D&D 5E (2014) Where are the Dials and Levers?

[Remathilis]

You missed:
• Variant Entertainer: Gladiator (PHB 131)
• Level advancement without XP (DMG 261)
o Session-Based Advancement (DMG 261)
o Story-Based Advancement (DMG 261)

Agreed impressive list.

Though many of these I would not consider a dial or lever like emdw45 says. For example the planar traits and many of the monster manual options and variants.

Thanks for finding more. Again, doing it by hand means you do miss things skimming through. (I can't believe I forgot gladiator!)

And I debated including the planar traits and most monster variants. Only did so because they are options DMs can turn on/off (for example, a DM who doesn't care about the planes much might not want to worry about those traits; a Planescape DM will live-or-die by them.)

 

[Remathilis]

Here is my updated list. It includes the ones found by Sadrik and Cernor

 

[TerraDave]

Here is my updated list. It includes the ones found by Sadrik and Cernor

Didn't see crafting magic items, buying or selling magic items, or (other) downtime activities in the DMG, but not in PHB, and hence optional.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I mean, the simple thing to do is just point at the Basic document.

Everything not in that document is entirely optional content.

....and everything that IS in that document might be optional, too, at the DM's option.

 

[Redthistle]

You just typed all this out?! Your dedication is a credit to the new edition.

Welcome to the Remathilis Fan Club.

 

[Klaus]

Here they are:

Optional Rules and Variants
• Customizing Ability Scores (PHB 13)
• Variant Human Traits (PHB 31)
• Variant Criminal: Spy (PHB 130)
• Variant Guild Artisan: Guild Merchant (PHB 133)
• Variant Noble: Knight (PHB 136)
o Variant Feature: Retainers (PHB 136)
• Variant Sailor: Pirate (PHB 139)
o Variant Feature: Bad Reputation (PHB 139)
• Equipment Sizes (PHB 144)
• Multiclassing (PHB 163)
• Feats (PHB 165)
• Encumbrance (PHB 176)
• Playing on a Grid (PHB 192)
• Renown (DMG 22)
• Planar Traits
o Feywild Magic (DMG 50)
o Shadowfell Despair (DMG 52)
o Blessed Beneficence (DMG 59)
o Pervasive Goodwill (DMG 59)
o Overwhelming Joy (DMG 60)
o Hunter’s Paradise (DMG 60)
o Beast Transformation (DMG 60)
o Power of the Mind (DMG 61)
o Mad Winds (DMG 62)
o Abyssal Corruption (DMG 62)
o Vile Transformation (DMG 63)
o Cruel Hindrance (DMG 63)
o Pervasive Evil (DMG 64)
o Bloodlust (DMG 66)
o Law of Averages (DMG 66)
o Planar Vitality (DMG 67)
• Loyalty (DMG 93)
• Training to Gain Levels (DMG 131)
• More Difficult Identification (DMG 136)
• Mixing Potions (DMG 140)
• Scroll Mishaps (DMG 140)
• Wands That Don’t Recharge (DMG 141)
• Automatic Success (DMG 239)
• Only Players Award Inspiration (DMG 241)
• Flanking (DMG 251)
• Diagonals (DMG 252)
• Facing (DMG 252)
• Proficiency Dice (DMG 263)
• Ability Check Proficiency (DMG 263)
• Background Proficiency (DMG 264)
• Personality Trait Proficiency (DMG 264)
• Hero Points (DMG 264)
• Honor Score (DMG 264)
• Sanity Score (DMG 265)
• Fear and Horror (DMG 266)
• Healer’s Kit Dependency (DMG 266)
• Healing Surges (DMG 266)
• Slow Natural Healing (DMG 266)
• Epic Heroism Rests (DMG 267)
• Gritty Realism Rests (DMG 267)
• Firearms (DMG 267)
• Alien Technology (DMG 268)
• Plot Points (DMG 269)
• Initiative Score (DMG 270)
• Side Initiative (DMG 270)
• Speed Factor (DMG 270)
• Action Options (DMG 271)
• Hitting Cover (DMG 272)
• Cleave Through Creatures (DMG 272)
• Injuries (DMG 272)
• Massive Damage (DMG 273)
• Morale (DMG 273)
• Spell Points (DMG 288)
• Demon Summoning (MM 53)
• Quasit Familiar (MM 63)
• Imp Familiar (MM 69)
• Erinyes Rope of Entanglement (MM 73)
• Dragons as Innate Spellcasters (MM 86)
• Drider Spellcasting (MM 120)
• Drow Magic Armor and Weapons (MM 126)
• Ettercap Web Garrote (MM 131)
• Genie Powers (MM 144)
• Kuo-Toa Monitor (MM 198)
• Nonhuman Lycanthropes (MM 206)
• Mephit Summoning (MM 217)
• Mind-Flayer Arcanist (MM 222)
• Psychic Gray Ooze (MM 240)
• Pseudodragon Familiar (MM 254)
• Quaggoth Thonot (MM 256)
• Satyr Pipes (MM 267)
• Slaad Control Gems (MM 274)
• Poltergeist (MM 279)
• Thri-Kreen Weapons and Psionics (MM 288)
• Troll Loathsome Limbs (MM 291)
• Vampire Warriors and Spellcasters (MM 298)
• Yugoloth Summoning (MM 311)
• Giant Lizard Traits (MM 326)
• Diseased Dire Rats (MM 327)
• Cave Bear (MM 334)
• Familiars (MM 347)

Looking through the MM (for the sake of completeness), you missed:

* Trap Soul (Demilich optional action, MM pg. 49)
* Devil Summoning (MM pg. 68)
* Bone Devil Polearm (MM pg. 71)
* Ice Devil Spear (MM pg. 75)
* Rogue Modrons (MM pg. 224)
* Revenants with Spells and Weapons (MM pg. 259)
* Insect Swarms (MM pg. 338)
* Warhorse Armor (MM pg. 340)

Still, your list is impressive. Kudos!

You missed:
• Variant Entertainer: Gladiator (PHB 131)
• Level advancement without XP (DMG 261)
o Session-Based Advancement (DMG 261)
o Story-Based Advancement (DMG 261)

Agreed impressive list.

Cheers to all three of you for these! I've been meaning to track down all variants, and now I don't have to!

 

[Remathilis]

Welcome to the Remathilis Fan Club.

You like me, you really like me!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Great list of the optional rules in 5E, and very useful!

I have to say, though, that I would not consider the majority of these to be "dials and levers" in the traditional RPG sense. More like a large selection of disconnected optional plug-ins. Which is good, but in a different way to dials/levers. Particularly as many of them seem to have been developed "in a vacuum", i.e. without thought for how they might combine with the others.

I'd loved to have seen the optional rules all properly called out and listed (with some sort of identifier - i.e. Optional Rule #23 or whatever), and then some templates constructed for different game styles.

Did they ever say whether they were intending to put in "proper" tactical combat, or whether this is as far as they're interested in going?

 

[Chocolategravy]

Agreed impressive list. Though many of these I would not consider a dial or lever like emdw45 says. For example the planar traits and many of the monster manual options and variants.

I was thinking more sad and pathetic in comparison to previous editions. And no, they're not "dials or levers", if you were to take just the options in the 3E MM and break them down into how they can be used to change individual monsters like you have here you'd have a list millions of times longer.

 

[Cernor]

"This monster gets a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls made with a longsword."
"This monster gets a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls made with a shortsword."
"This monster gets a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls made with a bastard sword."
"This monster gets a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls made with a greatsword."
"This monster gets a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls made with a falchion."
"This monster gets a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls made with a scimitar."
"This monster gets a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls made with a rapier."
"This monster gets a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls made with a two-bladed sword."

Don't even get me started on the options that add bonuses to damage!

A longer list doesn't necessarily mean there are more meaningful options.