Dungeon Master's Guide options
Now that the DMG is out, are there any plans to modify the 5e ruleset to enable any of the options in the book? There are quite a few, and I'm hoping to implement a couple in my campaign. Some are very deep changes that I don't intend to use, but wondered where the developers stood with these options. Here's an overview of the ones that would deeply affect the game in FG.
Ability Options
Proficiency Dice: instead of a fixed proficiency bonus, you roll a die. So instead of a fixed +2, you’d roll a 1d4.
Honor and Sanity ability scores. Not really in our game’s theme.
Fear and Horror (very Call of Cthulhu): characters can become frightened more often naturally. I might ask you all to make Wis saves or become frightened (causes disadvantage). Horror is worse, and it can cause madness.
Combat Grid
- Using a grid to track movement, areas of effect, line of sight, and cover. These are very similar to 4e rules.
- Flanking rules to gain advantage when flanking. These are very similar to 4e combat advantage rules.
- Tracking the facing of your character and monsters. This affects shields as part of AC for front and the arm they are on and rear attacks get advantage.
Healing
- A healer’s kit is required, and a single use is used up, to spend hit dice during short or long rests.
- Slower healing: not all hp recovered in a long rest, but all hit dice are. You can spend hit dice to regain hp.
- Gritty Realism rests: a variant where short rests are 8 hours and long rests are 7 days.
Plot Points
- players get plot points to create an effect during play. effect examples are plot twists, plot complications, and even the removal of the DM where the game is run by plot points. it’s pretty crazy.
Combat Options
- Speed Factor Inititative: adding or subtracting from initiative based on the speed of your weapon or action, the size of the character, etc. In this case, we used to play 2e like this, you have to declare your action at the top, figure out your init modifier based on your action, then roll. If you change your mind and don’t do what you declared at the top, you don’t do anything. Initiative is re-rolled every round.
- Action Options (I love all of these)
- Climb Onto Bigger Creature
- Disarm
- Mark
- Overrun
- Shove Aside
- Tumble
- Injuries: If you take a crit or drop to 0 hp, or fail a death save by 5 or more, you roll on the injury table. it’s nasty, but kinda awesome.
- Massive Damage: if you take more than half your total hp in a single hit, you have to make a DC15 Con save or suffer system shock.