• 😎 Professor Dungeonmaster aims to make 5E D&D games grittier and more badass.
• 📚 Professor Dungeonmaster admires Critical Role for their enthusiasm, preparation, and quick turns.
• 💪 Professor Dungeonmaster appreciates the modularity of 5E rules and how they can be tweaked to create different game experiences.
• 🧙‍♂️ Professor Dungeonmaster's history with D&D includes playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.
• ⚔️ Warhammer was initially perceived as grittier than D&D, but after playing it for years, they realized they could achieve similar results by tweaking 5E rules.
• 🎲 Professor Dungeonmaster provides five tweaks to make your D&D game grittier, including restrictions on resting, rolling attack dice openly, reining in gods, reducing hit points, and eliminating death saves.
• 🛠️ Professor Dungeonmaster encourages game masters to hack and import rules from other games to achieve a grittier game experience within the 5E system.
• 💀 Deathbringer, a character in Professor Dungeonmaster's games, questions accusations of him getting soft and sings "Sailing" by Christopher Cross.

Apologies for the cutoff. Here's the continuation:

Number five, death at negative hit points and no resurrection. This tweak adds a significant level of danger and permanence to the game. In traditional 5th Edition D&D, characters are typically knocked unconscious when their hit points reach zero and can be revived through healing spells or magical means. However, in a grittier game, you can make death more impactful by implementing negative hit points. When a character's hit points drop to zero or below, they immediately die, and there is no chance for resurrection or healing.

By removing the safety net of revival, players will have to approach combat and dangerous situations with more caution and strategic thinking. This not only adds tension and a sense of danger but also makes the consequences of their actions more significant.

In conclusion, these are just a few tweaks that you can make to your 5th Edition D&D game to make it grittier and more challenging. Remember, you can choose to incorporate all or just some of these changes based on your preferences and the preferences of your players. It's important to communicate and discuss these modifications with your group to ensure everyone is on board and enjoys the new style of gameplay.

I hope these tips help you create a game that embraces verisimilitude, grit, and excitement. Happy gaming!