Tales of the Valiant

Tales of the Valiant is a patched 2014 version of 5E. A lot of the class designs are clear improvements over the 2014 versions. I can own PDFs, and the rules are cleaned up and a lot clearer. Overall, versus the six core books of D&D 2014, this is a solid alternative that cleans up the rules, reduces the number of books to support, and makes the game easier for beginners.

The major replacement is the Luck system in place of Inspiration, which works well in play and is preferred by many. That said, using this to play a more old-school 5E game has all the same issues as D&D 2014. Most of the optional rules from 2014 are here, and in some areas, such as travel, the rules are better thought out and explained, with expanded systems offered.

This is like a "product improved" version of D&D 2014, with mostly the same rules, a few clarifications and expansions, many fixes to classes and abilities, but for the most part, it is what you are used to in D&D 2014. There are play improvements here over the 2014 D&D edition that make the game easier to play, but the design goal is to mirror 2014 and provide complete compatibility.

I would rather play ToV than D&D 2014; it's not even a comparison. Of all the games I cover on this blog, ToV is the best version of D&D 2014, and it is still supported incredibly well today. This also has the best compatibility with D&D 2014 subclasses and third-party rules.

If you like D&D 2014, this is an obvious side-grade for you and a quality-of-life improvement. We are back down to three core books again, not six, so like D&D 2024, this is a better option for new players, but it does not have the structural improvements and streamlining that D&D 2024 does.

Note: Some criticize D&D 2024 as too streamlined and simplified, such as removing the silvered weapons needed for werewolves and other lycanthropes, and the experience from the game. There is a "dumbing down" to D&D 2024 that some 2014 players do not like. While I may view the streamlining as generally positive, some feel it went too far, removing classic interactions (and monster spellcasting) in favor of speed of play.

But ToV does do a few things much better than D&D 2024. One is in ability score creation: D&D 2024's backgrounds force you into taking a narrow selection of ability score improvements, plus a feat, and they limit your choices of optimal backgrounds based on your build. In ToV, they just set your stats during stat creation, and that is the last time you fool with them, and you can get the stats you want.

This whole thing of "going backward and modifying stats" in character creation is clunky and needs to be done away with. You set them once, calculate your modifiers one time, and move on to the next section. ToV gets it right.

The D&D 2014 model of the three core books plus three "expansion books" as the core game just needs to go away. I get it, 2014 is the most popular version ever, and it is 10 years entrenched, but I have had a group that never even started since I chose 2014 D&D, and people just wanted to have a simple core experience.

ToV or D&D 2024 would have been far better choices, needing only three core books, and I would have had a game going.

As for old-school rules, you are still sort of on your own with making tone changes or adapting an old-school mod to the rules from a third party. Some play old-school in 5E by adopting a grim and gritty tone; it doesn't always work, but it is a choice. When you are forced to play an old school game, such as Shadowdark or BX, you begin to understand how less is more, and that tension of every step being possibly your character's final.

Since this is 2014 compatible, Hardmode 5e works just as well. Again, you may want to hold off on using this until you learn the system. Some of the rules in here aren't needed, such as the Injuries system, since ToV provides its own by retaining the best Variant rules from D&D 2014.

Also, ToV and D&D 2024 are similar enough but different enough that you should not assume they work the same way. A lot doesn't, especially around action types and what can and can't be done on different actions. Monsters are vastly different: ToV supports classic monster abilities, while D&D 2024 heavily streamlines them.

There is a speed-of-play optimization in D&D 2024 that removes much of the classic flavor (such as werewolves, silver weapons, and caster monsters), leading some people to see the game as a "5E Lite" version. The designers of 2024 try different ways to make up for it, but the monsters feel and play differently. ToV keeps things in the classic, 2014 style.

Playing a certain way is going to be a common problem with games that stick closer to the D&D standard. Adopting an old-school feel and style of play will be harder since the games are not designed for that style, and modifying the rules will introduce a whole bunch of new problems with pacing and balance.

This is why people give up and play Shadowdark or BX. It is just easier to play a game and let it do what it was designed to do. And you don't need to push a huge list of homebrew changes on a new group, which can cause people to walk away. The game was written that way, and we can all play by what is in the book, fine. You come in with six pages of homebrew, and I will quit and find an easier game that doesn't need a day-one patch that is mostly opinion.

Don't laugh, this happened to me.

We have all the 2014 D&D monsters, including the humanoids, in the Monster Vault. Also note that ToV's monsters are tuned to hit harder than D&D 2014, so the game feels like a CR+1 game overall, and not really tuned to the 2014 math. At this point, D&D 2024 is tuned CR+1, and it feels like the industry has moved on from the 2014 balance and opted for a harder-hitting, faster style of play.

Level Up A5E retains the old 2014, CR+0 balance. It can be argued that by the end, D&D 2014 was also a CR+1 game, with all the power-gaming and exploits occurring in the later books.

Also note that speed-of-play improvements and changes to fatigue are not in ToV, as they are unique to 2024 D&D. A lot of what was done in D&D 2024 was done to make the game play faster, at the expense of some of the traditional tropes and expectations that hardcore players love. D&D 2024 is more like a "BX version of 2014 D&D" if that makes sense.

Tales of the Valiant is a solid side-grade for those with a huge library of 2014 books for D&D, looking to step away from Wizards and adopt a clean, fresh start using a reimagined set of core rulebooks. I do not need to wade through six core books to play; it is just one player's book, a bestiary, and a referee book.

Is it appropriate for old-school-style 5E play? Really, it isn't much more than 2014 D&D in that regard, but it does have the advantage of only needing three core books instead of D&D 2014's six. Your life will be easier here, but you will still be in 2014 without the streamlining of 2024 D&D. Also, all your 2014 5E books will be supported, including subclass compatibility, which is ToV's biggest selling point.

If that is exactly what you want, then this is your game.

I like ToV, I run a blog dedicated to the game, and it is a solid, amazing game. The 2014 edition is more compatible than D&D 2024's, and it has its own cleanups and streamlining that make the game easier to play.