Every Roll has Consequences

Getting ready to kick off a D&D 5e campaign, I am going to bring in many of the principles that I learned from running Dungeon World.  One concept from DW that really stuck with me is that every roll has potential consequences.

Too many times, when the party wants to make a Check, if one PC fails, someone else chimes in, "I'll try it."  The player must be thinking, "After all, why not, there's no risk in failure so I might as well try too."

In Dungeon World, every roll can result in a success, a partial success, or a failure.  A partial success leads to a hard bargain or tough decision.  A failure means that the GM can make something bad happen.  That means, the player needs to think twice before they flippantly decide that they want to make a roll.

In practice, this led to interesting developments in my previous Dungeon World game.  One of the characters rolled to explore some ruins, and another character decided to roll to aid them.  The aiding player rolled a failure.  In D&D this usually just means, too bad, you couldn't help.  In Dungeon World, it meant that the player suffered a debility as he sprained his ankle trying to navigate some difficult terrain while he tried to help.  After that experience, the player didn't offer to help again.

These consequences add tension and *decision making* into the game.  It makes it a decision whether to make a roll or not, rather than a "why not."

In the D&D Next playtest packets, there was even an optional mechanic that formalized this, the Hazard rule for Ability Checks.  If you rolled a certain number below the required DC, something bad happens.  I hope that this optional rule survives in the DMG!

I'll be adopting the Hazard rule for 5e.  If the player fails a Check by more than 5, something bad will happen.  For example, if they're exploring a swamp and someone makes a Knowledge Check, and fails by 6 or more, the party might here some loud croaking sounds in the distance.  This foreshadows the presence of Giant Toads in the area.  This is akin the the Signs of Doom advice from Dungeon World.

Consider using a "Hazard" style rule in your games to keep the tension level high, and make each roll a DECISION and not a "why not".

Fire Elf - D&D 5e Subrace

You come from a branch of Elves that have migrated and adapted to the harsh deserts of the world.  Your skin is a coppery color, and your eyes might range from deep burnt orange to shimmering umber.

Ability Score Increase.  Your Charisma and Constitution scores increase by 1.

Fire Elf Weapon Training.  You have proficiency with the scimitar and the sling.

Heat Resistance.  You are resistant to fire damage.

Desert Native.  You have advantage on any Survival check related to a desert environment.

Ice Dwarf - D&D 5e Subrace

You are a member of the first primordial race, which mastered Elemental Magic as well as Necromancy, and carved out the Underdark before the Drow invaded it.

Alignment.  Most Ice Dwarves are firmly in the Lawful Evil camp.  But the Order of the Ancestors actively opposed this philosophy, and joined the Mountain Dwarves in a war against the Ice Dwarves.  This war purged most of the evil Ice Dwarves from the eastern part of the world.

Ability Score Increase.  Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Icy Resistance.  You have resistance to cold damage.

Icecunning.  As Stonecunning, but also applies to ice and cold.

My D&D 5e House Rules

The campaign will kick off in a few weeks and I'm compiling the House Rules for my flavor of 5e.  Slightly more gritty, a tad more old school.  Some of these rules were adopted from previous playtest releases and are likely to show up in the DMG, and others were stolen from Troll and Flame.

Slower Healing

You recover your Hit Dice during a Long Rest, not your full Hit Points.

Encounter Cantrips (Scrapped)

Cantrips are not at-will, but you regain them after a Short or Long Rest. (Note: this house rule was quickly scrapped.  I had the old damage potential of the play test cantrips in my mind, and found that the release cantrips were more well balanced.)

Consequences of Death

Being returned from the dead results in a loss of 1 random Ability point.

Non-Lethal Damage

If you decide to pull your punches before making an attack roll with a melee weapon (this incurs disadvantage) you can deal non-lethal damage.  If you don't pull your punches, then after a strike that brings the enemy to 0 HP, you must make a DC 12 INT(Medicine) check to avoid accidentally killing them.  If you're using a bludgeoning weapon, this is made at advantage.

Magic Item Attunement
You can attune to a maximum number of magic items equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).