their own documents, culled from internet/reddit sources and my own creativity. Just available as a reference. Plus setting specific changes - my campaign has no gods or other planes, and a sharp delineation of arcane vs. primal magics. This makes for small to large changes to some classes, reskinning of some subclasses, and elimination of some subclasses. Plus some classes get changed lore - alchemists and artificers are from the Empire, wizards are from the Northern Kingdoms, all sorcerers are "genetically dominant" (i.e. any child with at least one sorcerous parent will be a sorcerer) nobles called "Mageborn", druids are barely tolerated in "civilization" because they use "goblinoid magic", warlocks are anathema (neither Mageborn nor "Tower-trained"), and so on). That's... about 30 pages, I think?