V posledních několika článcích L&L (česky Legendy a znalost) Mearls píše, že pravidla DND Next budou vycházet jako Basic, Standard a Advanced; přičemž to, co je v současné podobě v playtestu, v podstatě odpovídá Standard pravidlům.
Basic pravidla budou odlehčená, nejspíš úplně bez dovedností (skillů) a některých dalších hráčských voleb. Většina schopností povolání bude pevně daná (u kouzleníka budou např. chybět školy magie, u bojovníka třeba Martial Damage Dice). Celkově půjde o light verzi pravidel pro úplné začátečníky, kteří se s RPG sektávají poprvé.
Standard pravidla nabídnou zhruba to, co je k vidění v současném playtestu. Značně víc voleb než Basic pravidla, ale např. taktických orgií známých z 4E se ve standardních pravidlech nejspíš nedočkáme.
A co nabídnou Advanced pravidla? Právě ty zmiňované taktické orgie, nejspíš ještě větší než v 4E, někerá nezvyklá pravidla známá např. z Unearthed Arcana 3E, a ještě něco navíc. Advanced pravidla jsou v současné době spíš ve formě "Wish listu" než konkrétních pravidel. Zde je onen Wish list:
D&D Next Goals, Part Four píše:
- Include tactical combat rules that allow the option to add more miniatures gaming elements to combat. This would include a grid, options for facing, rules for more detailed zones of control, and so on.
- Provide a system that emphasizes refreshing resources by encounter instead of by day. The nice thing about our approach is that since this is an option, we don't have to settle for half measures. Everything can be encounter-based, even hit points.
- Create rules for giving mechanical weight to character motivation, personality traits, and so on.
- Provide a structure for a more story-based approach to D&D, treating the DM and players as co-authors of a narrative with a specific focus.
- Use action points, fate points, or a similar meta-mechanic as a reward or a way to give players a mechanical option to boost their power for a specific moment.
- Create variant XP rules, using XP as a way for a DM to place the emphasis on fighting, interaction, exploration, finding treasure, and so on.
- Add in rules for firearms, including both a historical take and one driven by fantasy.
- Include rules for mass combat between armies, both for resolving two armies fighting and battles where the PCs can play a role.
- Design rules for speeding up battles that involve lots of monsters and the characters.
- Provide rules for sea battles.
- Create rules for realms management and strongholds.
- Design rules for finding ingredients and reagents to craft magic items.
- Provide critical hit and critical failure tables.
- Design rules for using armor as damage reduction, along with rules for hit locations.
- Introduce rules for lingering wounds, a gritty approach to health and well being.
- Include alternative magic systems.
- Provide rules for horror and sanity, along with other rules to change D&D's genre.