OSR OSR Easy Hacks

[Zardnaar]

Spin off from the thread about what you bring back.
This is more implementing OSR concepts that don't require massive rewrites.

Some thoughts.

Energy drain.
Instead of inflicting level loss energy drain inflicts exhaustion levels instead. CR up to 10 is one level,11 to 20 2levels, CR 21+ 3 levels.

Spell Resistance
Replace advantage on saves with a flat number, 6, 11, 16. That's the number required to beat SR on a d20. Failure means the critter is immune to that spell.

Magic Weapons
A magic weapon in 5E even +0 gets through all requirements on weapon immunity as a general rule. Bring back +1, +2, +3 requirements probably based on CR similar to my SR idea above.

Note I'm talking about houserules here, not 6E or expecting WotC to implement any ideas.

Any other ideas/comments on my ideas.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Dangerous poison? Like, with ongoing damage over time, instead of just a Condition. Or maybe the poison damage overtime reduce the PC's max hp instead.

 

[LordEntrails]

Initially I was like ooh, ugh, I hate those ideas... I mean energy drain was so over used and only exacerbated level disparity problems.

But then I stopped and after a while let the ideas think in.

So, exhaustion, I believe their are canon creatures that do that, though its not called energy drain. But I've got no problem with this idea.

SR... I don't think so. too fiddle? I mean why two separate rolls? Just give them an increased saves and then with advantage it works well, imo. To me, the biggest problem with SR was two rolls. Roll to save, roll to overcome SR. Just make it into one roll, speed things up!

Magic weapons... So DR is also something I found too time consuming for little benefit. And to add to that then the crap about special materials etc. I mean I like the idea of cold iron for devils, but things just got way too carried away with special materials and all that stuff. So, I guess their is some middle ground, but I don't know where it is. Maybe resistance based on power of weapon/attack magic, but not sure yet.