THE 5E HACK

This has been done a thousand times. Shadowdark, Five Torches Deep, Into the Unknown, etc. They all scratch the 5E/OSR itch in slightly different ways. Don't get me wrong, they are all great games but this is designed to scratch my very specific itch. The one behind the shoulder blade, just out of reach.

My gripe with a lot of these 5E/OSR systems is they don't strip back enough and they add old-school systems that I'm not interested in. I love OSR principles, but they can come with baggage. For example, I've never had fun running encumbrance and my players don't seem to like it either. To each their own, but I'll leave that out.

The most exciting moments in my games of D&D have come from diegetic (or in-world) progression. The players encounter something that leaves a lasting impact on their player character. That feeling is what this hack of 5E is trying to capture in as many aspects as possible. There are no levels and no class progression. All character progress is handled through diegetic rewards.

This hack is based directly on the D&D 5E SRD. The 5E community is still special to me. It was my first edition of D&D, and this feels like a way for me to contribute to that scene. The 5E Hack is still very compatible with D&D 5e. You can run most monsters as is straight from 5E. Classes and subclasses can be very quickly converted into a playable origin (The 5E Hack's version of a class) and feats and other class/racial features can be ported over with very little adjusting.

This hack is the bones. It is intentionally left bare, showing the framework from which you can build your own game.

Check out the design goals below and if it seems like something you'd be into, download version 1 of the rules and head over to the discord to join the conversation! (This is all still a WIP. Any thoughts, comments, advice, etc can be left in the comments below or feel free to reach out to me via email or discord!)

Inspired by: D&D 5E, Troika!, Cairn, Wolves Upon the Coast, ICRPG, Mork Borg, Knave, and the breadth of OSR blogs that have shaped my tastes.

DESIGN GOALS

1. Keep the DNA of D&D 5E. The D&D 5E SRD has already handled the majority of the basic game design we need. Ability checks, actions, attack rolls, etc are all part of a common 5E language that is both recognizable to 5E players and relatively streamlined.
2. Cut out the bloat. The parts of 5E that are not streamlined, we leave on the cutting room floor. Mechanics like initiative, spell slots, and temporary hit points are just a few examples of design that gets in the way of the style of game we are trying to play. Get rid of it.
3. Semi-classless level-free system. We are not interested in fully optimized bulky builds planned from level 1 to 20. There are no classes in the traditional sense. Instead, backgrounds and classes are combined into a set of starting proficiencies and gear. Further progression focuses on horizontal growth instead of vertical growth. 
4. Diegetic character progression. We removed classes so that character progression can be handled diegetically. Instead of your character arbitrarily acquiring new abilities because that is what the class design says, you will acquire new abilities and skills based on your in-game choices. Deity worship, martial training, magic item acquisition, occult rituals, supernatural phenomena, and other experiences will shape your character through play.
5. Emergent gameplay. All of this is done in an effort to highlight emergent narrative and emergent gameplay. Out-of-the-box problem solving and in the moment improvisation are prioritized over meticulously planned balance and pre-plotted advancement.

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The great tool of Creation is the knife.