D&D 5E Why 5E May Be the Best D&D to Hack of All Time

[Zardnaar]

I like thinking up various ways to hack games. A few years back I designed my own D&D that was an attempt to fix 3.5 that eventually ended up more like Advanced BECMI with feats and races/classes. After playing 5E for a bit though I have startred to like the guts of the game a lot as it has the d20 mechanics form 3E I generally like but without the number bloat. And the advantage/disadvantage mechanic can be easily incoprated into various d20 type games from 3.X, 4E, clones, Pathfinder and Star Wars Saga although similar mechanics already exist in some of the. Anyway some thoughts about what you could do with the guts of 5E's proficency systems.

1. AD&D with smaller numbers. One could use THACO I suppose but you oculd also have smaller numbers with ACs topping out in the -5 to -10 range along with +5 weapons and so. One might have to tweak the classes abit and AD&D could generally be improved with a unified ability score thing anyway (probably BECMI numbers over d20).

2. Rewriting 3.5. To much work for the payoff (may as pwell play PF) but possible.

3. A 4.75. More or less 4E as written but plugging in 5E's numbers (bounded accuracy) and skill/proficiency system along with perhaps adding bonus actions over minor actions.

4. A Star Wars Saga with fixed numbers and overhauled force system.

5. d20 Mass Effect type game.

6. Prestige classes in d20 games that use them or potentially can use them like 5E (more SWSE 2.0, a Mass Effect RPG, a 3E/5E hybrid)

7. Homebrew 5E/BECMI hybrid (more or less my current homebrew D&D game).

So yeah just thinking about the hacking one could do with the 5E core mechanic.

 

[Afrodyte]

I agree. I even tweaked 5e to make a True20 variant, including an overhaul of magic.

 

[Shiroiken]

I've had this conversation many times: the success of 5E is the basic chassis and simple framework. It can be taken as is for people who just want to play a simple game. It can be expanded, modified, customized, and even warped outlandishly to fit the needs of the individual group. To me, playing RAW only is a huge disservice to 5E's potential for your group.

I personally used it to take the aspects of 3E and 4E that I liked in order to run an AD&D style game.

 

[GMMichael]

I personally used it to take the aspects of 3E and 4E that I liked in order to run an AD&D style game.

Do tell - how 3e and 4e aspects, piled on 5e which is already a blend of 3e and 4e, could lead to something resembling AD&D.

Kudos to Wizards for streamlining 3e down, but I don't see how 5e is significantly more "hack" friendly than 3rd ed. Layering on the short/long rest systems and tying them deep into the class frameworks didn't help to make the game more modular...or hackable...than 3e.

 

[Shiroiken]

Do tell - how 3e and 4e aspects, piled on 5e which is already a blend of 3e and 4e, could lead to something resembling AD&D.

. I meant the aspects of 3E and 4E already in 5E, such as feats and increasing AC (rather than THAC0), rather than adding in concepts left behind, such as size modifiers for AC and Attacks or Weapon Attack Bonuses. Not sure how you meant it, but I agree that 5E doesn't have much in common with AD&D mechanically. I was referring to the AD&D feel of gaming, since the rules put more emphasis on DM judgement rather than gobs of detailed rules.

Kudos to Wizards for streamlining 3e down, but I don't see how 5e is significantly more "hack" friendly than 3rd ed. Layering on the short/long rest systems and tying them deep into the class frameworks didn't help to make the game more modular...or hackable...than 3e.

5E isn't a streamlined 3E... that would be Pathfinder. The goal of 5E was to take the best aspects of every edition and make them work together, and I feel they have succeeded (even if I disagree about which were the best aspects). Admittedly, 5E is mechanically closer to 3E in appearance than any other edition, but that is mostly due to the d20 base system introduced in 3E.

As for the hackability of 3E, I couldn't tell you. During 3E every player I knew was a RAW fanatic, and the notion that 3E needed to be adjusted or houseruled was verboten. 5E has gotten away from that nonsense, and has revealed itself to be immeasurably adjustable.

 

[Zardnaar]

Do tell - how 3e and 4e aspects, piled on 5e which is already a blend of 3e and 4e, could lead to something resembling AD&D.

Kudos to Wizards for streamlining 3e down, but I don't see how 5e is significantly more "hack" friendly than 3rd ed. Layering on the short/long rest systems and tying them deep into the class frameworks didn't help to make the game more modular...or hackable...than 3e.

Youdo not need to use short and long rests in a 5E AD&D hack. You use the smalker numbers the 5E proficency system, advantage and disadvanrage and maybe some bits of the 5E classes. A simple AD&D fighter might get a weapon style, action surge and fighter multiple attacks married to AD&Ds weapon and armor system and 1-3 hitpoints regained. AC -10 (30 in d20) probably becomes AC 25 or 26.

You can import parts of 3E into AD&D as well if you really wanted (I use BAB and ascending numbers in 2E now) but I prefer 5Es skill system over 3E and 4E for example.

I also prefer 5Es take on magic items. No more easy buy what you like or easily create it.

Here is my BECMI/3E/5E fighter hack for a homebrew game. Said game uses microfeats.

 

[Capn Charlie]

I have fallen in love with 5e for many of the same reasons you note. I have been hacking 5e from the beginning, and have even made my own sci-fi version, and at about two years in it seems stable, and I have found no real problems with it that minor tweaks at the table couldn't fix. Easily the most stable and rugged system I have yet used. A feat for which I blame bounded accuracy and lack of numbers bloat.

Possibly the single largest challenge has been avoiding power creep, since the core game is so modest.

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