D&D 5E (2024) Preferences in a New Official 5.5e Specific Setting

[Paul Farquhar]

I agree. But, that is why it should just be a five-page rule variation in the DM's Guide.

What rules do you think need changing?

 

[Minigiant]

What rules do you think need changing?

The main ones would be the Swords rules and the Sorcery.

Thematically the swords is the Player Characters and the sorcery is the boss Characters.

So you would need rules to increase the power and flexibility of Martial Weapons combat and Skill use. And nerf Magic accordingly. Probably rules to convert half casters to third casters and full casters to half casters with access to high level magic still.

Then you'd need more rules on the items so characters don't gradually lean to magic over time.

The rest is DMing and setting. But you need variant rules to keep the game from getting stale.

 

[Yaarel]

What rules do you think need changing?

Where sword and sorcery is moreorless Conan or subversively the antihero Elric, the general idea is, this is the human world that existed before God destroyed it by a flood: "antediluvian".

In practice the setting tends toward:

Urban towns are corrupt and Evil, but rural farms wholesome and Good.

Personal ambitions determine all conflicts, everything is ethically gray, and cosmic battles of Good versus Evil are nonexistent. Violence is pervasive, escalating, and destabilizing the cosmos. Hence violence is the cause of the soon-to-come cataclysm of the metaphorical flood, but the violent are unaware of the immanent environmental disaster that they are causing.

Characters are vulnerable. Level 8 is the highest level possible anywhere.

Magic is generally rare and corrupting. Typically the rural protagonists are nonmagical, and the urban antagonists magical. Albeit Elric subverts this by an antihero urban mage. Remove all fullcasters from the setting, except Warlock is probably ok and is appropriate thematically. Partcasters are fine but still rare in the setting and corruptible. Rogue Trickster is appropriate for a default mage. The main villain is a mage.

Corruptible means strongly pressures characters to make exploitative, violent, selfpreserving choices.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Where sword and sorcery is moreorless Conan or subversively the antihero Elric, the general idea is, this is the human world that existed before God destroyed it by a flood: "antediluvian".

In practice the setting tends toward:

Urban towns are corrupt and Evil, but rural farms wholesome and Good.

Personal ambitions determine all conflicts, everything is ethically gray, and cosmic battles of Good versus Evil are nonexistent. Violence is pervasive, escalating, and destabilizing the cosmos. Hence violence is the cause of the soon-to-come cataclysm of the metaphorical flood, but the violent are unaware of the immanent environmental disaster that they are causing.

Characters are vulnerable. Level 8 is the highest level possible anywhere.

Magic is generally rare and corrupting. Typically the rural protagonists are nonmagical, and the urban antagonists magical. Albeit Elric subverts this by an antihero urban mage. Remove all fullcasters from the setting, except Warlock is probably ok and is appropriate thematically. Partcasters are fine but still rare in the setting and corruptible. Rogue Trickster is appropriate for a default mage. The main villain is a mage.

Corruptible means strongly pressures characters to make exploitative, violent, selfpreserving choices.

This is setting fluff, not game rules.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The main ones would be the Swords rules and the Sorcery.

Thematically the swords is the Player Characters and the sorcery is the boss Characters.

Unless they are Elric.

So you would need rules to increase the power and flexibility of Martial Weapons combat and Skill use.

Nope. Marital Characters in 5e are stronger than Conan already. You might want to suggest that PCs select martial characters - if they ignore you, they are clearly not into the setting, so play something else.

And nerf Magic accordingly.

Casters are plenty dangerous in S&S. They are just less common and more likely to be villainous. Which the DM can do without rules, since they populate the world.

Probably rules to convert half casters to third casters and full casters to half casters with access to high level magic still.

No need to do that, since if your players want to be here they won't be playing casters, and you don't want to nerf the bad guys.

Then you'd need more rules on the items so characters don't gradually lean to magic over time.

The DM decides what goes into the world. No rules are required for them to put in fewer magic items.

The rest is DMing and setting. But you need variant rules to keep the game from getting stale.

It's all DMing the setting.

And you have missed a key feature - S&S protagonists tend to be morally ambiguous. And whilst that is largely down to the players buying into the premise, there is something you can do there - completely remove alignment.

 

[Yaarel]

This is setting fluff, not game rules.

I generally agree. But. Things like banning fullcasters, capping levels at 8, and perhaps a mechanic to make spellcasting encourage violence (compare Dark Sun defiling mechanic), are rules mechanics.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I generally agree. But. Things like banning fullcasters,

As I said, no need to ban them.

capping levels at 8,

Not a rule, a campaign parameter. And Conan, Elric etc seem plenty superpowered to me anyway.

and perhaps a mechanic to make spellcasting encourage violence (compare Dark Sun defiling mechanic), are rules mechanics.

Defiling never worked as a game mechanic.

You don't need actual rules to do S&S, more like guidelines.

Something similar to the Dark Fantasy section in VGR (which has some tables and things in it) is all that is required.

And player buy-in, which is probably the hard bit.

 

[Minigiant]

Unless they are Elric

Elric is an anomaly

Most Sword and Sorcery has the majority of protagonists no spellcaster or primarily warrior

Nope. Marital Characters in 5e are stronger than Conan already. You might want to suggest that PCs select martial characters - if they ignore you, they are clearly not into the setting, so play something else.

Martial characters would get flexibility.

Magic characters would lose magic power but gain martial power.

That's the main rules.

Wizards would become staff users and sling users but be good at it.

No need to do that, since if your players want to be here they won't be playing casters, and you don't want to nerf the bad guys

No. You can play spellcasters in S&S. You just would be weaker in magic and more weapon focus. Like rangers and paladins but with limited weapon choice.

 

[Scott Christian]

What rules do you think need changing?

I think you remove certain spells (maybe even the magic system), fiddle with the long rest/healing, show DMs and players how to adjust flavor text, beef up singular creatures, and make fighting a large group of guards close to impossible (possibly tinkering with armor). I think part of the goal is to have fewer encounters per day (1 or 2), cross-country exploration more of a hardship, and a cities/towns (despite the thieves' guilds) more of a safe-haven.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Most Sword and Sorcery has the majority of protagonists no spellcaster or primarily warrior

Grey Mouser.

Martial characters would get flexibility.

Magic characters would lose magic power but gain martial power.

That's the main rules.

I don't see that has anything to do with S&S. Conan is if anything less flexible than a typical 5e fighter or barbarian. And a caster with less magic in more martial? You have just described Gandalf, very much not S&S.

If your players want to play an S&S type protagonist they will make one. And if they don't you really shouldn't be trying to impose your preferences on them by nefing what you don't want them to pick.

No. You can play spellcasters in S&S. You just would be weaker in magic and more weapon focus.

Elric summons gods to do his bidding and walks between planes. Villainous necromancers raise armies of undead and make themselves virtually immortal in Conan. Doesn't look like casters are weak to me. Rare? Sure, but weak? No.