D&D 5E Tweaks to 5E for specific play purposes

Odysseus · Oct 28, 2020

How about you give hordes a very low dex.(Hordes can't dodge) Which would reduce AC to the point where you can't miss. And give them damage vulnerability to melee attacks and area attacks.
And then different type of attack depending on if the HP total. While above half they get an trample attack save vs being knocked prone. If under 1/4 they get a desperation attack advantage to attack ,but take triple damage.
As I mentioned above quicker rests will work just finding a balance for classes that get more back with short rests is key.

GMMichael · Oct 28, 2020

Reynard said:
I am interested in talking about modifying 5E . . . in order to get it to do a thing it doesn't out of the box, or at least do something better.

Reynard said:
Now I am happy to talk about how to Diablofy 5E, but what I really want this thread to be about is the process of modding 5e in general and the kinds of modifications that work to produce specific outcomes, from high fantasy to horror.

Two things you should look at when going for specific playstyles: basic assumptions and deep-seated rules.

D&D has some basic assumptions that make certain playstyles difficult. One is that higher-level characters have more hit points, and hit points prevent death. This assumption results in problems like "why doesn't a dagger to the throat kill?", "why doesn't a 200-foot fall result in death?", and "even a kobold is hard to kill, given enough character levels." Another basic assumption is that players control their characters down to a visceral level, given all the rules presented in the PHB, and all the detail on the character sheet. Another: combat must be conducted according to the rules in the combat chapter...

Changing some rules can be tricky in D&D, because some rules affect not just other rules, but how the game is written. For example, it's one thing to let PCs heal with a hit die on a short rest and gain an extra 5 HP. But if you tinker with what a hit die is - you're potentially affecting levels, hit points, healing, and the PCs' efficacy against monsters of a certain CR.

If your mods touch on either of these issues, you're wandering into game design or another game, and no longer tweaking.

Reynard · Oct 28, 2020

DMMike said:
D&D has some basic assumptions that make certain playstyles difficult. One is that higher-level characters have more hit points, and hit points prevent death. This assumption results in problems like "why doesn't a dagger to the throat kill?", "why doesn't a 200-foot fall result in death?", and "even a kobold is hard to kill, given enough character levels." Another basic assumption is that players control their characters down to a visceral level, given all the rules presented in the PHB, and all the detail on the character sheet. Another: combat must be conducted according to the rules in the combat chapter...

Emphasis mine. One of these things is not like the other.

People change, ignore, add or otherwise alter the rules for combat all the time. I would go so far as to say almost every group does something differently than what's in the combat chapter in the book.

GMMichael · Oct 28, 2020

To clarify: it's not what is in the combat chapter. It's that those rules must be used during combat. The DM can't (well, can) say "the dragon picks you up in its jaw and swings you around a bit," because the PC will say, "nuh-uh! You didn't roll initiative, and I get at least a dex save, and and and..."

Reynard · Oct 28, 2020

DMMike said:
To clarify: it's not what is in the combat chapter. It's that those rules must be used during combat. The DM can't (well, can) say "the dragon picks you up in its jaw and swings you around a bit," because the PC will say, "nuh-uh! You didn't roll initiative, and I get at least a dex save, and and and..."

Okay, I just don't see how that is distinct from your second point, which already speaks to the role of the rules in regards to player agency.

In either case, I'm not sure where you are going with this, especially in relation to my earlier post you quoted. Care to elaborate?

Oofta · Oct 28, 2020

DMMike said:
To clarify: it's not what is in the combat chapter. It's that those rules must be used during combat. The DM can't (well, can) say "the dragon picks you up in its jaw and swings you around a bit," because the PC will say, "nuh-uh! You didn't roll initiative, and I get at least a dex save, and and and..."

Well, yes, you have to have a structure for combat resolution which includes initiative. But fluff and description is pretty wide open. I have monsters and PCs do "creative" attacks now and then.

Not saying D&D is the best for every possible genre because no game could be, but style and feel can vary quite a bit table to table with only minor (if any) tweaks.