D&D 5E Tweaking 5E: Your knobs, dials and switches.

[Mycroft]

Ability Score Generation Methods​

Method I
You start with a 3 in all six ability scores. Roll 2d6 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 5 - 15, and an average score of 10.

Method II
You start with a 3 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d12 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 4 - 15, and an average score of 9.

Method III
You start with a 5 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d10 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 6 - 15, and an average score of 10.

Method IV
You start with a 7 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d8 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 8 - 15, and an average score of 11.

Method V
You start with a 9 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d6 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 10 - 15, and an average score of 12.

Method VI
You start with an 11 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d4 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 12 - 15, and an average score of 13.

Standard Array/Point Buy
If you are unsatisfied with your rolls, you can take an augmented Standard Array:
15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10.

Or 30-point buy.

You can lower any final scores.

 

[Mycroft]

Hit Points
Your hit point maximum increases by at least 1 when gaining a level, regardless of any modifiers or roll.
When rolling for hit points, if you are unhappy with the result, you can take average (round up).

Variant I
Hit Points at 1st Level: 1.5 x X (X = standard class value) + your Constitution modifier.
For example, a 1st level fighter with a Constitution 14, starts with 17 Hit Points.

Variant II
Hit Points at 1st Level: 2 x X (X = standard class value) + your Constitution modifier.
For example, a 1st level fighter with a Constitution 14, starts with 22 Hit Points.

Variant III
Hit Points at 1st Level: Constitution score + 1 Hit Dice (maximum hit point value).
For example, a 1st level fighter with a Constitution 14, starts with 24 Hit Points.
Hit Points at Higher Levels: Maximum hit point value (10 hit points per level of fighter, 6 per level of wizard, etc).

Variant IV
Hit Points at 1st Level: X (X = standard class value) + your Constitution modifier + racial bonus.
For example, a 1st level human fighter with a Constitution 14, starts with 20 Hit Points.
Hit Points at Higher Levels: Maximum hit point value + your Constitution modifer.

For example, a fighter with a Constitution 14, gains 12 hit points.

Bonus Hit Points for Race
Dwarf, Half-Orc. 10
Gnome, Halfling, Human. 8
Elf, Half-Elf. 6
Monsters
All have maximum hit points under this variant.

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Ability Score Generation Methods​

Method I
You start with a 3 in all six ability scores. Roll 2d6 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 5 - 15, and an average score of 10.

Method II
You start with a 3 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d12 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 4 - 15, and an average score of 9.

Method III
You start with a 5 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d10 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 6 - 15, and an average score of 10.

Method IV
You start with a 7 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d8 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 8 - 15, and an average score of 11.

Method V
You start with a 9 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d6 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 10 - 15, and an average score of 12.

Method VI
You start with an 11 in all six ability scores. Roll 1d4 six times, and assign each roll to one ability score as desired (one roll assigned to each score). This starts you with a beginning score of 12 - 15, and an average score of 13.

Standard Array/Point Buy
If you are unsatisfied with your rolls, you can take an augmented Standard Array:
15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10.

Or 30-point buy.

You can lower any final scores.

While we're on the subject, I quite liked someone's suggestion (I think it was on this site) of rolling 4d6 5 times, drop the lowest each time for 5 ability scores. Keep track of the 5 low dice that were dropped, drop the low 2, and the remaining three become your 6th score.

A possible more heroic variant (with possible 19s or 20s being rolled) would be to roll 3d6 plus 1d8 5 times, keep track of the lowest 5, drop the low 2, and the remaining 3 become the 6th score.

I love me some characters with a couple high ability scores and one or two really weak abilities. We've found it strengthens teamwork at the table.

 

[Mycroft]

I love me some characters with a couple high ability scores and one or two really weak abilities. We've found it strengthens teamwork at the table.

Yeah, I cannot stand SAD.

 

[Mycroft]

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Spellcasting​

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[FONT=HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]Variant: Spellcasting for Artificers, Clerics, and Wizards​

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[FONT=verdana, helvetica, sans-serif]Preparing and Casting Spells. You ​

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must prepare each spell slot in advance (as per standard 3rd Ed rules).[/FONT]
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[FONT=HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]Cantrips​

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[FONT=verdana, helvetica, sans-serif]Variant: Scale by Class Level​

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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Cantrips from your class spell [/FONT]list[FONT=Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] [/FONT][/FONT]scale by class level. Cantrips from your race scale by character level.

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[FONT=verdana, helvetica, sans-serif]Variant: Limited Magic​

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[FONT=HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]You can cast 5 cantrips, and regain the ability to do so when you finish a short or long rest.[/FONT]
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[FONT=verdana, helvetica, sans-serif]Eldritch Blast[/FONT]​

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[FONT=HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]Is a 1st level Warlock class feature (action, at will, ranged spell attack; scales by class level; you add your Charisma modifier to damage). [/FONT]
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[FONT=HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]Altered Spells​

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[FONT=HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]Forcecage. Allows a Dexterity saving throw; on a success, the target can use its reaction to move up to its speed so it's no longer enclosed by the cage.[/FONT]
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[FONT=HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]Wall of Force. Allows a Dexterity saving throw if used as a hemisphere or sphere to trap a creature; on a success, the target can use its reaction to move up to its speed so it's no longer enclosed by the hemisphere or sphere.[/FONT]
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[FONT=HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]Magic Resistance​

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[FONT=HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]The creature has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, and any creature making a spell attack against the creature has disadvantage on the attack roll.[/FONT]
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[Mycroft]

Equipment
Economy
Silver Standard
Gold piece values (prices for equipment, etc) are converted to Silver pieces.
Platinum piece values are Gold pieces, Silver piece values are Copper pieces, and Copper piece values are Copper bits. For example, instead of a dagger costing 2 gp, it costs 2 sp.

Armour
Light Armour
11 + Dexterity modifier, disadvantage: Padded
11 + Dexterity modifier: Gambeson
12 + Dexterity modifier: Leather

Medium Armour
12 + Dexterity modifier (max 2): Hide
13 + Dexterity modifier (max 2): Chain shirt
14 + Dexterity modifier (max 2), disadvantage: Scale
14 + Dexterity modifier (max 2): Breastplate
15 + Dexterity modifier (max 2), disadvantage: Brigandine

Heavy Armour
15, disadvantage: Mail
16, disadvantage: Splint
17, disadvantage: Half plate
18, disadvantage: Plate

Buckler. +1 (bonus action to don or doff). Weight. 3lb.
Tower Shield. +4 (action to don or doff), Dexterity modifier (max 2), disadvantage, Weight. 25lb.
As an action, you can use a tower shield to grant you total cover until the beginning of your next turn. When using a tower shield in this way, you must choose one side of your space. That side is treated as a solid wall for attacks targeting you only. You gain total cover for attacks that pass through that side and no cover for attacks that do not pass through that side.

Weapon Properties
Double. When taking the attack action with a double weapon, you can make an attack as a bonus action with the other end of the weapon, as for Two-Weapon Fighting. A damage value in parentheses appears with the property - the damage with the other end of the weapon when used to make an attack.
Finesse. When making an attack with a finesse weapon, you use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack roll.
Loading.When making an attack with a loading weapon, you do not use your Strength modifier for the damage roll.

Cold-Iron Weapons
Some monsters that have immunity or resistance to nonmagical weapons are susceptible to cold-iron weapons.

Bone/Ceramic/Coral/Obsidian/Stone/Wood WeaponsSome weapons made of these materials, such as a bone sword, coral dagger, or a stone-tipped spear, take a -1 penalty to damage rolls. If the d20 roll for an attack with such a weapon is a 1, there's a chance it's destroyed: Roll a d20. If the roll is 9 or lower, the weapon is destroyed.

Special Weapons
Bolas. A Large or smaller creature hit by a bolas is knocked prone. A bolas has no effect on creatures that are formless, or creatures that are Huge or larger.
When you use an action, bonus action, or reaction to attack with a bolas, you can make only one attack regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

Simple Melee Weapons
1d4, Finesse, light: Bludgeoning (sap), Piercing (foil), Slashing (kukri, razor, war fan)
1d4, Finesse, light, thrown: Piercing (dagger, tanto), Slashing (chakram, knife)
1d4, Light: Bludgeoning (cestus, club, escrima/jo-stick, knobkierie, nunchaku, tonfa)
1d4, Light, thrown:Bludgeoning (boomerang, light hammer), Piercing (wushu dart), Slashing (handaxe)

1d6, Light: Bludgeoning (light mace, sai), Piercing (ankus/elephant goad, light pick), Slashing (kama, long knife, panga, parang, sickle)
1d6, Thrown: Bludgeoning (hammer), Piercing (javelin), Slashing (axe)
1d6, Thrown, versatile (d8): Piercing (assegai, spear, tiger lance, trident, yari)
1d6, Versatile (d8): Bludgeoning (chain, kau sin ke, nine-section whip)

1d8, Two-handed: Bludgeoning (gada, quarterstaff, Sansetsukon/Three-section-staff), Piercing (tiger fork), Slashing (nagimaki)

1d10, Heavy, two-handed: Bludgeoning (greatclub, tetsubo), Slashing (scythe)

Martial Melee Weapons
1d4, Finesse, reach: Piercing (rope-dart, whip), Slashing (kyoketsu shoge)
1d6, Double (1d6), finesse, two-handed: Bludgeoning/Bludgeoning (bo-staff), Bludgeoning/Piercing (gnome hooked hammer), Piercing/Slashing (monks' spade), Slashing/Slashing (lajatang, two-bladed sword), Slashing/Piercing (dwarven urgrosh)
1d6, Finesse, light: Piercing (gladius, kris, shortsword), Slashing (butterfly sword, scimitar, wakizashi)
1d6, Finesse, reach, two-handed: Bludgeoning (meteor hammer), Piercing (spiked chain), Slashing (kusarigama)

1d8: Bludgeoning (flail, mace), Piercing (morningstar, war pick, zaghnal), Slashing (arming sword, khopesh, maca, spatha, urumi)
1d8, Finesse: Piercing (rapier), Slashing (broadsword, cutlass, dao, falcata, nine-ring sword, sabre, tulwar)
1d8, Versatile (1d10): Bludgeoning (warhammer), Piercing (estoc, Iklwa), Slashing (battleaxe, katana, khandar, longsword, terbutje, wodao)

1d10, Finesse, two-handed: Slashing (elven courtblade, falchion, tachi)
1d10, Heavy, reach, two-handed: Bludgeoning (pole-hammer), Piercing (bisento, long spear, pike, ranseur, tepoztopilli), Slashing (glaive, halberd, naginata, pole-axe)

1d12, Heavy, two-handed: Bludgeoning (heavy flail, war mace), Piercing (greatspear), Slashing (chandao, greataxe, macuahuitl)
1d12, Reach, special: Piercing (lance)
2d6, Heavy, two-handed: Bludgeoning (dai tsuchi, maul), Piercing (mattock), Slashing (greatsword, jian, nodachi, zweihänder)

Martial Ranged Weapons
---, Special, thrown (range 30/120): --- (bolas)
---, Special, thrown (range 10/20): --- (lasso, net)

 

[Swarmkeeper]

Whoa. That’s a whole command center of knobs, dials, and levers, [MENTION=7005485]Mycroft[/MENTION]. Do you provide an alternate PHB to your players so everyone can keep up with all your tweaks?

 

[Mycroft]

Whoa. That’s a whole command center of knobs, dials, and levers, @Mycroft. Do you provide an alternate PHB to your players so everyone can keep up with all your tweaks?

None, some, or all may be used (campaign dependant, also I love the Action Options in the DMG: Climb onto a Bigger Creature, etc); they are just that: variants, knobaloos. I am not implying that 5th Ed is not a great version of D&D, right out of the box (one of my best sessions ever, in over 30 years, was with the first D&D Next playtest packet).

These just lead to more fun for my group (we like a little more crunch than 5th Ed, but not as much as 3rd Ed).

 

[JiffyPopTart]

*snipped text*

Mycroft

Not really a reply to any of your discussion, but a heads up. When viewing your strangely formatted text using the "Dark Theme" on Enworld you show up like this. It makes me just breeze on by and not bother trying to read the contents.

 

[Charlaquin]

My current campaign I’m running pretty by the book, and I don’t like to fiddle with the dials mid-campaign. But for my next one, I am planning to reframe Passive Ability Checks as Ability DCs. Rather than using Passive Checks to represent the average result of an action taken repeatedly, or an always-on baseline, my plan is to use Ability DCs only as the go-to DC for any checks that would affect the character. So, no passive Perception, but attempts to hide from you need to beat your Wisdom DC, which is 8 + your Wisdom mod, and you can add your Proficiency Bonus if you have a relevant Proficiency (usually Perception in this case). Additionally, I plan to do away with Saving Throw Proficiencies, but allow Skills, Tool Poficiencies, etc. to apply to Saving Throws.

Another change I plan to make for my next campaign is around Inspiration. In my current campaign I’m using the iserith method of “you can claim Inspiration once for each of your background traits per session,” but I’m still finding that my players hoard (or forget to use) Inspiration. So next campaign I’m switching back to a method I’ve had much more success with in the past, which is that you can only spend Inspiration when the action ties into one of your Personality Traits, Ideal, or Bond. You can gain Inspiration any time you suffer a setback as a result of your Flaw (no 1/session limit). In my experience, these additional restrictions cause the players to keep alert for opportunities to use Inspiration when they have it instead of holding onto it for a hypothetical more important roll.