D&D 5E Does anyone else run 5th Edition from a 4th edition perspective?

[Tallifer]

My players make their characters using 5th edition. They use stat-buy and fixed hit points much as 4th edition did.

But I make my monsters operate with the assumptions of 4th edition: solos have multiple actions; monsters spell-like abilities do not reference spells; tradition and textbook text have no bearing on their powers or extraordinary abilities.

Opportunity attacks; movement; surprise; magical treasure; experience points; rests; encounters; cosmology; alignment; Eberron; movement... so much stuff gets adjudicated according to my experience and love for 4th edition.

Really I only switched to 5th, because WotC stopped supporting the Character Builder, especially the downloadable version. But we are now very comfortable with our bastardized version of 5th Edition.

 

[Tallifer]

Is there something in 5th Edition akin to (the 4th Edition) Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies? If so, I would like to make such available my players' characters. Even a third party/ Dungeon Master's Guild option.

 

[ccs]

Is there something in 5th Edition akin to (the 4th Edition) Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies? If so, I would like to make such available my players' characters. Even a third party/ Dungeon Master's Guild option. View attachment 88744

Not as published.

But as with any edition, whatevers in your head is available to your game.

 

[jimmytheccomic]

I use the 4th edition lore- especially "Manual of the Planes", "Planes Above", and "The Underdark", three of my favorite sourcebooks ever written. I also use the 4th edition adventuring tier expectations- local heroes, national heroes, world heroes, to planar heroes. Monsters are upgraded with fourth edition abilities- I use both a mix of whats in the spellbook, and "special" monster only stuff. So I've got a good mix of 4e stuff sprinkled in.

 

[Jester David]

I use elements of the lore, especially in the cosmology: primordials, shadowfell, feywild, the Astral Sea (in which the Great Wheel floats along with demiplanes).

I look to 4e when I design set-piece encounters, with terrain being key. And having monsters assigned roles for that encounter is also handy.
Solo monsters also get a dramatic hit point increase.

Other than that, not really. I don't like many of the things the OP does. But good on him for making 5e work for him.

 

[Krachek]

Sometime our DM manage out of combat situation in a way that vaguely reminds of skill challenge.
Instead of dungeon crawl, some part of dungeons are sometime presented in a much more narrative way, that reminds me 4ed.
There is a 4ed legacy in 5ed.

 

[JeffB]

I fourthify the monsters. add powers as needed, whittle down spell lists to a few a/e/d powers, use minions, , modify things like medusa gaze back to 4e, etc.

i run improv skill challenges and use improv stunts ala p42.

I run adventures as larger scenes and fewer but more important battles. Smaller adventure sites (tbf, been doing this for 40 years)

That's off the top of my head.

 

[jimmytheccomic]

Oh, and almost forgot, I run skill challenges as well.

 

[dave2008]

Is there something in 5th Edition akin to (the 4th Edition) Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies? If so, I would like to make such available my players' characters. Even a third party/ Dungeon Master's Guild option. View attachment 88744

Someone on the Reddit Unearthed Arcana has been converting 4e Epic Destinies to 5e.. I haven't reviewed them in depth, but in general I like them as method to go beyond lvl 20. You can find them here: https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/6xf9ka/epic_destinies_part_4_of_4_playtest_release_more/

I pretty much play 5e like I played 4e; but, I played 4e pretty much how I played 1e.

 

[Alexemplar]

View attachment 88743My players make their characters using 5th edition. They use stat-buy and fixed hit points much as 4th edition did.

But I make my monsters operate with the assumptions of 4th edition: solos have multiple actions; monsters spell-like abilities do not reference spells; tradition and textbook text have no bearing on their powers or extraordinary abilities.

I was doing this back in 3e when I started DM'ing and realized that I was putting too much work on myself by trying to "build" monsters and NPCs according to the rules. I just started putting down the numbers and abilities that felt right instead and allowed them to do what I needed them to do in the game. Want the legendary swordsmith to only have 3 HP but a +20 blacksmithing check and the ability to forge magical weapons without being able to cast a spell? He can.

I also have a lot more fondness for the 4e cosmology and god/primordial conflict than I do the Great Wheel and its alignment based planes. The classical feel was a big inspiration for my preferred homebrew setting, which is set during a mythical age where the gods/primordials are still at war (of sorts).