D&D 5E Variant 5e?

[snickersnax]

Want a different feel for magic? Go with prepared slots for wizards. Hear me out...

Not the old memorize/forget style, but rather all wizards can prepare spells by spending 10 minutes/spell to create a scroll by writing the spell into their spell book. When they read the scroll/page in the spell book the writing disappears. At slightly higher levels some wizards may also get to prepare spell slots as potions or as charges in a wand or staff.

All consumables / charged items are really just prepared wizard spell slots.

Creating permanent items requires permanently sacrificing the appropriate spell slot.

This creates all kinds of fun shenanigans in the wizard world.

 

[Tony Vargas]

we still use AC. DR (from armor) only comes into play when your bloodied.

Ooh, that's one of those 'why didn't I think of that' good ideas.

At slightly higher levels some wizards may also get to prepare spell slots as potions or as charges in a wand or staff.
All consumables / charged items are really just prepared wizard spell slots.

that one I had thought of, though specific to a 2e-style 'school' of Alchemy back in the day.

Creating permanent items requires permanently sacrificing the appropriate spell slot.

Logical extension of the idea. Nice.

Do you take it as far as, once they wizard who made it dies, the item stops working?

 

[dave2008]

Ooh, that's one of those 'why didn't I think of that' good ideas.

We started doing that in 4e and carried it over to 5e (though we don't use half HP as bloodied)

 

[Tony Vargas]

Is anyone else interested in posting there ideas for small changes to the 5e ruleset that can make a big change in the theme / feel of the game?

I know this isn't going to /sound/ like a 'small change,' but it is just one mechanical deletion that doesn't add complexity or require not using the rulebooks or anything...

Remove slots. That is, you have cantrips, and you have rituals, and that's it. Casters are still contributing in combat via cantrips (and indirectly via rituals) and out-of-combat via rituals and skills.

The more complicated version is that you can cast other spells that aren't normally rituals as such. Or, have other interesting/dangerous ways of getting spells off, depending on how you want magic to work in the world.
Either way the big change in the theme/feel of the game is that magic can be made to behave a bit more like it does in genre.

 

[DWChancellor]

I know this isn't going to /sound/ like a 'small change,' but it is just one mechanical deletion that doesn't add complexity or require not using the rulebooks or anything...

Remove slots. That is, you have cantrips, and you have rituals, and that's it. Casters are still contributing in combat via cantrips (and indirectly via rituals) and out-of-combat via rituals and skills.

The more complicated version is that you can cast other spells that aren't normally rituals as such. Or, have other interesting/dangerous ways of getting spells off, depending on how you want magic to work in the world.
Either way the big change in the theme/feel of the game is that magic can be made to behave a bit more like it does in genre.

I love the idea of replacing slots with scroll manufacture. You'd have to speed it up, but it would really really move the game. You'd change the dynamics of economy too as the party finally had a proper money-sink to manage. There would then also be physical assets for the party to stockpile and protect.

This would make a wonderful campaign theme all by itself.

 

[3catcircus]

Thank you for sharing!

OK, I would consider that a major change as you have to change every character and monster and basic combat and encounter assumptions. If it could be done simply maybe, but I think it is probably beyond the scope of the small change I was talking about. What are you hoping to get from this change?

Ya, another big change IMO

Yes, we do that now, although we still use AC. DR only comes into play when your bloodied.
That is already a variant rule in the DMG. I have thought about using it, but haven't tried it yet with my current group.
I thought per #1 you were using a wound system and not HP. Can you clarify?

The use of hit point thresholds prevents PCs or NPCs from being at 100% effectiveness at 1hp.

Let's say you have 50 hp. I'd pick thresholds of 1, 17, 34, 50. Get hit for 12 points - you have a slight wound. Hit for 42 - a serious wound. Take a 2nd wound of the same level and it increases your wound level by 1 (additional wounds beyond the second don't also increase the wound level) . This is where the dice pool and your margin of success comes in because it adds to the amount of damage but a margin of zero (just hits) can only do a slight wound. You aren't subtracting hp, you are just saying "if I get hit by an attack that does this much damage, a wound of this severity occurs."

Healing would remove wound levels or hp, depending upon whether or not you use a wound system or straight up - they're two different bolt-on changes...

 

[Tony Vargas]

I love the idea of replacing slots with scroll manufacture. You'd change the dynamics of economy too as the party finally had a proper money-sink to manage. This would make a wonderful campaign theme all by itself.

Once you get rid of the last vestiges of Vancian, you are free to take it any direction you want.
I first had the idea when thinking of ways to get more of an S&S sub-genre feel from D&D.
I'd considered things like specific spells being possible only at very specific times "The stars are not right!" or carrying tremendous risk (from 'mere' exhaustion to insanity to death to permanent loss of the ability to use magic, at all) requiring magical power from rare (like questworthy rare) components, monopolized commodities, and/or sacrifice or each form of magic carrying a progressive risk of losing control of the PC (wizards would risk insanity, warlocks possession, and sorcerers transformation, for instance).

 

[Salthorae]

Variant 5e:

With the recent threads on 6e (here) and 5e on hard mode (here), I’ve been think about ways to alter 5e to create a different feel. So I wondered, what was the least I could do to the rules, and make the game feel significantly different.

EDIT: To clarify I am thinking about small changes to the existing game. So the existing books a generally usable as is.

Here is what I came up with (for a more custimizable hard mode variant of 5e):

• PC HP: 1st lvl - no change; each level after you only gain your hit die (rolled or average) in HP (no CON mod)
• Max ability score: 18
• Death saves: each time you make a death save you gain one level of exhaustion.
• Resting.
  • Short rest: spend 1 HD max and must use healer’s kit
  • Long Rest: regain all spent HD; spend 2 HD with a healer’s kit, or 1 HD without
  • Extended Rest: 1 week of bed rest, remove one level of exhaustion
• Feats only, no ASI.
  • Up get additional skill, racial, tool (weapon) feats: you get 2-4 (not sure how many or at what levels yet) on top of the general feats your class allows
• No multi-classing

What I think this does is make the game more challenging, while also giving players more customization options. I think this should expand the “sweet” spot as PCs will continue to be threatened as they have less HP and real consequences for dying without having to revamp all of the monsters. I just might try this in my next campaign.

What do you think? What ideas do you have to make small changes with big impacts?

For a fun 5e variant, check out Darker Dungeons. I didn't see it in the "hard mode" thread.

 

[dave2008]

For a fun 5e variant, check out Darker Dungeons. I didn't see it in the "hard mode" thread.

Really interesting, I will have to look at it in more detail, but the Modes of Play are exactly want I am think about: a set of changes that allow you still use the game pretty much as is, but with a different theme/flavor. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Salthorae]

Really interesting, I will have to look at it in more detail, but the Modes of Play are exactly want I am think about: a set of changes that allow you still use the game pretty much as is, but with a different theme/flavor. Thank you for sharing!

Welcome. There are a ton of different options/variants in that document. Not all of them have to be "turned on" or played at the same time though you could.

It's fun, I'm in an online PBP game using it. it's a VERY different feeling play style.