What is DnD homebrew? And why use it.
First, let’s explain what is DnD homebrew. Simply put any content within a Dungeons and Dragons game that cannot be found in an official rulebook is considered homebrew. Official books are published by Wizard of the Coast so any D&D content that is not published by them, no matter the quality is by default homebrew. This includes everything from races and classes to monsters and magic items, or even worlds and settings.
The term “homebrew” comes from the fact that all of these things are created by the players and DMs of the game, which makes them “homemade” rather than something that was purchased from an official source. Homebrewing can add a lot of fun to your Dungeons and Dragons game. Players can create their own characters with their own unique abilities and powers and DMs usually create their homebrew rules. It is a great way to add more variety to your games and make them unique.
DnD homebrew – the good and the bad
You’ll find both sides in a discussion about homebrew. Some people will only play with official Wizards of the Coast content while other groups will use whatever they want as long as it fits within their game’s setting. But most tables employ it to one degree or another.
Most homebrew creations will be overpowered because not all DMs have the experience or understanding to balance them well. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use it if it works for your table and you’re all happy with it.
Dungeons and Dragons is a game that is hard to balance. Even though Wizards of the Coast (WotC) tried to cover all possibilities and situations, it is impossible. The problem with balancing a game like D&D is that there are so many different paths in the game and so many different ways to play it. There are also a lot of diverse playstyles, and all of these things can be combined in hundreds of variations. After some time and gained experience DMs learn to use tools provided by Wizards’ to react to situations that players make or put themselves in so they can homebrew game-specific rules that are somewhat balanced.
The good
Homebrew rules and decisions can make your game unique. It offers your players to try new mechanics and gain new experiences. Homebrew can also help supplement or correct some of the official rules which are not fully defined or are ambiguous.
It is a great way to engage with your community and create something that everyone can enjoy. It gives you an opportunity to test out new ideas, explore different ways of playing the game and ultimately experience more of what Dungeons & Dragons has to offer.
The bad
The issue with homebrew is that it can greatly unbalance the game. Making the slightest change, for example, allowing one character to have the ability to dash as a bonus action compared with the rogue class which gains this ability at 2nd level already makes it a little bit overpowered. The player playing rogue could feel unnecessary and dissatisfied. This could lead to them not enjoying their experience in the game.
Homebrew magic items are also a way to unbalance the game. This is because they can be overpowered and give the players an unfair advantage. Sometimes, these items can get a little out of hand. This can happen when players make up their own rules for how certain items work or when they find ways to break the game by using them.
DnD homebrew example
We will use one common example to show how and why it came to be.
Most tables allow drinking a potion as a bonus action while it is clear in the official rules it takes an action to drink it.
Drinking a potion as an action during combat very slowly brings up a dialog box. It breaks the flow of combat and distracts from the excitement of battle. It also takes away an action from your character which makes the game feel less entertaining. Even though it feels like a small change it makes a big impact on the game. For Dungeon Masters, this change in the action economy makes calculating encounters more difficult because they have to think about challenge rating formulas. They are unable to input changes in their monster’s action economy. So as a DM you might think that that kobold group will be a difficult encounter for your players and then they walk through it without any problems.
How to create homebrew content
Now that we have explained what homebrew is, let us go over how to do it. The easiest way to begin creating your own homebrew content is by using existing rulesets as a base for your new content. For example, if you want to create a new race you can use existing races as a base and then alter them to fit your vision.
There are tons of ways to make your homebrew content. Some experienced DMs make up everything as they go along, and some use pre-existing resources like a website where other people post their homebrew stuff. If you are just starting out try something simple. Even though the idea of designing a whole new world seems daunting, it is not impossible. Start with something like a new monster or a magic item, or even a new rule. But try to keep it simple and easy to understand by your players. Remember Dungeons and Dragons is a game about telling stories, and becoming a character. The important thing is to have fun with your friends.
In conclusion, homebrew is an integral part of D&D and always will be. It’s a great way to get creative and make your play experience more fun. However, it’s important to remember that not everyone is going to be comfortable with homebrew. If you’re playing with people who have never played before, you should probably avoid using homebrew. Let them have some time to adjust to the game. But if you want to use it, make sure your table is on board!
