It’s very rare for a D&D table to play 100% by the rules as written and not have at least one table rule. In fact, the rules themselves clearly state that customizing the game is not only common but a good idea. At the very least, the rulebooks acknowledge that it will be up to the DM to interpret the meaning and application of rules at their table.
So what’s a table rule and are they a good idea?
Simply stated, a table rule is an addition, a deletion, or a custom interpretation of an existing rule.
This means you can add a rule to your table that doesn’t exist in the rulebooks. An example might be using dice to randomly determine if a weapon breaks upon impact on any monster with an armor class above a certain threshhold.
The deletion of a rule could be ignoring initiative at the beginning of combat and letting the adventuring party always go first.
The custom interpretation of an existing rule could be changing what happens when a character reaches zero hit points. This has been one of my most common table rules. In one group I ran, we created a constitution save to determine if a player actually dies or not rather than using death saves.
Are table rules a good idea?
Table rules are an organic part of a game that was designed from the very beginning to be adaptable to the needs and desires of the people that play it. Table rules are inherently-and literally-an intended part of the game.
There are a few downsides to using table rules, though. If a table rule deviates in a drastic way from the rules-as-written, it can skew the balance that was carefully put into the game. This can bring about unintended consequences. For example, allowing monsters to do double damage when rolling a natural 20 on combat rolls can unfairly give groups of monsters an advantage when there are more monsters than characters.
Table Rules Example
Let me explain. If a group of four adventurers face off against a part of eight hobgoblins, the monsters have twice the opportunity to do double damage to the party. Conversely, only allowing double damage to the party on natural 20s is unfair against the monsters.
There is another potential problem with table rules when your group has a lot of them. They can be difficult to remember, leading to on-the-spot misinterpretation or incorrectly remembering previous interpretations of table rules. Furthermore, new players that join the group have a steeper learning curve to figure out the way your group plays.
I’ve heard many players say things like, “That’s not how my old group used to handle it” or “I don’t agree with the reasoning behind that table rule.” Keep in mind that table rules are often set by a very specific group of people, and when that group changes, the dynamic and preferences can change along with it.
On the other side of this gold piece, there are some downsides to playing the game strictly by the rules-as-written. Even though the game of D&D has been around since the 1970s and has gone through many iterations and refinements, there are still circumstances that come up during game-play that aren’t covered by the rules.
And here’s the wooly mammoth in the room – there are still rules that players and DM’s just don’t like. A lot of D&D is subjective. This isn’t a rocket launch where the math must be precisely correct, it’s a game that is played for enjoyment.
There are rules that have survived the test of time through a half-dozen versions and so-called refinements of the game that a great many enthusiasts of the game find less than satisfactory.
→ Be sure to read our article, “Rule of Cool: There are no squeegees in D&D!“
Even if you mandate that your group will play the game strictly by the rules as written, there are even variations to what’s written. Suplements change or add or even remove some rules. Remember, publishers of table-top role-playing games like Wizards of the Coast make money by printing and selling books, not by you buying one book and never spending another dime.
In other words, it’s in the publisher’s interest, implicitly or intentionally, to change things up from time to time.
That makes it a functional impossibility to follow the rules-as-written.
So should you use table rules in your gaming group?
Should you use table rules in your D&D game?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question. D&D is a game, it is entertainment, and what constitutes fun in the context of D&D is entirely subjective. Even the rules as written canonically say you are welcome to change things based on your group’s desires. What is fun for one D&D table may not be fun for another. The same group may change their mind over time and adjust their own table rules.
In the end, treat D&D and the rules as written in the published books as guidelines, a starting place if you will. Give those rules a shot and playtest them as written, then adjust according to what makes sense and what makes you happy. Remember, it’s a game, not a rocket launch.
