D&D General Going back to Basic(s). A thought experiment.

[steeldragons]

...Might as well keep going... need to keep avoiding/procrastinating from laundry and packing for holiday travel...

WEAPONS - Bladed
Axe, battle: d10, two-handed, heavy
Axe, hand: d8
Scimitar: d6, light
Sword, long: d8, d10 if used two-handed
Sword, short: d6, light

WEAPONS - Bludgeoning
Hammer: d6, blunt, thrown, range up to 20'
Hammer, war: d10, two-handed, heavy
Flail: d8, reach +5', heavy
Mace: d6
Morningstar: d8

Weapons - Simple
Unarmed: d4, blunt
Club/cudgel/torch: d6, blunt
Dagger: d4, light, thrown, range up to 20'
Sickle: d4, light
Staff: d6, d8 if two-handed, blunt, reach +5'

Weapons - Ranged
Bow, short: arrows, d6, range up to 50'
Bow, long: arrows, d6. range up to 100'
Crossbow, light: bolts, d8 fires last in round, range up to 50'
Sling: stones, d4. range up to 30'
Thrown Darts/Blades: d4, up to 3 per round, range up to 20'

Weapons - Reach
Net: no damage but ensnared on successful hit, reach +10' or thrown range up to 30'
Halberd: d10, two-handed, reach +10'
Lance: d8, 2d10 if used from horseback, reach +10'
Spear: d6, d8 if two-handed, thrown or reach +5', range up to 50'
Whip: d4, can grapple on successful hit, reach +10'

ARMOR
Leather: +2 AC, light
Scale: +3 AC, medium
Chain: +4 AC, medium
Plate: +5 AC, heavy
Shield: +2 AC

 

[The Soloist]

I've been there and tried to do that. Did not work because some of the fundamentals of D&D just do not jive with me anymore. Instead, I created my four-page RPG fantasy solo system. It's very liberating.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I've been there and tried to do that. Did not work because some of the fundamentals of D&D just do not jive with me anymore. Instead, I created my four-page RPG fantasy solo system. It's very liberating.

Get back to me when it's one page!

 

[Quickleaf]

Get back to me when it's one page!

Every GM should try writing a one-page RPG at some point! I wrote one for a friend called "Nine Whiskers in Juarez" about feisty felines on the frontier. It's ridiculous, probably crap, can't wait to run it.

 

[Stormonu]

On weapons & armor, for this speculative version I'd probably just do it by die and leave the players to naming it, thusly:

WEAPONS
Light (Dagger, Club, Handaxe, etc.; can be used in off-hand) - 1d4 damage
Medium (Mace, Shortsword, Battleaxe, etc.; can be used in one hand) - 1d6 damage
Versatile (Spear, Longsword, Quarterstaff, Battleaxe, etc.; can be used one or two-handed) - 1d8 damage one-handed/1d10 damage two-handed
Heavy (Two-handed Sword, Greataxe, Polearm; must be used in two hands) - 1d12 damage

ARMOR
Light (Leather, Studded leather) AC 12
Medium (Hide, Chain Shirt, Breastplate) AC 14
Heavy (Chain mail, Scale) AC 16
Full (Plate mail) AC 18

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Every GM should try writing a one-page RPG at some point! I wrote one for a friend called "Nine Whiskers in Juarez" about feisty felines on the frontier. It's ridiculous, probably crap, can't wait to run it.

When I'm not running 5e or 1e (or, very occasionally, some other game), I usually run one-page games that I've designed myself for the session.

Once you start making them, it can be addictive!

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I can only assume there are a horde of OSR creators watching this thread in bemusement.

Also, some of the exact games you're describing already exist and are great.

Yeah, basically many of my suggestions were taken from Dungeon World and Freebooters on the Frontier

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yeah, basically many of my suggestions were taken from Dungeon World and Freebooters on the Frontier

I hope many of the forever-5E folks on this thread, when they hit a wall when building their own system/houserules, will at least quietly Google their preferred flavor of the game and see that someone else has done most of the work for them already.

 

[Tonguez]

On weapons & armor, for this speculative version I'd probably just do it by die and leave the players to naming it, thusly:

WEAPONS
Light (Dagger, Club, Handaxe, etc.; can be used in off-hand) - 1d4 damage
Medium (Mace, Shortsword, Battleaxe, etc.; can be used in one hand) - 1d6 damage
Versatile (Spear, Longsword, Quarterstaff, Battleaxe, etc.; can be used one or two-handed) - 1d8 damage one-handed/1d10 damage two-handed
Heavy (Two-handed Sword, Greataxe, Polearm; must be used in two hands) - 1d12 damage

ARMOR
Light (Leather, Studded leather) AC 12
Medium (Hide, Chain Shirt, Breastplate) AC 14
Heavy (Chain mail, Scale) AC 16
Full (Plate mail) AC 18

I’d go with all weapons doing D6 then
Light - +1 Initiative, -1 disadvantage on Attack
Medium -
Heavy - +1 Damage, double on a Crit. Requires 2-hands

 

[ThrorII]

So, early in 5e's life, we jumped back in to 'official' D&D from Castle's & Crusades. We played "Basic 5e" from the core download documents: Core 4 classes (Fighter [Champion], Cleric [Life], Wizard [Evoc], Rogue [Thief]) and Core 4 races (human, elf, dwarf, and halfling). No Feats. Yes on Backgrounds. We kept skill proficiency, but considered using the alternate non-proficiency rules in the DMG. It worked surprisingly well.

When we 'ported in Feats, we had an impromptu ranger (a Champion Fighter, with Outlander Background, and the Magic Initiate Feat [Druid]) and Paladin (Champion Fighter, Acolyte Background, and the Magic Initiate Feat [Cleric]).

I'd say a Basic Set, with the Core Four races, Core Four classes, Backgrounds, and rules for levels up to 5 or 10 would be perfectly do-able.