5th Edition D&D For Free

Most of us have seen the claims - the new edition will join all the editions (and one ring to bind them?). "But how," people ask, "how can such a thing be accomplished?"

Easy. Roll some dice.

The Land of Nod's Handy Dandy D&D 5E Simulator

Here's the deal, for each of the following items, roll 1d12 and use the rules from the corresponding edition.

Sections
I. Classes
II. Races
III. Equipment
IV. Spells (includes powers if you roll an 11 or 12)
V. Combat
VI. Monsters
VII. Treasure and Magic-Items

Roll d12 for Edition
1. OD&D
2. OD&D plus supplements
3. Holmes Basic
4. Moldvay Basic/Cook Expert
5. Mentzer BECMI
6. AD&D
7. AD&D 2nd edition
8. AD&D 2nd edition plus Complete Handbooks
9. D&D 3rd edition
10. D&D 3.5 edition
11. D&D 4th edition
12. D&D Essentials

Now, we have to figure out two more items - Feats and Skills. You'll need a d6 and a d4.

Feats: 2 in 6 chance of feats
1. D&D 3rd edition
2. D&D 3.5 edition
3. D&D 4th edition
4. D&D Essentials

Skills: 3 in 6 chance of skills
1. D&D 2nd edition proficiencies
2. D&D 2nd edition + Complete Handbooks proficiencies
3. D&D 3rd edition skills
4. D&D 3.5 edition skills
5. D&D 4th edition skills
6. D&D Essentials skills

Ta-Da! You're ready to play your campaign of 5th edition D&D without having to wait for them to release it, provided you've bought every other edition of D&D (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).

Let's see how it works. For my first campaign of 5th edition, I'll be using ...

Classes from AD&D 2nd edition, plus all the handbooks for kits
Races from D&D essentials
Equipment from D&D 3rd edition
Spells from OD&D
Combat from D&D 3.5 edition
Monsters from AD&D
Treasure and Magic-Items from Moldvay/Cook D&D
Feats: D&D 4th edition
Skills: D&D 3rd edition

So, if you want to play a halfling thief with the buccaneer kit armed with a sunrod and kukri getting an attack of opportunity on Yeenoghu, then by golly, you'll be in the right campaign!