FIVEY Resources

FIVEY is a homebrew heartbreaker role-playing ruleset inspired by D&D Fifth Edition, with a view towards game simplification, character customization, and player agency. You can find the "rules bible" on my blog! On this itch page, I've uploaded the most recent versions of the character sheet and pregame survey. You can find a webpage version of the latter on my blog, as well.

What's Old Is New

If you have played the fifth edition of the world's biggest fantasy role-playing game, this section is to help you understand (if only on a high level) the differences between that system and FIVEY.

FIVEY is inspired heavily by the aforementioned game, but it emphasizes player accessibility and character customization. Rather than there being ability scores, there are only stat bonuses from 1-5. Rather than there being proficiency bonuses, you need only double your stat bonus if your character is skilled at a task. There are no character classes, but you can pick from various feats to create a character that better reflects your specific vision, while also making it easier to randomly generate a character that interests and surprises you. The numbers are smaller, such as monsters having fewer hit points, which simplifies situations like combat while emphasizing characters' unique abilities over their quantitative differences. The game is not just simpler, but more interesting, engaging, and customizable.

FIVEY also assumes a somewhat different play-style than the one endorsed in the other role-playing game. Rather than participants setting out to tell a story, especially one outlined by the referee, the participants are mainly playing to socialize and see what happens. It does not envision an overarching plot or a big bad guy, but a bunch of toys laid out on a sandbox. The context and aim of play is more casual. On the one hand this makes FIVEY easier to pull out on a whim for a game night, but this does not preclude you from playing through more long-term campaigns either. The idea is just to foreground the table, the agency of players, and the enjoyment of everyone during the game.