Recent content by F700

With one of Nexts main design goals being "old school feel", I have to say, HD loss just doesn't feel like energy drain to me. My feeling is energy drain should endanger character levels. I know a lot of people feel it's harsh, but it's more forgiving than save or die mechanics, and not...

Something simple yet fun - a small sub-table in a spell description, utilizing something other than a d20. 1d6 giving 6 different monsters to summon with summon monster 1, 2d6 for 2 and so forth, as an example. There's a few spells that have had random effects stripped out. Since you're...

I agree - the ranger will probably need a lot of work to strike a balance between pre and post D'rizzt D'ourden style rangers. And from what I gather he's a popular character so they'll probably want to retain as much of his ranger style as they can.

I agree with you in principle, but as I said initially, corner cases can include alterate resolution systems without abandoning the unified d20 system. 1) they don't come up that often, that's why they're corner cases. 2) they're probably more likely to be encountered by more advanced...

If memory serves, didn't that article say a severed troll arm would have the same attack bonus as the troll? I don't see an arm on the ground being able to hit as well as an arm attached to an 8 foot brute that can swing it around and bob and weave. I share the view that a crit on a troll...

I think part of the problem with the super-hero model for characters is that it escalates power too quickly, which makes the system harder to balance.

Direct xp loss was my first inclination, I suggested something along the lines of 10d10 per hit a few pages back. I like it not just because it's quick and simple to track, but also because it creates a new damage type. Plus, even with xp loss putting a character down a level, they wouldn't...

Love him or hate him, I think everyone can agree Gygax had an abundance of personality and love for the game. I think a big factor in D&D catching on like it did was the fact that reading those first manuals weren't just learning the rules, you were also making a friend. One of D&Ds problems...

A big part of Vancian casting for a lot of people is the need to plan a days spells before the need for them arises. Anticipating your strategy before the encounter occurs. I happen to be one of those people. Not that my group hasn't houseruled that wizards don't need to memorize before, and...

Why does an alternate resolution system have to be more complicated than it needs to be? If multiple dice that aren't d20s are inherently more complex they need to ditch the current damage system.

There are plenty of corner cases where alternate die could be used without stressing new players. And sometimes there's some fun to be had in doing things a little different and making the minimal effort required to look at the table of contents or index and flip to a particular page. I doubt...

Actually, Kruhlik has mentioned before that they're paid to do the podcasts. That they`re pro D&D after being paid to play isn`t a matter of ethics - I have no doubt if they were paid to play the first time and didn`t like it, they`d have said so and not been paid to play again or refused to be...

Simple solution: Remove move and standard actions, go back to having turns upon which everybody either moves or attacks/does whatever. That way everybody's action jive a little better. And nobody's really losing anything in terms of actions, their 2 actions per turn are just split between two...

Everything is happening simultaneously, so no character is standing around for 36 seconds waiting for the other 5 members and the monster to do their thing. If you meant he does his thing in the first second of his turn and then waits for everyone else to complete their action - no, whatever...

My big problem with disassociated mechanics is that they usually have ridiculously convoluted and wordy explanations to eliminate any misinterpretation, which makes them a pain to read through, keep straight, and apply on the fly. I'd like to see monsters with these sort of traits playable...