D&D 5E Difficulty Settings for Advanced Players

[Sadras]

GreyLord's suggestions were in terms of 5e rules.

You don't need to bring back d6 initiative to enable spells being interrupted, for instance.

You might see it that way but in 5e there is a thing called a Concentration check. The example you cited ignores that completely and the spell is lost. I'd say your example is more 1st and 2nd Edition and less 5e.

 

[Tony Vargas]

You might see it that way but in 5e there is a thing called a Concentration check. The example you cited ignores that completely and the spell is lost. I'd say your example is more 1st and 2nd Edition and less 5e.

Yes, the Concentration rule in 5e does make casting easier than in 1e (though not as easy as for optimized casters in 3e), even when applied to all casting.
That was among my suggestions in my initial reply to the OP.

 

[Geoarrge]

Several of these rules are inspired by XCOM.

1. Make sure the baddies are making proper use of cover.
2. Any creature out of cover, who is not protected by a shield, heavy armor, or natural armor, is considered flanked by any ranged attacker.
3. All healing gets shifted up by one rest category. A long rest is required to spend Hit Dice, and recuperation is required to recover half Hit Dice. .
4. Most healing, except for spells at least 6th level, lasts 1 hour unless performed during an uninterrupted long rest.
5. Spellcasters can only recover one of their highest-level spell slots, along with all lower-level slots, per long rest, or all slots with recuperation.

 

[Tony Vargas]

3. A long rest is required to spend Hit Dice, and recuperation is required to recover half Hit Dice. .
5. Spellcasters can only recover one of their highest-level spell slots, along with all lower-level slots, per long rest, or all slots with recuperation.

What's the difference between long rest and "recuperation?"

 

[Geoarrge]

Recuperating requires a DC 15 Constitution save after 3 days downtime.

 

[Uller]

Increasing monster HP will just make combat take longer. Instead increase monster damage and/or reduce or cap PC hp.

Hardcore mode is you are dead at 0 hp.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Y'all aren't being absurd enough:

Remove all dice rolling. Every effect for which a die is rolled in game is instead taken to be the average, rounded up, of the dice. Thus, every action is either an automatic success or an automatic failure. Welcome to deterministic hell.

 

[OB1]

What for?

Why play God of War or Civilization 6 on Legendary mode? Because it's a fun challenge.

The base assumptions of the game don't require CharOp, Party Synergy and specialized individual and group tactics to overcome challenges as outlined by Adventuring day XP and Monster CR.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Every effect for which a die is rolled in game is instead taken to be the average, rounded up, of the dice. Thus, every action is either an automatic success or an automatic failure. Welcome to deterministic hell.

Ironically, removing the random element wouldn't necessarily make the game harder. For instance, most attacks would always hit, while if you had a means to goose your AC to the point they needed a 12, you'd be invulnerable. ( Actually, 5e tends, 'on average' to favor the PCs, so it'd mostly be a cakewalk.)

An, y'know, how would advantage & disadvantage work? Or, rather, how would they be different? ;P

 

[S'mon]

I would just make monsters, traps etc tougher, without altering anything on the player end to nerf their PCs. x2 hp, x2 damage, higher spell save DCs, bonus action castings, PC-class abilities, etc etc. Then don't increase their XPV.

Or you can keep the monsters as-is, double their numbers and halve XP awards. Same effect, hardly any work.