D&D 5E What rule(s) is 5e missing?

[Laurefindel]

Domain management and large-scale combat is what comes to mind like you said, and it looks like we're about to get that soon.

Otherwise, everything else I can think of are campaign or setting specific. Better herbalism rules would be nice but it doesn't make sense to develop those and not potion making or magic item crafting and I don't know what else, without bloating the game with complex subsystems.

 

[iserith]

Skill challenges similar to (but not exactly like) D&D 4e skill challenges.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I know it wont happen because I'm the only one who wants it, but alignment mechanics.

Oh, you certainly are not the only one who wants them. But the majority doesn't, and I don't think the designers do either.

 

[Stormonu]

Well, if we want things they said we'd get...

The "tactical combat module."

Serious question: what would that cover?

 

[AnotherGuy]

Use of resources tied to the exhaustion track integrated with the resting mechanic.

 

[d24454_modern]

Aging mechanics. I know people don’t like drawbacks, but I personally like to see a person’s health reflected in their stats.

 

[Willie the Duck]

I one worked up a "social combat" system that included styles of attacks (intimidation versus persuasion versus seduction, etc) with a "resolve" hit point system to provide victory condition. In other words I was trying to apply the combat system to social interactions. I got some push back from my players so I was never able to properly test it.

Sounds like a great idea, however, I would limit it to certain environments like an interrogation. Might be annoying every time you talk to a merchant or city watch to "fight" them socially.

It was meant for an adventure focused on courtly intrigue.

I believe Mythras has something like that (at least M-Space does, which is based off the same engine). It works well-enough, but needs more fleshing out (It just uses social skills against 'hit points' coming from social and willpower stats. There needs to be actual different moves). Still, a good way of having more than just 'success, and by how much' as a resolution mechanic.

Skill challenges similar to (but not exactly like) D&D 4e skill challenges.

This is a fundamental thing. Overall skills and generalized task resolution is the sticky wicket of so many RPGs. Even games with more rigorous skill lists and modifiers (say, GURPS) often have trouble when they get to 'so how should we have my profession: psychologist skill actually play out?' Skill challenges was a solution. Plenty of argument as to how good it was. Something like this would go a long way to making the skill system in 5e seem less vestigial.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Serious question: what would that cover?

more push pull slide rules ideas of more in depth things like flanking...

I'm not the target audiance for it (as much as I love 4e I used Theator of the Mind half the time anyway) but more mini game warfair stuff I would think.

maybe it would have skirmish/large battle rules for kingdom vs kingdom (that I would like

 

[iserith]

This is a fundamental thing. Overall skills and generalized task resolution is the sticky wicket of so many RPGs. Even games with more rigorous skill lists and modifiers (say, GURPS) often have trouble when they get to 'so how should we have my profession: psychologist skill actually play out?' Skill challenges was a solution. Plenty of argument as to how good it was. Something like this would go a long way to making the skill system in 5e seem less vestigial.

Yes, the main thing is that D&D 4e and 5e handle skills differently so in the latter it couldn't be something a player can "push" to make as it was in D&D 4e. That would fundamentally change how one would design a skill challenge in D&D 5e, but there could at least be some kind of resolution framework there and someone could do the math on how many successes before how many failures were appropriate given bounded accuracy and whatnot.

 

[Li Shenron]

Rules for running PCs through very large battles