Raven Crowking
First Post
This is just an attempt to explain what I wanted to capture in my home game. I've played D&D under various incarnations, from the Holmes blue box, through basic/expert, 1e, 2e, 3e, and 3.5e. In addition, I've played other rpgs (such as Traveller, Paranoia, FASA Doctor Who and Star Trek, Gamma World, Villians & Vigilantes, etc., etc.).
In order to get the D&D I wanted, I needed to get what I thought was best out of each of the editions I've played.
3e/3.5e: Simply unified mechanic. The ability to stat out just about anything, and the ability to create diverse and unique character types. Skills and feats (expanded to include weapon skills). Monsters divided by types, with each type having shared overarching qualities (actually expanded on this). A system for magic item creation that allows PCs to participate. NPC classes. Prestige classes.
2e: Specialty priests and specialty wizards (solved using the prestige class system from 3e/3.5e), detailed setting, options that describe culture and racial type (kits in 2e, racial levels taken from Arcana Unearthed and class limits by race in my houserules), interesting equipment options (solved by expanding equipment lists).
1e: Speed of play (streamlined combat, wound/vitality system means that riffraff fall quickly), smaller stat blocks (streamlined monsters, largely removing the mechanical "grace" of 3e monster development for the more intuitive 1e method), advice to players, names and feel of some spells, weapon speed (simple bonus system based on Very Slow, Slow, Normal, Fast, and Very Fast weapons), return of the electrum piece.
In order to get the D&D I wanted, I needed to get what I thought was best out of each of the editions I've played.
3e/3.5e: Simply unified mechanic. The ability to stat out just about anything, and the ability to create diverse and unique character types. Skills and feats (expanded to include weapon skills). Monsters divided by types, with each type having shared overarching qualities (actually expanded on this). A system for magic item creation that allows PCs to participate. NPC classes. Prestige classes.
2e: Specialty priests and specialty wizards (solved using the prestige class system from 3e/3.5e), detailed setting, options that describe culture and racial type (kits in 2e, racial levels taken from Arcana Unearthed and class limits by race in my houserules), interesting equipment options (solved by expanding equipment lists).
1e: Speed of play (streamlined combat, wound/vitality system means that riffraff fall quickly), smaller stat blocks (streamlined monsters, largely removing the mechanical "grace" of 3e monster development for the more intuitive 1e method), advice to players, names and feel of some spells, weapon speed (simple bonus system based on Very Slow, Slow, Normal, Fast, and Very Fast weapons), return of the electrum piece.
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