Dungeons and Dragons 5e Redesigns
I started playing D&D in 2016 and quickly became a DM. Since then, I’ve been designing small reworks and subsystems to smooth out friction points and support the kind of play experience I want at my table.
Tabletop RPG design is where systems design and UX meet. You want depth and expressive choices, but you also want play at the table to stay fast, readable, and unhindered.
Below is a collection of designs I’ve used in my own campaigns. Each write-up includes extensive design notes - the reasoning, tradeoffs, and iteration thinking behind the rules.
Weapon Skills and Mastery
Type: Subsystem
Problem: In 5e, weapon choice often becomes cosmetic beyond damage dice - many weapons play the same, just with different numbers.
Solution: A compact Weapon Skills system plus a limited Mastery progression to give weapons distinct play patterns without a large rules overhead.
What it shows:
Systems design with a high depth-to-complexity ratio
Balancing and clarity tradeoffs for table play
Progression that encourages experimentation
Status: Campaign-tested and well received. D&D 5.5e (2024) introduced a Weapon Mastery concept with similar goals - I see it as encouraging parallel thinking (my version also includes a progression layer).
Ranger Rework
Type: Class rework
Problem: Ranger carries design debt across editions, and its mechanical identity often doesn’t match its fantasy.
Solution: A rework built to align identity and mechanics, with features designed to make the player feel like any challenge can be overcome with preparation.
What it shows:
Rebuilding a class around a clear identity and role
Avoiding “non-choices” and dead features
Subclasses that explore various narrative and thematic identities
Status: Campaign-tested and well received.
Monk Rework
Type: Class rework
Problem: Concentration is powerful in 5e but underexplored as a source of play and meaningful decisions. Personal disinterest in the narrative theming of the original.
Solution: A monk redesign that adds interesting interactions around Concentration, shifting the class fantasy toward a more explicitly mystic identity.
What it shows:
Designing mechanics that create interesting decisions, not just buffs
Balancing risk around bounded accuracy and resource pressure
Clear explanation of tradeoffs and alternate tuning
Status: Not yet campaign-tested