D&D 5E DMs which books do allow players to use

[Redwizard007]

I am really surprised by the number of posts with various restrictions considering the overwhelming response to the survey. Personally, the only time I limit choices is when they can't be rationalized in in a reasonable way. Restrictions due to setting, sure. Can't have hobgoblins mucking up Athas, or thri-kreen on Krynn, but classes I'll allow every time. We might have to gut the fluff, but crunch is always doable. Why restrict player choices?

Maybe I'm in a unique situation. I am one of at least 5 guys willing and able to run a regular game out of my social circle. That means that we pitch campaign ideas to prospective players rather than having to join whatever game we can find. This could be a shift from what others are dealing with, but it does allow our players to be picky about what settings they enjoy, who they play with, and what type of content (or lack there of) to use. Someone pitching a published adventure with AL style restrictions would be sitting at a table by themselves.

 

[Magister Ludorum]

I voted anything but I automatically allow only official stuff. Everything else I have to read and think about first.

 

[S'mon]

I am really surprised by the number of posts with various restrictions considering the overwhelming response to the survey. Personally, the only time I limit choices is when they can't be rationalized in in a reasonable way. Restrictions due to setting, sure. Can't have hobgoblins mucking up Athas, or thri-kreen on Krynn, but classes I'll allow every time. We might have to gut the fluff, but crunch is always doable. Why restrict player choices?

Maybe I'm in a unique situation. I am one of at least 5 guys willing and able to run a regular game out of my social circle. That means that we pitch campaign ideas to prospective players rather than having to join whatever game we can find. This could be a shift from what others are dealing with, but it does allow our players to be picky about what settings they enjoy, who they play with, and what type of content (or lack there of) to use. Someone pitching a published adventure with AL style restrictions would be sitting at a table by themselves.

Well that's not a concern for me, I run several 5e groups with 6-8 players per group and could recruit more if I wanted. I restrict sources to fit the theme and power level of the campaign and setting. My Faerun Adventures campaign designed for indefinite sandbox world-in-motion play, with a couple dozen PCs at any one time, has slower advancement and more restricted PC rules & sources than a save-the-world 'chosen heroes' game like Odyssey of the Dragonlords, the one where I even allow Tasha's.

 

[Hussar]

No. Players should be able to understand limitation to setting as well as a DM has to understand player desires. It's a two way street.

Heh, considering the poll results, methinks you may be in somewhat of a minority here. When 3/4 of respondents go with "anything", it's looking kinda one sided.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

PHB. Plus some Homebrew stuff depending on what world we feel like playing in at that time. We have campaigns going (long hiatus... life and Cov-19) in Greyhawk, Genericka (homebrew) and Forgotten Realms (current online...'ish... holidays has that temporary hold for the next two months or so).

I do have one campaign as well that doesn't even "use" the PHB Races; they are all homebrew 'takes' on various races and some created whole-cloth. I'm working on creating all new classes too (same idea; a different 'take' on the classes and some created all new).

I'm actually both shocked and disappointed that so many DM's just threw up their hands and said "Yeah, whatever" to using "all books". O_O To me that's like a Chef telling his workers to "just toss stuff in...whatever" when making their dishes. That takes a LOT of trust... or a LOT of ambivalence towards their game (maybe both?). Not saying anyone who does this is wrong...just saying that it is quite the opposite of what my experience in what makes up a good, solid, believable and fun game of "D&D". I guess it's just yet another indicator that me and my games are "outliers to the norm".

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Greg K]

I am really surprised by the number of posts with various restrictions considering the overwhelming response to the survey.

Well, I did not vote as I felt no choice was appropriate, but I did post my answer. Maybe some others did the same or did vote and chose anything as it was, in their opinion, the closest answer

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

I am really surprised by the number of posts with various restrictions considering the overwhelming response to the survey. Personally, the only time I limit choices is when they can't be rationalized in in a reasonable way. Restrictions due to setting, sure. Can't have hobgoblins mucking up Athas, or thri-kreen on Krynn, but classes I'll allow every time. We might have to gut the fluff, but crunch is always doable. Why restrict player choices?

Maybe I'm in a unique situation. I am one of at least 5 guys willing and able to run a regular game out of my social circle. That means that we pitch campaign ideas to prospective players rather than having to join whatever game we can find. This could be a shift from what others are dealing with, but it does allow our players to be picky about what settings they enjoy, who they play with, and what type of content (or lack there of) to use. Someone pitching a published adventure with AL style restrictions would be sitting at a table by themselves.

I want to run a game with the precisely opposite philosophy than you. I want to run a game where all chars are Human, no Human Variant, no rolling stats, no multi-classing, only subclasses come from PHB and XGTE. I want to run a hard game, where the chars that excel are because the players are better, not because of whatever crutches are provided by weird and wonderful species and subclasses.

I realize that this is screaming at the tide rolling in, but I am so tired of WOTC dumbing down the game, making it easier and easier for weak players, who want to play a Pokemon char, and don't want to play D&D.

 

[Laurefindel]

as a rule, if it’s published by WotC, it’s fair game. Homebrew and 3rd party material is subject to observation.

That being said, players usually have a good idea of the central themes of the upcoming game and are asked to make a character that fit organically with them. Refluffing is allowed - if not encouraged - to make things work when need be, but not all content (exotic races in particular) is allowed for all games (usually because their intrinsic characteristics cannot be refluffed and reconciled with the game’s themes).

 

[Stormonu]

Everything, though curated - especially when it comes to Tasha’s. I’m also working on a good deal of home brew content that I’m working through for my custom campaign world.

We’ve also used reflavoring to handle some odder concepts (ex., before Owlin, we used reflavored aaroknec from my son’s owl folk, a reflavored gnome for a goblin before Volo’s, and my elder son is reflavoring a lizard folk ranger as some hydra abomination for our Theros game).

 

[Redwizard007]

I want to run a game with the precisely opposite philosophy than you. I want to run a game where all chars are Human, no Human Variant, no rolling stats, no multi-classing, only subclasses come from PHB and XGTE. I want to run a hard game, where the chars that excel are because the players are better, not because of whatever crutches are provided by weird and wonderful species and subclasses.

I realize that this is screaming at the tide rolling in, but I am so tired of WOTC dumbing down the game, making it easier and easier for weak players, who want to play a Pokemon char, and don't want to play D&D.

I'm playing in one of these now in a post apocalyptic western. Also playing in a modified Starfinder game with tons of homebrew, Rime of the Frostmaiden with no race/class restrictions, getting ready for a homebrew campaign with no restrictions that should be kicking off soon and I sometimes pop into one that's already going, and i'm running an "end of the cleansing wars" darksun variant that has lots of vetoed races but is anything goes for classes. Any one of those ideas might get old on its own but the variety keeps everything fresh.

There has been one huge upside to opening up any WotC product for use at our tables. We managed to fix the broken subclasses. Few actual changes to the subclasses, but many more in encounter building. That, however is for another thread