D&D (2024) New Optional Rules

[Clint_L]

I like optional rules that add complexity for those who want it, but don't clutter up the game for those who don't. For example, at my table I use a home-brew critical wound table that players have to roll on after a character survives making death saves. I do this because I want going to 0 hit points to have more story consequences than it does in RAW. And it has led to some great story beats, like the artificer having to learn how to make an artificial hand after losing one in battle.

What are some ideas for new optional rules folks would add? Critical wounds is mine.

 

[payn]

Alignment mechanics.

 

[Edwin Suijkerbuijk]

A guide for flipping roles from DM to player side or vice versa.
So you could flip all rolls to the players side so the DM only works with static numbers.

The orc attacks you with his great sword, make your AC roll 20+ac modifier vs the orcs attack DC 10+attack bonus.

You fireball 5 orcs roll a spell DC roll for each orc VS their dex DC.

 

[tetrasodium]

expanded skills. The default 18 skills might work great for a small 2-3 player group, but it's so condensed that a group with 4-5 players & up is going to have any worthwhile skill doubled up so excessively that the GM may as well not even ask for rolls. It's not the fault of players though because they don't have enough choices they can't adjust as they advance & there simply aren't enough skills to meaningfully differentiate.


edit: The return of body slots & bonus types if they aren't core. Attunement alone is not granular enough to safely do much with magic items. trying to use them with "well back in 3.5..." sets a very high bar for the GM to overcome

 

[rules.mechanic]

My top 5 would be: Defense; Degree of Success; Overexertion; Stacking Advantage/Disadvantage; and Additional Weapon Properties

 

[Clint_L]

We also use a stunting rule at my table which is hardly my invention but is super fun. Players can describe a stunt they want to do as part of movement or an attack; I assign a skill and DC; if they succeed they get advantage on the subsequent thing they are doing; if they fail they get disadvantage. Natural 1s and 20s get bonus effects and, in the case of natural 1s, typically much hilarity.

Example: monk asks to do a front flip over their adversary to attack them from behind. I assign a DC 15 acrobatics check.

 

[Yaarel]

Optional Rules is pretty much why the DMs Guide exists.

Hopefully, in the 2024 edition, any game rule that is mandatory is in the Players Handbook and any game rule that is optional, extra or variant, is in the DMs Guide.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Hopefully, in the 2024 edition, any game rule that is mandatory is in the Players Handbook and any game rule that is optional, extra or variant, is in the DMs Guide.

I mean, that's not been the approach so far, and 5E had a lot of weird-ass "rules" that were in a quantum superposition as to whether they were actually rules, which was, um, dumb. Really dumb.

They were all in the DMG.

So I mean for starters, let's collapse all quantum superpositions. No more rules that are "a DM could do this I guess if they felt like it maybe perhaps..." which is basically how like 15% of the stuff in the DMG is written.

Also, let's formalize what optional, extra, and variant mean. Maybe we just clarify and call them all optional? Right now, 5E uses certainly optional and variant and I think you're right to say extra, and that plus the quantum superposition stuff is a whole lot of messy, badly-organised junk. So all rules should clear either be:

1) Rules. Actual rules.

Yes I agree all of these should be in the PHB.

2) Guidelines/suggestions which are not rules.

These should be clearly and consistently called out for what they are. These should never be numerical nor contain anything which appears to be rules. They should only talk about the rules. If they're numerical, or contain things that appear to be rules, they need to either be rules, or imho, optional rules. Nothing else.

3) Optional rules.

Actual rules, but not required. Honestly if it was up to me the PHB would at least note these existed (and specifically, not as a general concept). All of these should be clearly separated from the actual rules, and clearly separated from guidelines/suggestions. They should also be well-contained, never randomly appearing three paragraphs into a discussion on something.

I also think several things which are currently optional rules simply should not be. Just make 'em rules-rules if they don't meaningfully clutter the game but provide extra options.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

• Scaling martials at-wills to replace multi-attack, liberally copy/pasted from the cantrips list.
• Simple martial stances (Offensive, Defensive, Teamwork, for example)
• Low-magic features to give to 1/2 casters to remove their spells.
• Generic-ish templates or features to plug on monsters to buff them up, such as Mythic or low-key Legendary stuff.

 

[Yaarel]

I mean, that's not been the approach so far, and 5E had a lot of weird-ass "rules" that were in a quantum superposition as to whether they were actually rules, which was, um, dumb. Really dumb.

They were all in the DMG.

So I mean for starters, let's collapse all quantum superpositions. No more rules that are "a DM could do this I guess if they felt like it maybe perhaps..." which is basically how like 15% of the stuff in the DMG is written.

Also, let's formalize what optional, extra, and variant mean. Maybe we just clarify and call them all optional? Right now, 5E uses certainly optional and variant and I think you're right to say extra, and that plus the quantum superposition stuff is a whole lot of messy, badly-organised junk. So all rules should clear either be:

1) Rules. Actual rules.

Yes I agree all of these should be in the PHB.

2) Guidelines/suggestions which are not rules.

These should be clearly and consistently called out for what they are. These should never be numerical nor contain anything which appears to be rules. They should only talk about the rules. If they're numerical, or contain things that appear to be rules, they need to either be rules, or imho, optional rules. Nothing else.

3) Optional rules.

Actual rules, but not required. Honestly if it was up to me the PHB would at least note these existed (and specifically, not as a general concept). All of these should be clearly separated from the actual rules, and clearly separated from guidelines/suggestions. They should also be well-contained, never randomly appearing three paragraphs into a discussion on something.

I also think several things which are currently optional rules simply should not be. Just make 'em rules-rules if they don't meaningfully clutter the game but provide extra options.

All rules relating to skills, including how Hide, Athletics, Social Reactions, and the like, must be in the Players Handbook. These are "mandatory" rules − and the kind of rules that players need to use.

An "extra" rule is a rule that the game can function with or without − such as incurring an enduring injury if entering death saves.

In 2014, feats were an "extra" rule, at least formally. But by now, most players who were unfamiliar with feats have warmed up to the wisdom of using feats. 1DD suggests feats will become mandatory in 2024. There will be suggestions for default feats for DMs and players who dont want to deal with the erudite quest for the perfect feats.

A "variant" rule is something that actually replaces a player-facing rule. Having two different kinds of Human, a default and a variant. Switching to a different kind of Rest timing. Using alternate class features from supplemental books to modify the Players Handbook rules. And so on.

Of course, the players should have meaningful choices to choose between at important decision points while leveling. These are part of mandatory rules.

1DD and its surveys are sifting thru the responses to determine what the mandatory rules will be in 2024. Things that were extra (feats) or variant (Human) look like they will become mandatory.

Anything that is nonmanditory will hopefully be in the 2024 DMs Guide.

Also hopefully, any variants or extras that do make it into the DMs Guide will work well and have undergone some serious playtesting, so DMs who are interested in using them can refer to the DMs Guide as-is, without needing to fix and accommodate.