House Rules for Nimble 5e v1

Nimble contains modifications to Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition rules to simplify and streamline play. Alas, a 32-page booklet or even a Web-based FAQ cannot account for every rule in the 300+ page Player’s Handbook, let alone Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, and other non-SRD content.

While the Discord server and eventually the Web site hosts a FAQ for some of the corner cases and non-SRD content not in the book, even those sources do not cover all cases.

Thus I’ve put together my own house rules for using Nimble in my games. Note these are my interpretations of the Nimble rules, after discussions on the Nimble Discord server with author Evan Diaz and others, plus some house-ruling in the grand tradition of D&D DMs everywhere and everywhen. I have also included some experimental rules that I just thought would be a good idea.

Special thanks to Evan Diaz, @supersarah, Caleb (@carcabob), and others I’ve probably forgotten.

Character Creation

These rules supplement or modify the Character Creation rules given on page 21 and the altered feats and abilities on pages 17 and 18.¹

In general all class and race abilities are the same as in standard 5e, except as noted on pp. 17-18 of Nimble, in the FAQ, or the rules below. When in doubt, just ask.

Racial Ability Bonuses

Nimble p. 21 states:

Ability Scores. Choose a stat array for your main ability scores, then allocate 3 additional points (in at least 2 different abilities) reflecting your background …

Non-Humans use these rules as written.

Standard Humans add +1 to all ability scores. This makes Humans a more attractive choice as a player character compared to the non-human races and their various special abilities.

Variant Humans are only available if the campaign uses the optional Feat rules. (I usually don’t.) They use the Nimble ability scores as written and gain two extra skill points and a starting Feat (PHB p. 31).

Racial Skill Proficiencies

Nimble p. 17 states:

Racial proficiencies or abilities that grant extra skill bonuses give +1 Skill Point instead.

The rules below expand upon this single sentence.

(Initial list compiled by @supersarah, expanded and annotated by me.)

Races not listed here have no extra proficiencies.

• Dwarf

  • Stonecunning. Advantage on Lore checks related to the origin of stonework.

• Elf

  • Keen Senses. One point in Perception.

• Gnome, Rock

  • Artificer’s Lore. Advantage on Lore checks related to magic items, alchemical objects, or technological devices.

• Half-Elf

  • Skill Versatility. Two points in the skills of your choice.

• Half-Orc

  • Menacing. One point in Intimidation.

• Human, Variant

  • Skills. Two skill points in the skills of your choice, as noted above.

Background and Class Skill Proficiencies

Quoting Nimble p. 21:

Skills: Proficiency bonuses are no longer added to skills. Instead you can allocate 6 points (in addition to the bonuses granted by your ability score modifiers) into at least 3 different skills.

Rogues also get the Expertise ability, redefined on p. 17, and Bards get the Jack of All Trades ability, redefined on p. 17.

These are all the skill points backgrounds, classes, and subclasses get at Level 1.

Certain subclasses gain skill points at higher levels:

• Fighter: Cavalier, 3rd Level

  • Bonus Proficiency. One point in Influence, Lore, or Naturecraft, or one language of your choice.

• Fighter: Samurai, 3rd Level

  • Bonus Proficiency. One point in Insight, Influence, or Lore, or one language of your choice.

• Rogue: Scout, 3rd Level

  • Survivalist. One point in Naturecraft.

Background Abilities

Derive skills and attributes according to Nimble, but you get the special ability of the Background you choose, e.g. the Acolyte’s “Shelter of the Faithful”.

Hit Points

Instead of rolling Hit Points according to the procedure² in Nimble p. 24, players may take “average” hit points according to the following table.

Average/die indicates the average result when rolling with Advantage.

Equipment

Nimble’s equipment budget for starting characters is fairly stingy. If you’re generating a more experienced character, go ahead and start with the standard equipment listed under your Class and Background. Or whatever else strikes your fancy. I’d set a budget of at least 3d6 x level x 10 gp. As long as the character can physically carry the equipment, buy what you need.

Armor

For convenience, I’ve worked out the Nimble “AC Bonus” for all armor in the PHB.³

I’m inclined to rename AC Bonus something else for clarity, e.g. Armor Points or Damage Reduction. Unfortunately I can’t think of a good name.

Adventuring

Mana

The Mana rules replace spell slots. See Nimble page 14 for more information.

Artificers

Artificers use Nimble’s mana rules, and count as half-casters.

Regaining Mana

Some classes have ways of regaining spell slots beyond a Long Rest. These recover the equivalent in Mana. For example:

• Cleric’s Channel Divinity (from Tasha’s): regain half proficiency bonus in Mana by expending a use of Channel Divinity.

• Sorcerer’s Sorcery Points: exchanged for Mana one for one.

• Wizard’s Arcane Recovery: regain half your level in Mana.

On a long adventure in hostile territory, with no opportunity for a proper Long Rest, Bards and half-casters may run out of Mana. Therefore I offer the following experimental house rules:

• A spellcaster may expend one of their hit dice to restore their Mana, at a rate of one hit die per point of mana.

• On a “Long Short Rest”, i.e. a Short Rest of more than six hours, all spellcasters regain half their Mana rounded down (minimum 1 point) in addition to any gains from the above methods.

Again these rules are Experimental, and likely to be rescinded if it makes spellcasters too powerful.

Warlocks

Warlocks use Spell Slots and other systems in the rules as written. They do not count as “half-casters” under Nimble rules.

Non-Lethal Damage

Non-Lethal Damage works just like Lethal Damage under the Nimble rules.⁴ That includes bringing HP to 0 and inducing levels of Exhaustion … and the Dying condition.

However, Non-Lethal Damage cannot kill a character under any circumstances. If Non-Lethal damage would kill a character, it gives them the Unconscious condition instead.

Other House Rules

House Rules I developed for regular D&D 5e games may be in effect. Candidate rules include:

• Alignments: In one-shots and mini-campaigns just ignore alignments, but in a campaign I may institute Hard Alignments or some other mechanic.

• Darkvision: Some darkness is too dark even for Darkvision.

• Dice: All dice rolls are public, except for coin flips and DM table rolls.

• Feats: I may allow them in a one-shot, but in a campaign I prefer the rule “if you want to do something awesome just do it and let the dice fall where they may.”

• Flying: Flying ancestries are expressly forbidden.

• Grids: Gridless with visual aids and landmarks is the new default.

• Languages: In a one-shot just stick with Common and racial languages. In one of my campaign worlds I may choose a slightly more complex take on languages, spoken and/or written.

• Light: Torches only last for one hour of real time.

• Luck Points: As I get more comfortable with Nimble I may want to introduce standard Luck Points (awarded on a miss, exchanged for rerolls) and progressing to Complications, Great Luck Points, and Bad Luck Points.

• Masterwork Items: In a one-shot magic items are fine. In a low-magic campaign, however, I’ll only make Masterwork Items readily available.

• Money: In a one-shot just assume gold pieces are worth ten silvers. In one of my campaigns I’ll probably institute the 1 gp = 50 sp rule.

• Multiclassing: No multiclassing without the DM’s permission. Find an in-universe reason why your character would change their entire way of life.

• Sidekicks: Sidekicks (from Tasha’s) are expressly forbidden. There are alternatives.

• Sources: In any game I run I will restrict the sources players and I use to the PHB, Xanathar’s, Tasha’s, and optionally the sourcebook for the campaign I’m running.

All the rest are either derived from Nimble or irrelevant to a Nimble game (e.g. “Races”).

Monsters

See also Nimble Monsters.

Monster Armor

The Nimble booklet states, under Monster Armor:

Unlike PCs, monster armor is simplified into three groups:

(0–13 AC) Light armor takes damage as usual: damage dice + ability modifier.

(14–17 AC) Medium armor takes damage ONLY from the dice, ignoring ALL damage modifiers (e.g., STR/DEX bonuses, agonizing blast, etc.) unless they are negative.

(18+ AC) Heavy armor takes half damage from all sources (rounded up).

That can lead to some pathological outcomes wherein Medium armor takes less damage than Heavy. Therefore I’m going to modify that rule to say Medium (monster) armor reduces damage to the either the total on the dice or the damage modifiers, whichever is higher. For example, if a player’s attack does 1d8+5 damage, the damage done will be the higher of 5 points (the modifier) or whatever’s rolled on the 1d8 (which could be 6, 7, or 8).

Also, since Medium armor is a little more complicated, I might demote AC 13 foes to Light armor and promote AC 17 foes to Heavy armor, depending on whether they’re flunkies or that encounter’s boss.

Adopting Some of Nimble

While Nimble calls itself a toolkit, certain rules imply (→) certain other rules. For example:

• Nimble Attacks (pp 3-4) → Heroic Reactions (pp 7-8) and Monsters (pp 15-16)

  Rationale: Nimble Attacks ignore rolls to hit (vs. AC) and use only damage dice. The Block/Dodge Reaction and the rules for Monster AC make AC matter again.

• Action Points (pp 5-6) ↔ Heroic Reactions (pp 7-8)

  Rationale: Action Points require Heroic Reactions to make combat work; without the Action Point system, Block/Dodge would require an action or at least a Bonus Action.

• Nimble Attacks (p 3-4) or Action Points (p 5-6) or Heroic Reactions (p 7-8) → Feats & Abilities (pp 17-18)

  Rationale: The Feats & Abilities section adapts existing feats and abilities to the lack of to-hit rolls and the Action Point System.

• Heroic Reactions (pp 7-8) : Block/Dodge → Secondary Stats : AC (p 24)

  Rationale: Block/Dodge requires the new definition of AC.

• Main Ability Scores (p 23) → Secondary Stats : HP (p 24)

  Rationale: The removal of Constitution requires a rule to generate higher HP.

• Main Ability Scores (p 23) → Feats & Abilities (pp 17-18)

  Rationale: The Feats & Abilities section adapts existing feats and abilities to the lack of Constitution modifiers.

• Main Ability Scores (p 23) or Saving Throws (p 23) → Character Creation and Leveling Up (p 21)

  Rationale: Removing Constitution, redistributing responsibilities of the remaining ability scores, or changing the number of Saving Throws affects character creation.

• Initiative (p 24) ⇀ Action Points (p 5-6)

  Rationale: The new definition of Initiative uses Action Points. It’s possible to translate this to standard actions, i.e. 1 AP is a Move or Action but not both, 2 AP is a Move and Action or Reaction but no more than two, and 3 AP is a full round (Action, Move, Bonus Action).

• Skills (p 25-26) → Feats & Abilities (pp 17-18)

  Rationale: The Feats & Abilities section adapts existing feats and abilities to the new Skill System.

• Skills (p 25-26) → Character Creation and Leveling Up (p 21)

  Rationale: Replacing skill proficiencies with skill points affects character creation.

The following sections seem to have no dependencies:

• Dying (p 9)⁵
• Exhaustion (p 10)⁶
• Resting (p 11-12)
• Mana (p 14)
• Money (p 22)
• Nimble Lite (p 27)