Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Ostensibly , the finish ofDungeons & Dragonsis for everyone involved to have playfulness , player and Dungeon Masters alike . on occasion , though , aD&Dgroup is ready for a unconscionable challenge , or the DM is out to zigzag up the difficulty in their next effort . There are a few optional principle DMs can include when they want to be specially sadistic to their participant or when the radical require a game flavor for their tabletop RPG seance .
Some Dungeon Masters and actor may find these rules have value for their biz . They may need to experience a expressive style of campaign thatevokes the works of George R.R. Martinor H.P. Lovecraft instead of J.R.R. Tolkien or R.A. Salvatore . They may fondly recall sr. editions ofD&Dand require to recapture some of their elaborateness , or they might feel victories are more solid when harsher rules are in blank space .
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With the use of enough of these rules , a Dungeon Master can bring as much cruelty toD&Das the moniker implies . DMs would be wise to weigh the conclusion carefully and to talk about things with their actor , however , before bringing out any of these implements of torture .
Sadistic D&D Rules - Sanity Score
Some of the more knockout rules available for the fifth variant ofDungeons & Dragonscan be found in theDungeon Master ’s Guide , where Chapter 9 offer several optional rules suggestions . The first especially cruel formula is the Sanity Score , which adds a 7th power grade to the centre six . Though the regulation suggests tot 3 points to the Point Buy total or an extra 11 to the Standard Array , the Sanity Score hurt players more than it helps ; many case classes are already starved for property points , such asPaladins , who demand to balance Strengthfor melee attempt , Charisma for spellcasting and course of study abilities , and Constitution to live on the front lines .
Sanity adds another statistic to juggle , and it can be voiceless to gauge whether it is a essential one or a " dump stat " without peeking at the Dungeon Master ’s notes . Arguably , any of the suggested Sanity Saving Throws , such as " learn a creature from the Far Realm or other exotic realms for the first time " or dealing with psychical legal injury , impossible geometry , or mental contact with Aberrations , could be handled with Wisdom , Charisma , or Intelligence save . add saneness to the mix can make a D&D gamefeel more likeCall of Cthulhu , which could be a perk for some groups , but it unquestionably leans towards sadistic .
Sadistic D&D Rules - Massive Damage
Another especially vindictive rule in theDungeon Master ’s Guideis the optional Massive Damage convention , specifically when the DM applies it to Player Characters in add-on to fiend . This formula causes any individual strike equal to half or more of a creature ’s maximal Hit Points to trigger a DC 15 Constitution Saving Throw . Failure results in a roll on a System Shock table , which could cause as short as an inability to use reaction for a turn . But in the worst suit , it could instantly drop the character ’s HP to zero without stabilisation .
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If aDungeon Master applies the Massive Damage ruleto Player Characters as well as enemy , they are either unpitying or unaware of how it affects gameplay . High - Challenge Rating enemy are designed to battle an entire party of venturer and incline to have inflated Hit Points . It is very unlikely that a PC attack will take down half the H.P. of such a target in a single C , and weaker targets potentially going down quicker is of limited value . At spirit level one , a PC can start with as few as 5 HP , based on default option character introduction rules , or as much as 17 . A single hit of 5 to 9 damage could have devastating effects in conflict with System Shock bring , and crushed - horizontal surface persona are fragile enough as it is . Even at higher levels , with goliath damage largely based on dice that multiply on a decisive Hit as counterbalance to static Book of Numbers that do not , a monstrosity is more likely to land a prosperous shot that triggers the Massive Damage formula than a PC is . This principle decidedly favors the monsters over the Hero .
Sadistic D&D Rules - Lingering Wounds
Similar to Massive Damage , the Lingering Wounds rules are much more harmful to Player Characters than to monsters . This rule suggests the Dungeon Master roll for a lesion " when a character suffers a critical hit , when it drop to zero HP but is n’t down in a flash , " or " when it go a death saving throw by 5 or more . " The resulting wound could be a minor cosmetic scratch , a limp , or the going of an eye , among others , most of which have mechanical gist .
In a typicalDungeons & Dragonscampaign , it is rarefied for the party to agitate the same foe repeatedly . An Orc captain returninglike a Nemesis inShadow of Mordorcould make for an interesting addition to aD&Dgame , but as a practical matter , the Lingering Wounds dominion are much more relevant for the heroes than their enemies . Player Characters can accumulate wounds over time that limit mobility , impose Disadvantage to all Perception checks and ranged onrush , or sustain suppurate wounds that can ultimately wipe out them , with these rules in place . This could certainly lend to a grittier biz , but unless Restoration spells become readily available , they are likely not sustainable over an total campaign .
Sadistic D&D Rules - Critical Fumbles
Another optional convention that someDungeon Masters might fail to recognizeas vicious is the use of Critical Miss or Critical Fumble tables . As with other rules note above , DMs may opine that , by apply fumble when enemy and players likewise roll a natural one , the convention has parity . In practice , this is not the case , as player character will make many more flak rolls over the grade of a campaign than their foe will - and sure far more skill and ability checks . Many Critical Miss tables postulate the loss of a arm , and with many monsters relying on natural weapons , this will have more impact on players . Likewise , tables that involve a muff causing a blow to strike an ally are more withering to a Player Character party than to a radical of foe . Normally , a Fighter ’s Extra Attack feature let them attack up to four time in one action is something to be charge up about , but with Critical Fumbles in play , it becomes four opportunities for catastrophic bankruptcy .
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The other problematic constituent Critical Fumbles add to the game is the sheer chaos they bestow to scrap . D&Dcombat can be complex enoughfor new players , and at high-pitched levels , even seasoned players may discover combat slow down due to the number of abilities and out - of - turn response that can come into sport . It is possible for a string of ill-fated foe dice rolls to cause competitor to basically destroy themselves with a serial of Fumbles , but such a victory turns scrap into a forcemeat and steals much of the delight of success from players . They no longer take the air forth satisfied that they gain due to their sweat in building a unattackable character , using efficient maneuver , and rent in teamwork , rather know chance die rolls reduced their enemy to funny buffoons on the battlefield .
Sadistic D&D Rules - Randomly Generated Stats
Several rules present as options in thePlayer ’s Handbookcan be quite sadistic if ran as scripted . Many of these are adopted by Dungeon Mastersseeking an " old school day " RPG feelfor their games . In practice , there is a okay furrow between honoring the bequest of prior edition ofD&Dand outright savage DM - ing . The game has evolved for a reason ; rolling for Hit item instead of using the fixed values is one prime model . A Barbarian or Fighter intend to serve the role of the mathematical group ’s defender might roll ones or deuce for a few levels ' Charles Frederick Worth of Hit Points and find they are remand behind the radical ’s Clerics and varlet . An already high - risk class , like a Wizard or Sorcerer , could continue vulnerable to die from a single smasher , even beyond the levels where they should be capable to soak up at least one or two blows from minion - type foes .
Randomness inD&Dstat generationcan also border on sadism , particularly with pitiless menage rule like " seethe 3d6 , in order . " Theoretically , this gives every player an equal opportunity of generating an adequate character , but , realistically , it is the same unfathomable chance . It strip players of authority in make up one’s mind their characters ' strengths and weaknesses , forcing them to make for a character that may struggle to give over the course of a long campaign . The bulk of groups will prefer to pick out from a stat regalia , use the level buy system , and/or use the pay off values for HP gain - all rules used in the official Wizards of the Coast Organized Play political platform forD&D- saving the dice pealing for the encounter .
Sadistic D&D Rules - Encumbrance
Use of another optional , old - shoal ruler encounter in thePlayer ’s Handbook , Encumbrance , is another waysome dm exercise ruthlessness . The nonpayment rules for lifting and carrying are " intentionally simple " in fifth editionD&D : A graphic symbol can carry up to 15 multiplication their strong suit sexual conquest in pounds , which " is high enough that most character do n’t require to worry about it , " per thePlayer ’s Handbook . These assumed convention furnish simple guidelines for armor , with no Strength requirement for Light or Medium Armor , and Heavy Armor bring down a penalty of 10 understructure to movement amphetamine unless the wearer meets a Strength doorstep of 13 or 15 , depend on the armor .
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Thevariant interference find forD&Dare merciless , reducing a character ’s swiftness by 10 feet if their entire carried weighting exceeds 5 times their Strength mark and causing Disadvantage on physical power check mark if they carry weight exceeding 10 times their Strength Score . A paladin with 15 Strength , who could freely wear 65 - Lebanese pound Plate Armor and still comport an additional 160 pounds of gear without penalty under the normal rule , can only post an extra 10 pounds without suffering reduced speed under the variant Encumbrance rules . Such a part using a 10 - pound maul ( a vernacular , high - hurt bludgeoning weapon alternative ) can not carry potion , a backup ranged weapon , or any loot without obtain a slower campaign swiftness . They can only carry 85 pounds of items in plus to their armor without suffering the devastate gist of Disadvantage - last to one-half of the 160 pounds of remain carrying capability they would have under the nonpayment formula .
Evenspellcasters can tolerate greatly from these rules , as the full of life Concentration impediment they ask to maintain many spells are based on Constitution , a physical power mark that can be impacted by heavy Encumbrance . This rule also change loot - finding from being a joy to a logistic nightmare , as the political party needs to bray the numbers to see if they can digest the tot weight or if they ask to empty the donjon and repay with a foreshorten team of laborers . This shiftsDungeons & Dragonsfrom a heroic fantasy dangerous undertaking game into a complex labor management simulator . By the prison term the party has finished using a portion of their plunder to pay for the hireling to remove it , they might just consider renovating the dungeon , while they ’re at it , and retiring from adventuring there .
It is possible that the peril of sepsis and mental equipment failure or the complexities of weight direction minutiae add value for some thespian , or that the randomness of dice - generated Hit Points and statistic arrays are more comforting than the choice need with a pre - generated array . But for most player , if a DM states their safari will apply any of these hardcore rule to makeD&Dmore difficult , they should likely look elsewhere to feel a Dungeon Master less inclined towards running aDungeons & Dragonsgame that is harrowing to dally .
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