Player Options - Xanathar's and More

[Baptor]

Hi playground!

DM here. So we are now entering that time where the edition is adding supplementals. There were some official player's options in the Elemental Evil guide and Volo's guide but Xanathar's has really opened up player options with new subclasses, feats, spells, etc.

Now 5e has been slow to release these things, but we all know that slowly over time we are going to see the edition fill with these things.

I was pretty lenient in 3rd edition and it cost me. By the end of 3rd I had banned everything but Core, and we actually liked it. I'm willing to try extra stuff in 5e, but I'm wary.

My question for all of you is this: what will you allow in your games?

Core only? Core +1 like the Adventure League? Or will you allow anything official to be played at your table?

[Unoriginal]

Personally I would allow all the books. Maybe with some houseruled changes in a few cases, but eh.

[DarkKnightJin]

Published material, and homebrew if it doesn't jump out as horribly broken. Can always tweak stuff during the game.

As a player, I try to keep my character ideas close to Core, so I can expand if the DM allows, but not be unable to make it work if they don't.
If for some reason I can't keep everything nice and clustered for ease of reference.. I will make it easy, and print out the bits for race and/or class that is liable to give problems.

In case of a homebrew (sub)class.. That means the PDF. Or at least any relevant info in it.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I'm all for using everything. I like mechanics, and I'm comfortable tweaking things if balance looks off. (And it's not like the core books are magically balanced and free of errors either)

[Sception]

EverythIng and more. its possible for a game to get too cluttered, both 3e and 4e did (though in both cases i'd say the core material was among the worst designed in both fun factor and mechanical balance), but 5e is so far in the other extreme as to be painfully thin on its bones.

[alchahest]

All the books, some UA (things that have not been changed to go into the books). Generally, as with most things a conversation between players and GM is recommended, even for PHB things. We don't play GOTCHA games, so if a player has an intent to make a build a certain way, we'll discuss it and a: ensure the game fits it or b: if there's a better, more satisfying way to do it, help the player with that. For example, a character wanted to multiclass barb/cleric for a holy rager, Zealot may be more satisfying, and doesn't require 3-4 high attributes to be effective at what it does. of course the player may still prefer barb/cleric, and that's fine, too. The important thing is ensuring the players have fun with their character concepts, while you as a DM are able to shape the challenges to meet their capabilities without turning into a one-upping each other arms race. Because the DM always wins in that case, and you're probably better off playing an asymmetrical board game like descent if you just want to be antagonistic.

[jaappleton]

My DM allows for everything. Even Plane Shift material. Yes, even the Zeal Cleric. However, we don't allow any race with at-will flying. That's the only rule.

And trust me, we've cooked up some POWERFUL builds in my game. We have.

And it's never been an issue... Because when something is OMG TOO OP (I'm looking at you, Lore Wizard and Tempest Theurge!), it isn't fun. It really isn't. I'm a player, and I really don't find much joy in always being able to just decimate an encounter. First, I'm stepping on other players toes, which isn't a good feeling for anybody. And second, I find it only encourages an arms race between the players and DM, where they both have to keep upping their game in order to keep things challenging. And everyone loses in that scenario.

TL;DR
We allow everything, nothing's been OP because there needs to be a measure of self control

[alchahest]

The other side to allowing everything is that OMGWTFBBQ OP is so much less of an issue in 5e than it was in 3.5, even with Volo's, Xanathar's, and UA. Lore Wizards are still only casting once per turn, and still expending resources to do so. and the DM still has the ability to adapt to player playstyles, it just takes less effort than in previous editions.

[thebiglost1]

My main game the DM allows anything published by wizards through source books. Nothing available in UA or any other 'homebrew'. He's pretty generous with magic items because he also is pretty generous with the challenge rating of most of our encounters.

The only thing he had outright disallowed at the table is halfling luck because we use critical fails.

[Gibby]

My dm allows any officially released content as long as its not a race that starts out with flying. Its worked out so far.

[Legendairy]

I’m the DM at our table and I allow pretty much anything, with the understanding that if it steps on others toes too much we re adjust. Also no innate flying races unless everyone plays one, now if at a later time your flying character dies and you want a non flyer that’s fine, I just want everyone to experience it instead of making a character and feeling less than extatic about your choice cause of your flying buddy.

I’m also pretty generous with magic (depending on campaign) and of course “the rule of cool” try crazy moves! Want to back flip off the wall and shoot your longbow while upside down, make a dex check or acrobatics and I may even give you advantage on the shot, cause who would expect that!

I also have some homebrew rules in place that doesn’t let alert shut down assassins for both npc’s and pc’s.

Edit: Sorry about rambling, at the gym in between sets and my brain doesn’t work right.

[rbstr]

I'd take UA and homebrew on a case-by-case basis. Other than that the restriction would be only most recent version of something. So, like, none of the Unearthed Arcana versions of anything in Xanathar's.

[Daithi]

As a player we get any official book and most UA options --- although we can't fly until at least 8th level (i.e. can't take a UA feat that gives wings, or race with wings are flightless until 8th). The DM's also indicated that UA options superseded by an official book are off the the table. Something obviously overpowered will get gimped by consensus even while we are playing. We all recognize the goal is having fun, although exploiting rules is part of the fun. So, something like the gooseberry life cleric is acceptable, but something like the coffeelock would not be.

[Sigreid]

We allow all the published stuff and a few pieces of UA, after we talk it over and achieve a consensus that it's acceptable. But there's the qualifier that we are all adults that have played together for over a decade and our big fights about gaming were fought tears ago.

[Submortimer]

As a rule, anything Officially published is fair game at my table. I hate the "PHB + 1" rule with a fiery passion, enough that I won't play in the AL because of it.

That said, Middle Finger of Vecna: obviously, I allow most of our stuff at the table, and do a ton of playtesting at the same time.

[DarkKnightJin]

As a rule, anything Officially published is fair game at my table. I hate the "PHB + 1" rule with a fiery passion, enough that I won't play in the AL because of it.

That said, Middle Finger of Vecna: obviously, I allow most of our stuff at the table, and do a ton of playtesting at the same time.

Mortimer, how would one go about getting a spell idea to you for feedback and/or playtesting?

I've cooked up a pair of cantrips, and was kinda hoping if there was a way that I could get a professional's opinion on them.
Being my first sorta cantrip project, I tried to keep them balanced, obviously, but I can't be sure without some outside input.

And I do enjoy a lot of the stuff you guys put out.
Got the Complete Warmage, and the Draconis Fumdamentum. Both great pieces of homebrew.

..I still wanna find a DM that'll let me rock a Warmage sometime.

[ZorroGames]

I play AL only and it suits me fine. PHB+1 does fine for almost any character I have theorycrafted or played. Started with OD&D and seen truly broken characters from the beginning.

[Submortimer]

Mortimer, how would one go about getting a spell idea to you for feedback and/or playtesting?

I've cooked up a pair of cantrips, and was kinda hoping if there was a way that I could get a professional's opinion on them.
Being my first sorta cantrip project, I tried to keep them balanced, obviously, but I can't be sure without some outside input.

And I do enjoy a lot of the stuff you guys put out.
Got the Complete Warmage, and the Draconis Fumdamentum. Both great pieces of homebrew.

..I still wanna find a DM that'll let me rock a Warmage sometime.

If you wanna PM me, that's a good way. We obviously write a LOT of spells.

I hope you get someone to let you try it out soon! It's one of my personal favorite projects, and the class IS very fun: plays like a warlock crossed with a fighter, if they didn't just have to stick with Eldritch Blast.

[Corsair14]

I let any of the books if I can see them first, as for options in them it depends on the world I am running. Dragonlance I allow most races but disallow monks, warlocks, and arcane casting archetypes for melee classes as they are too hard to resolve with the 3 mage schools. Planescape I let anything go. Spelljammer I let anything non-greenskin go. In Ravenloft it is open classed for me but I mandate normal humanoid races and nothing beastial. Too hard to justify a dragonborn, goblin or a cat person walking into an already skittish and superstitious town without being burned at the stake or mobbed by the torch and pitchfork crowd.

[Amdy_vill]

My DM allows only published books and homebrew he has worked on or knows well like gunslinger. He lets flying races and has given some of us natural flying. I am playing a dragon born and around level 9 he gave me flying. I don't get this hate of flying races. most game do not take place in a dungeon so they can't avoid traps too often and after a few levels if you have a wizard the party can fly.

[DarthPenance]

In my table all of the books are allowed, UA and homebrew we can ask the DM, if he says yes it’s good to go, but he can also nerf things he only saw as overpowered later.

[DarkKnightJin]

If you wanna PM me, that's a good way. We obviously write a LOT of spells.

I hope you get someone to let you try it out soon! It's one of my personal favorite projects, and the class IS very fun: plays like a warlock crossed with a fighter, if they didn't just have to stick with Eldritch Blast.

I've sent you a PM, a few days ago.
Figured I'd give you a heads up, since I'm not sure how much or often you check the forums.
I can see about sending a copy of the file to MFoV's mailbox if you'd like, so the whole Hand can check it.