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In 2022 and 2023, some friends and I played the D&D campaign Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. About halfway through the campaign, after one combat turned into a terrible slog, we decided that 5th Edition was not serving us and jettisoned it. We weighed a few rules-light systems, eventually landing on The Vanilla Game by Jared Sinclair.
To maintain some semblance of continuity, I created some custom classes based the player’s interests, abilities, and magic items.
This class is the same as the Magic-user, with the following changes. You start the game with a cauldron and a spellbook containing three spells. You cannot cast spells. Instead, you may Whip Something Up, see below. Whenever you ingest something (or someone), you learn its effects or abilities and can reproduce the recipe in your spellbook.
When you whip something up, describe what it looks like and choose one of your recipes for its effects. Spend items, monster parts, or gear bubbles equal to the number of servings prepared. The effect lasts for one 10-minute turn, the experience will be remembered for a lifetime. Reveal its true name, then choose three cooking complications:
This class is the same as the Fighter, with the following changes. You can only make one Free Attack each round. You count as skilled at tasks related to thievery, instead of fighting. You may spend a gear bubble and make a Saving Throw to reveal that you stole something from an NPC in a previous scene this session. Say what it is, or ask the GM for ideas. If you fail the Saving Throw, they know it was you. But that’s a problem for tomorrow.
If you attack with an advantage, in addition to other bonuses, all numbers between your original AV and the modified AV count as a Critical Hit. Any damage you deal directly to Flesh is doubled–roll twice as many dice and double the modifiers.
This class is the same as the Magic-user, with the following changes. You have no spellbook. You are not skilled in tasks related to magic. You have no need. It’s all up here [taps noggin] (You cast “spells” as normal.)
You have a perfect sense of direction. If you hold an object in your hand and concentrate on it for a Turn, you learn a few basic facts about it. You gain a mental image from the object’s perspective, seeing and hearing events that have occurred within 10 feet of it over the last Watch.
You may spend any number of points of Grit to modify the results of any Saving Throw by the same number in either direction.
This class is the same as the Fighter, with the following changes. You can fly, but your wings produce a loud buzzing hum. You can spend a Grit to glow with biochemical luminescence for an hour (6 turns). Both of these attract attention and double the chance of a random encounter. Fortunately for you, this is not wholly unwelcome: most Bug-aligned beings will recognize you as friendly. You count as skilled at tasks related to Fighting and Bug Civilization.
You can only make one Free Attack each round. However, your compound eyes perceive subtle geometries. If your attack misses due to armor, you still deal Grit damage equal to your Damage Bonus, if the target has any.