Easy rules for making D&D 5e deadlier and more fun

So you've been playing fifth edition for awhile now but it still seems rather bland. After more than 5 sessions you'll start to realize that the monsters as they are in the monster manual lack a bit of punch and heft. That's not to say that you should make them impossible to beat and kill your players outright (as if that makes you a good DM, pro tip it doesn't). But you need the monsters to have a bit more oompf. The monsters aren't here to kill the players (most of the time), they are just out here trying to live their best life while a bunch of robbers and thieves are kicking down their proverbial doors trying to murder them.

Here are some simple rules to make the combat a bit harder but not too difficult.

Simple rules for your session.

First off combat can take a bit too long so;

3 Combat encounters per 4 hours of play max
All of these should be close to hard or deadly. (see kobold fightclub)
All of them should be resolved somehow via non combat, (deception,persuasion,environment)

Simple rules for monsters

Remember that your Monsters in the Monster Manual are average and not exceptional versions of that monster. Create some variety in the HP as needed. Use these to increase their chance of hitting and putting some danger into your scenario. You don't have to use all of them at once by the way.

AC increase by +1
HP cut it in half, round down
Attack to hit bonus x2
Damage dice chain up one level and remove bonus damage (be wary of this)
All creatures have  at least one recolored spells as abilities.
Become a bit more verbose in describing the player and monster actions.

Optional rules for players

Both inspiration and death saves are eliminated. Replaced by a luck score. Each character gets 1 luck at level 1, +1 luck at level 5 and 1 additional each 5 levels. Max of 5. Awarded by DM discretion for completion of a session or doing epic shit, being funny etc. Players burn this luck to come back from the dead DC 10 or higher for 1 hp or roll DC 15 for 1/2 hp. They can also use this to re-roll natural 1's or gain advantage. This gives the players a bit more power over their fate in the game. If things are getting too deadly start doling out more luck in the session.

Monster Example

Let's use the goblin as an example of how to use these rules.

Here is the normal Goblin stat block.

Let's change that up a bit, new values are;

AC of 16

HP of 4

Scimitar and Shortbow are now +8 to hit and do 1 D8 raw damage.

Let's give our friend at least one basic cantrip and recolor it as an ability. We'll use Vicious Mockery

Lets call it Goblin Slur and only allow them to use it once per day. Having combat open up with goblins cursing you and goading you into a fight is a bit more memorable than clubbing an HP bag to death.

Hopefully you find this helpful in making your monsters and combat a bit more memorable and deadly.

Getting Started in 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons

First off, for most new players D&D Fifth Edition (5E) is the gateway drug to this hobby. The system borders along the lines of complexity and crunch (extra math) and a rules light narrative focus. Let's go over the simplest and cheapest way to get started. We'll also go over the second easiest way to get into the hobby.

So what do you actually need?

Not much......

1. Some ruled paper (or scrap paper for notes)
2. Pencils (or pens, anything lying around)
3. The Basic D&D rules from Wizards of the Coast
4. Character Sheets
5. A dice rolling app on your phone (there are tons out there, I've used D20 calculator)
6. Access to the 5E system reference documentation
7. 3-5 willing friends with imaginations that bring food and drinks.
8. An adventure for your group.

So what to do with all this newfound power? You've read the rules, even looked at a character sheet or two, maybe even made one. Don't worry about getting everything right.

Instead, let's make a very plain standard adventure. Yes it is boring and will be a bit linear but let your imagination get crazy with it a bit later. Start simple, start small. We'll just use this example to get started.

Let's make the following;

5 Non player characters
4 Monsters / Encounters
1 Trap
1 Starting location
1 Dungeon with 7 rooms
Some cool treasure

There are a plethora of tools out there to generate all of the above on the fly. One of the best is Donjon's Tools. Let's use that generator to populate some of the items above.

5 Non player characters

1. Comghi: Male Elf Thief, Good. Comghi has thin silver hair and narrow hazel eyes, and a magical mark on his arm. He wears leather armor and wields a short sword and darts. Comghi has black snake named Brane.
2. Here: Female Human Scholar, Good. Here has curly blonde hair and light gray eyes. She wears fine clothing and a silver holy symbol. Here was magically imprisoned for a hundred years.
3. Dane: Male Human Illusionist, Neutral. Dane has a round face, with auburn hair and gray eyes. He wears brass robes and wields a quarterstaff and dagger. Dane is impossibly lucky.
4. Cuny: Male Elf Fighter, Evil. Cuny has a long face, with black hair and light brown eyes. He wears banded mail and wields a military fork. Cuny has an animal companion, a badger named Foiriu.
5. Eadrith: Male Human Fighter, Evil. Eadrith is wretched in appearance, with white hair and gray eyes. He wears splint mail and wields a warhammer and dagger. Eadrith suffers an acute fear of darkness.

4 Monsters / Encounters

1. 3 Bandits. 
2. 1 Half Ogre
3. 6 Rats
4. 2 Ghouls

Trap

1. A shallow pool of acid covers the floor.

Starting location

1. Agbarfell: Population 830, primarily dwarf, some gnome. Most of the buildings are constructed from massive stone blocks. It is governed by a noble aristocrat, the dwarf lady Arngugg.

Dungeon with 7 rooms

Using Donjons 5E generator you can quickly generate a layout and either print or sketch it.

Some cool treasure

Money is great but items are much more memorable for the players. Using the weird magic item generator should give you some great ideas.

Now that you have each piece plop the NPC's in the starting location like an Inn or Tavern (yes I know). Have one of them crash through the door to interrupt the evening and either die or ask for help. Go tot he Dungeon, kill some foes, get some cool loot. Use these tools as a building block for your future adventures. Or just write your own!

The second easiest way to start

1. Some ruled paper (or scrap paper for notes)
2. Pencils (or pens, anything lying around)
3. The D&D Starter Set
3. A dice rolling app on your phone (there are tons out there, I've used D20 calculator)
4. 3-5 willing friends with imaginations that bring food and drinks.
5. Optional physical dice

The adventure that comes with the starter set is actually one of the best for 5E and a great hook for beginning adventurers. There is enough in there for around 4, 4 hour sessions. More than enough for beginners.

Go out and go forth on an adventure!

The best notebook for DM's

I've been using this Code and Quill notebook for two years now and found this to be the easiest way to keep notes on my session. On the first half of the page are some very subtle dots that allow for easy dungeon creation. On the second is an easy place to write down your descriptions or random tables.

If you are looking for an easy way to keep track of your session and minimal prep check out the link below. (Full disclosure it is an affiliate link).

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G2 pens

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