Variant and Optional Rules in the PHB and DMG:

[Vogonjeltz]

Is there a thread where they've compiled and discussed those variant rules? I was looking at some of them for a new campaign...

In response to your request from another thread. I'll edit in from the other books once I get around to it, right now it's just the PHB and DMG. The DMG is practically all a discussion of different ways a campaign can be constructed or the game can be run, so there's a substantial number of optional rules and variant rules in there.

Variant/Optional Rule Name (Book Page Number)

PHB:
Customizing Ability Scores (PHB 13)
Human Traits (PHB 31)
Criminal: Spy (PHB 130)
Entertainer: Gladiator (PHB 131)
Guild Artisan: Guild Merchant (PHB 133)
Noble: Knight (PHB 136)
Retainers (PHB 136)
Sailor: Pirate (PHB 139)
Feature: Bad Reputation (PHB 139)
Equipment Sizes (PHB 144)
Multiclassing and Feats (PHB Chapter 6, pg 163-170)
Skills with Different Abilities (PHB 175)
Encumberance (176)
Playing on a Grid (PHB 192)
Warhorse Armor (PHB 310)

DMG:
Feywild Magic (DMG 50)
Shadowfell Despair (DMG 52)
Psychic Dissonance (DMG 59)
Blessed Beneficence (DMG 59)
Pervasive Goodwill (DMG 59)
Overwhelming Joy (DMG 60)
Hunter's Paradise (DMG 60)
Beast Transformation (DMG 60)
Intense Yearning (DMG 61)
Immortal Wrath (DMG 61)
Power of the Mind (DMG 61)
Mad Winds (DMG 62)
Abyssal Corruption (DMG 62)
Prison Plane (DMG 63)
Vile Transformation (DMG 63)
Cruel Hindrance (DMG 63)
Pervasive Evil (DMG 64)
Bloodlust (DMG 66)
Law of Averages (DMG 66)
Imposing Order (DMG 66)
Planar Vitality (DMG 67)
Loyalty (DMG 93)
Training to Gain Levels (DMG 131)
More Difficult Identification (DMG 136)
Mixing Potions (DMG 140)
Scroll Mishaps (DMG 140)
Wands that Don't Recharge (DMG 141)
Flanking (DMG 251)
Diagonals (DMG 252)
Facing (DMG 252)
Proficiency Dice (DMG 263)
Ability Check Proficiency (DMG 263)
Background Proficiency (DMG 264)
Personality Trait Proficiency (DMG 264)
Hero Points (DMG 264)
New Ability Scores: Honor and Sanity (DMG 264)
Fear and Horror (DMG 266)
Healer's Kit Dependency (DMG 266)
Healing Surges (DMG 266)
Slow Natural Healing (DMG 267)
Epic Heroism (DMG 267)
Gritty Realism (DMG 267)
Firearms (DMG 267)
Explosives (DMG 267)
Alien Technology (DMG 268)
Plot Points (DMG 269)
Initiative Score (DMG 270)
Side Initiative (DMG 270)
Speed Factor (DMG 270-271)
Action Options (DMG 271-272)
Hitting Cover (DMG 272)
Cleaving Through Creatures (DMG 272)
Injuries (DMG 272)
Massive Damage (DMG 273)
Morale (DMG 273)
Spell Points (DMG 288)

SCAG:
Human Languages (SCAG, 112)
Svirfneblin Magic (SCAG, 115)
Half-Elf Variants (SCAG, 116)
Tiefling Variants (SCAG, 118)
City Watch: Investigator (SCAG 145)

[RickAllison]

Thank you! But wow, that is rather intimidating. Hmmmm, this will require much thought...

[R.Shackleford]

WotC, if they wasn't being the lazy company that they are, should have combined all these into a single document. I could see people paying $5 - $10 for a document of alternative rules.

Or they could have done a monthly "alternative rules review"

[eastmabl]

WotC, if they wasn't being the lazy company that they are, should have combined all these into a single document. I could see people paying $5 - $10 for a document of alternative rules.

Or they could have done a monthly "alternative rules review"

But, they're already in the core rules as optional rules. Why would you want to get less value for your $50 books?

Also, didn't we get a number of alternate rules from Unearthed Arcana? It wasn't monthly because they were also playtesting new player options, but there were optional rules included.

[RickAllison]

But, they're already in the core rules as optional rules. Why would you want to get less value for your $50 books?

Also, didn't we get a number of alternate rules from Unearthed Arcana? It wasn't monthly because they were also playtesting new player options, but there were optional rules included.

I know the Mass Combat rules were one, but I don't remember any others off the top of my head.

[Tanarii]

These are the ones that I think need to be addressed when starting a new campaign, because players so commonly make assumptions about if they are in play:
PHB:
Customizing Ability Scores (PHB 13)
Human Traits (PHB 31)
Multiclassing and Feats (PHB Chapter 6, pg 163-170)
Skills with Different Abilities (PHB 175)
Playing on a Grid (PHB 192)


These are my favorite variants to use:
PHB:
Encumberance (176)

DMG:
Loyalty (DMG 93)
More Difficult Identification (DMG 136)
Wands that Don't Recharge (DMG 141)
Slow Natural Healing (DMG 267)
Epic Heroism (DMG 267)
Gritty Realism (DMG 267)
Hitting Cover (DMG 272)
Morale (DMG 273)

I like both Epic Heroism and Gritty Realism, and have played around with alternating between them in the same campaign (and even adventure) depending on where the PCs are and what they are doing. So far it works ... okay. Players aren't getting their panties in too much of a twist about verisimilitude being broken or anything.

One thing I didn't use, but in retrospect wish I had, is Training to Gain Levels (DMG 131).

[R.Shackleford]

But, they're already in the core rules as optional rules. Why would you want to get less value for your $50 books?

Also, didn't we get a number of alternate rules from Unearthed Arcana? It wasn't monthly because they were also playtesting new player options, but there were optional rules included.

The same reason why when you sell a videogame that's been out for over 2 years, you don't sell it at full price.

You pretty much sold all the copies you are going to sell on a mass level.

This way you can sell the same stuff ($10 a pop) to either the same people (cause people like having condense pdfs/books of specific things so they don't have to lug the DMG around) or to new people who would never bought a $50 book. It doesn't have to be every single rule in each $10 book, split them up.

Reviewing and supporting optional rules (like in AL) also brings these rules to attention and people would have something new to use.


Edit

Think of how many people you could attract to AL if you did an optional rules game?

I HATE adventure league, but I would show up to see/play that.