D&D 5E What Rule Systems Would You Like To See (More Of)?

[ChaosOS]

Better exploration rules. Related, meaningful disease to make medicine relevant. I really like Darker Dungeon's fix to this.

 

[DND_Reborn]

1. 3D6 instead of d20

2. Dualclass instead of multiclass 1-2 level cheese dips.

3. 4E healing surges after short rests rather than HD healing.

4. Adding 2 abilities to most checks/DCs

I.E. Melee attack; str+dex. Then some classes can exchange str or dex for other abilities. paladin str+cha, etc...
melee damage str×2,
melee finesse damage str+dex,
melee 2H damage str×3,
melee 2H finesse damage str+dex×2

ranged attack dex+wis
ranged damage str+dex(bows/slings)
ranged damage (crossbows) dex+wis

Spell attack/DCs

Bard: int+cha
Cleric: wis+cha
Druid: int+wis
Monk: con+wis
Fighter: int+wis
Paladin: wis+cha
Ranger: int+wis
Rogue: int+cha
Sorcerer: con+cha
Warlock: int+cha
Wizard: int+wis

skills:
Athletics: str+con
Acrobatics: str+dex
Thievery(th.tools included): dex+int
Stealth: dex+wis
Arcana,Nature,History,Religion; int×2
Animal handling:wis+cha
Medicine: int+wis
Insight: int+wis
Survival:int+wis
Perception: int+wis
Perform: cha + int or dex
Perusation/deception/intimidation: int+cha

Initiative: dex+wis

Most tools: int+wis or int+dex
Music instruments: cha+int or cha+dex

AC: dex+wis

While things like this could be good suggestions, I am more looking to develop rules more within the current framework of 5E than re-write the present systems. Think of it more as expanding on what is already there and not recreating it.

I'll update the OP to reflect more of my intent, but thanks for the insights!

 

[DND_Reborn]

What about different rules - replacing what's there completely as opposed to expanding/enhancing what already exists?

One place that they left lots of design space empty, probably in the name of simplification, is advantage-disadvantage. Sure they overused it - the number of ways of getting adv or disadv need to be severely trimmed and sometimes replaced with flat bonuses or penalties - but not allowing them to stack at least to some extent is IMO a mistake. I wouldn't mind seeing occasions where you could get double adv or disadv; or you get a third roll only if the first two fail to meet some threshold but you're stuck with the third one even if it's worse than one or both of the first two.

Or...a variant on this would be to put floors or ceilings on adv-disadv rolls - e.g. if you're rolling d20 with advantage and neither roll is higher than 10, your roll becomes 10. Then, each subsequent occurrence of adv and-or disadv affecting that roll changes that floor value up or down by one.

Always having adv-disadv rolls just be a second die of the same size also leaves design space on the table. There could be cases where a particularly enhanced advantage lets you roll a bigger die as the second one (e.g. if you've super-advantage on a longsword's damage roll you'd roll d8 as the standard die and d12 as the advantage die, take the best). Enhanced disadv would make the second die instead a d6 or even d4.

That's my spitballin' for today.

To answer your question, because I want something I can develop that others can use with the current rules instead of having to learn a revised system.

Is there more you could do with advantage/disadvantage? Sure. I like some of your ideas and I might even supplement my project with alternative rule options, but that isn't what I am looking for right now.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

A better investigative and social suite of skills.

Agreed. Something approaching the complexity of the combat rules, but for social and investigative situations.

Make the interrogation of a suspect or the gentle questioning of a noble something with multiple rounds and tactics and goals, requiring multiple choices and rolls.

Maybe also tie it back into the combat rules, so that intimidation and persuasion become options for using in the middle of fights.

 

[Laurefindel]

"meatier" alternate and variant rules, like a low-magic variant for spellcaster classes, a variant hp/injuries system, a variant spellcasting system (i.e. non-vancian or on the contrary, a true vancian system), races as human strands for human-only settings, etc.

also, plug-and-play sets of special abilities for monsters, feat-like format. Like "Warlord: +30hp, +2 to hit, +1d8 damage, give advantage to ally as Bonus Action, frighten as reaction when missed by attack." "Witch Doctor: +20hp, danse of terror ability, some kind of blessing and healing for ally", etc.

 

[Stormonu]

More robust skill system option (further breakout of some skills, and/or options for specializations where you get, say, double proficiency bonus or advantage for specific uses - like the Ranger gets a Tracking specialization in Survival or a Cleric gets a <Their God/Pantheon> specialization in Religion)

 

[Shiroiken]

Delay Action - Choose to go later in the round by permanently lowering your initiative.

It's insane Delay Action is not already in the game.

It's the same as having cantrips IMO. Casters finally have the same attack modifier as everyone else, but due to attack cantrips, they have little reason to use weapons. The Delay action finally works really well the way 5E's initiative system is laid out... yet they removed it.

 

[Eltab]

Re-work Surprise so the Assassin can get a chance to do his shtick more than once in a blue moon. (I liked the Surprise Round more than I like the Surprised Condition.)

 

[Tallifer]

My favourite innovative sub-system within a game was the Pendragon rules about personality traits and passions. It might have been too dependent on luck (or maybe it just because two of the people I played with on-line were egregious cheaters who always rolled a critical). Anyway, the idea was fascinating and made for compelling roleplaying and social interaction with the world of King Arthur.

 

[Retreater]

I don't know if this is out of the scope of your project, but I would love to see revised XP and encounter building rules for DMs, character wealth suggestions, and magic item prices.