With the Superb Owl being upon us (sometimes called the Super Bowl in some niche circles, or so I hear) it seemed like a good time to share the rules I wrote up for Dungeonball. It’s a set of guidelines and minor rules additions that adapt American football to the D&D 5E system. I originally developed these for a one-shot I ran on the Total Party Chill streaming channel, and have given them an update to make them simpler and clearer.

It is important for players and the DM alike to think creatively about how they can apply the mechanics of 5E to football; for instance a QB could try to make a Deception check during the snap to try and get the opposing team to trigger an off-sides call.

It’s also important that everyone remember to focus on scoring points rather than just fighting their opponents. One way to dissuade this is to penalize any participant that knocks out or kills another with removal to the sidelines for the rest of the quarter, as well as imposing a 10-20 yard penalty for their team.

These are by no means comprehensive, so I encourage folks to make changes and adapt these rules to their own style of play and then share them in the comments below!