Do you want to add a sense of realism your game? Do you want to ground your games with a level of difficulty and gritty survival? Perhaps you are wanting to create a world that has reduced amounts of magic?
Dungeons and Dragons 5e is great for a lot of things, but it can be hard to implement a toughness and danger to the game, or enforce the survival factors presented to an adventurers lifestyle.
This guide implements easy to use mechanics which add a layer of grit and realism to your games, making it easier to create a theme of survival and toughness to certain factors, without detracting from the gameplay or getting bogged down in admin.
All the rules are standalone and optional so you can pick and choose which you would like to implement. These optional rules can also work to add difficulty to a certain area or story arc, for example, if the party heads to another plane of existence or a harsh environment. Effectively this creates a “hardmode” for D&D.
If you or your party are looking to make the game more challenging and adventures more rewarding when completed, don't just throw higher CR monsters in, add more grit and realism to your world.
- from the publisher's blurb