D&D 5E Rules modules for 5E?

[El Mahdi]

No tactical module yet, but they did make a large-scale battle module.

Other than the modules in the DMG, I think Unearthed Arcana is going to be the vehicle by which they release any modules.

Other than that, third party publishers seem to already be working to fill the gap; like ENSider right here at ENWorld.

 

[jodyjohnson]

When I look at the options in the DMG I think they explicitly avoiding reprinting rules from previous editions. There are very few rules that are exactly like previous editions, but there are new variations on the 5e rules (see Healing and Recovery).

However the previous edition rules can be applied to the game since the terms are still common (or at least the spirit of those rules). I just think they didn't want to use space reprinting options that were already in print to avoid favoritism (including some editions but not all).

 

[Mistwell]

Granted, I don't have the DMG so I can't actually confirm this..

Much of what you're discussing is in fact in the DMG. If rules modules is something of high interest to you, I think you'd like that book quite a bit.

 

[TerraDave]

There are rules for marking and flanking in the DMG that adds some control, and there *are* rules for facing and detailed grid/hex rules.

Much of what you're discussing is in fact in the DMG. If rules modules is something of high interest to you, I think you'd like that book quite a bit.

Ya, this is a bit of an odd conversation. There is a bunch of optional stuff in the DMG. There are certainly combat options. Downtime options. Sanity options. Honor options. Tech options. Race and class options...and more.

I do think they move away from discrete modules as some might have guessed they would have looked. There is not an old school module, for example, but lots of choices you can make to go in that direction.

 

[Li Shenron]

I feel like this cheapens the meaning of "module" until it no longer signifies anything at all--except that the rules can be thrown out, or tweaked, by the DM as they see fit. Which has always been true, 5e just takes great pains to make you keenly, intimately, intensely aware of that fact.

I mean, just about the only thing you didn't say was modular was classes, and even that should count if "you can only play as subclass X" counts.

There are rules which you can't remove or alter without having many consequences in other areas of the game. For instance, you can't remove advantage/disadvantage because there are A LOT of class features, monsters features, feats, spells etc which either grant (dis)advantage or are conditioned to having (dis)advantage in order to work.

You cannot remove skills from the game because some classes have an important edge with skills.

You cannot change the HP system without considering how healing, resting, and many spells/feats/abilities will change.

It's not black & white, i.e. not everything is perfectly modular or non-modular, so some things can be changed with a number of consequences that might or might not be a problem for you, depending on how good you are at tweaking rules.

But overall 5e is "more modular" than e.g. 3e which had a lot more interconnected things.

 

[Mistwell]

Ya, this is a bit of an odd conversation. There is a bunch of optional stuff in the DMG. There are certainly combat options. Downtime options. Sanity options. Honor options. Tech options. Race and class options...and more.

I do think they move away from discrete modules as some might have guessed they would have looked. There is not an old school module, for example, but lots of choices you can make to go in that direction.

The old school module is supposed to be the Basic rules I believe, along with some tweaks in the DMG for things like healing, etc..

 

[Tony Vargas]

I remember, early in the development for 5E, that there was discussion of possible "rules modules" for 5E. That 5E would serve as a template upon which different rules modules could be applied so you could play the game however you wanted. Examples given included true names, a system in which everything had a true name that was the key to magic. Another was rules for creating 4E style miniatures heavy play. Or one that would allow interesting cross multiclassing, so you could play a thief that stole a spellbook or some other interesting backstory.

What happened to all that?

They're in the DMG. Not everything that was 'promised,' but, really, a lot of those promises were anything but, more like hopeful speculation of what might be in an ideal world...

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

Another factor is that when they were talking a lot about modules, they thought that the fanbase was broadly divided in rule preferences. The playtest surveys showed that there was an much stronger preference for a particular style of rules. So, while modularity is built into the game, it mostly takes the form of small adjustments instead of large modules.

 

[fireinthedust]

Cracking 5eis a blog post about exactly this thing: the underlying structure of 5th Edition.


I believe it's "modular" in how it's designed, which is what I think Mearls was alluding to back in the day, not just suggested optional rules systems. Feats swap in and out of the game as it's designed already (just like, as was mentioned, how the Basic set just applies Subclasses for you automatically).

I believe everything is packaged to be swapped in and out: races are packages of traits, Classes are packages you get all of over time, etc.

Miniatures tactics are the five foot increments of speeds, plus Facing.

 

[aramis erak]

I remember, early in the development for 5E, that there was discussion of possible "rules modules" for 5E. That 5E would serve as a template upon which different rules modules could be applied so you could play the game however you wanted. Examples given included true names, a system in which everything had a true name that was the key to magic. Another was rules for creating 4E style miniatures heavy play. Or one that would allow interesting cross multiclassing, so you could play a thief that stole a spellbook or some other interesting backstory.

What happened to all that?

There will be a hundred responses like "they have miniature rules" or "Monte Cook has true name rules for 3.5 and therefore Pathfinder, you could . . ." I'm really just interested in if there are any plans for rules modules from Wizards?

Have you read the DMG?
About a quarter of the book is rules modules...
Gridded play is technically an optional rule.
Facing and flanking are optional rules.
There is an option to replace the proficiency bonus with proficiency dice.
There are several options for healing.
There are options for downtime use, including an option to require training to level up.