5e Hardcore Mode

Core-Rune

Between 5e Hardcore Mode (Runehammer Games) and 5e Hardmode (Pickpocket Press) I like the latter better. 5e Hardcore Mode (Core-Rune) makes a lot of changes to the base game and rewrites many parts of the primary game, whereas 5e Hardmode (Mode-Pick) touches a few parts of the game without making too many changes to the core mechanics.

Core-Rune changes how skills are used, character generation, hit point generation, adds an injured state, death rules, adds a magic candle, spells - so much has changed I would love to see this as its own game.

Perhaps this was a trial balloon for a bigger game.

As it is, the Core-Rune rules feel like a disorganized junk drawer of cool stuff. I can see a lot to like here; I just wish it wasn't so scattered and all over the place. I can see using a few of these ideas in my current game, and I like the whole concept of a rebuilt and re-baselined game. If there are these many fundamental changes, please make a new game and integrate them all with a standalone set of rules.

And yes, I would like to see that game. There is enough changed here it could be a new game, and to see that, with hardcore monsters, spells, and campaign rules would be cool. If I want a complete overhaul of base 5E, I will play with these rules.

...vs. 5e Hardmode

Mode-Pick

Mode-Pick is a smaller set of changes and feels much easier to plug into an existing 5E framework, such as Original 5E or Level Up 5E, or even something like Ultramodern 5E or Ghost Ops. Low Fantasy Gaming and Lowlife 2090 are from the same publisher, and they already integrate rules like these in the base systems, so a mod like this is already included in those games.

I like this mod better since it is simpler, plugs into fewer places, and every one of the changes is optional and they do not need to be used together or with each other - but they can if you want to flip all the difficulty switches and play in insane mode. As a result, all these optional rules sections make it easier to incorporate into other 5E games as a "universal difficulty settings" sort of mod.

If I feel a couple areas of the game are too forgiving, but like the base rules as they are (or are playing another 5E clone), this is the better choice.