So a year after the 5e announcement, Mike Mearls spent the first four Legends & Lores of 2013 talking about design goals for D&D Next.
Here they are:
D&D Next Goals Part One
D&D Next Goals Part Two
D&D Next Goals Part Three
D&D Next Goals Part Four
Although I've seen many people saying (some even in 2013!) that WotC "stopped talking about modularity", modularity talk was on full display in these articles. The first one is kind of an overview of what they wanted to accomplish with 5e: have an essential core of D&D throughout its editions, so that someone who hasn't played in years can step into a 5e game with ease, but also to bring in new players. Mearls explicitly mentions modularity as a strategy for that. A simple, yet complete, core game that new players can easily grasp, with more complex and/or ancillary rules for veteran players laying on top of that simple core.
Part 2 talks about what they saw as the Basic Rules. Simple, iconic core four classes and races, fast character creation, game that is easy to pick up and play. And obviously this vision led to the current Basic Rules.
Part 3 talks about what they saw as the Standard Rules. More race options, more class options, more backgrounds, feats, multiclassing, more rules for the DM to refer to for adjudicating various actions. So this is the basic PHB, MM, and parts of the DMG (such as the rules for chases, travel pace, objects' AC and HP, and the social interaction).
Part 4 talks about what they considered Advanced Rules. Mearls categorized these kinds of rules in three ways: 1) dials that change the game in a predictable way (e.g., healing and resting rates, available in the DMG), 2) modular rules that fit on top of the core game (e.g., rules for loyalty and morale, both in the DMG), and 3) some advanced rules that change the core system in a fundamental way (e.g., armor DR, hit locations, and variant magic, only the last appears in the DMG, although there are rules along the lines of the others, like massive damage and lingering injuries).
Mearls even provided a kind of wish list of things they'd eventually want to add to the game.
- Include tactical combat rules that allow the option to add more miniatures gaming elements to combat. This would include a grid, options for facing, rules for more detailed zones of control, and so on. (In the DMG)
- Provide a system that emphasizes refreshing resources by encounter instead of by day. The nice thing about our approach is that since this is an option, we don't have to settle for half measures. Everything can be encounter-based, even hit points. (Not seen yet.)
- Create rules for giving mechanical weight to character motivation, personality traits, and so on. (Eventually introduced into the Basic and Standard Rules for PCs, expanded to NPCs in the DMG.)
- Provide a structure for a more story-based approach to D&D, treating the DM and players as co-authors of a narrative with a specific focus. (In the DMG.)
- Use action points, fate points, or a similar meta-mechanic as a reward or a way to give players a mechanical option to boost their power for a specific moment. (Inspiration was included in the Basic and Standard Rules, with Inspiration variations and Hero Points in the DMG.)
- Create variant XP rules, using XP as a way for a DM to place the emphasis on fighting, interaction, exploration, finding treasure, and so on. (XP-less advancement is discussed in the DMG; otherwise not really seen yet.)
- Add in rules for firearms, including both a historical take and one driven by fantasy. (In the DMG, along with Alien Technology.)
- Include rules for mass combat between armies, both for resolving two armies fighting and battles where the PCs can play a role. (In Unearthed Arcana #2.)
- Design rules for speeding up battles that involve lots of monsters and the characters. (In the DMG.)
- Provide rules for sea battles. (Not seen yet.)
- Create rules for realms management and strongholds. (Aside from downtime rules for building strongholds, not seen yet.)
- Design rules for finding ingredients and reagents to craft magic items. (Not particularly developed, aside from some downtime rules for time and cost.)
- Provide critical hit and critical failure tables. (Not seen yet.)
- Design rules for using armor as damage reduction, along with rules for hit locations. (Not seen yet.)
- Introduce rules for lingering wounds, a gritty approach to health and well being. (In the DMG.)
- Include alternative magic systems. (Spell points in the DMG.)
- Provide rules for horror and sanity, along with other rules to change D&D's genre. (In the DMG, along with Honor rules.)
Of course, as Remathilis's list shows, even if the specific rules suggested here haven't shown up yet, there have been others, such as weapon factors and side initiative, and Epic Boons. And a
crapload of variants.
