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It doesn't need to be a separate class feature.

This is stolen from an OSR blog, I don't remember which one, but credit is due to the author. 1. Attacker says he is going to attempt a maneuver. He then makes a melee attack (or attacks, if he's doing a full attack). 2. On a hit, the defender can choose to suffer the effects of the maneuver...

Something I've noticed in D&D editions is the shift away from levels and your skill gained with them to proficiency based on ability scores. The earliest iterations of D&D didn't really use your ability scores except to give you an XP bonus. By 2e, your ability scores mattered, but they only...

1. Magic items don't provide a bonus on attack rolls or saving throws. Instead, magic items do interesting things. A fiery sword, for instance, does fire damage and can light things aflame. It doesn't need a +3 to be awesome. 2. Magic items provide a bonus on attack rolls or saving throws...

With the release of Torchbearer, I've been reading up on Mouseguard and Burning Wheel, and the way they incorporate character traits to encourage roleplaying is brilliant. My favorite bit is traits, which are descriptors of your character (tall, determined, cowardly, clumsy, etc.) What you can...

I've been on a hiatus from d20 for a considerable length of time. Have played Savage Worlds, Iron Kingdoms, and Rifts (don't ask) in the meantime. This has given me a lot more perspective and ideas on mechanics that I feel work well and don't work well. (Note to self: the concept of the wild...

In previous threads, I was discussing flaws that I had perceived with 4e, especially regarding attack values and hit points. From my own experiences, it seemed that the math was weighted in such a way that everyone was almost always hitting, slowly plinking away at a vast pool of hit points...

Something that I've been pontificating on recently is the distinctiveness of abilities in contemporary D&D. I really don't want to see abilities that are slight modifications of other abilities. The 4e fighter's Precise Strike (in its original format) is something I don't want to see again: a +2...

One of the things that I like about 4e is that it allows for variance among the various martial classes, which allows for a much lower-magic campaign (and thus makes it perfect for a LOTR-style game). The relative balancing of the classes works in this direction, as does the inclusion of...

Multiple attacks are a fairly elegant way of allowing characters to increase their attack accuracy, attack damage, crit chance, and the like without adding in a bunch of complex mechanics. However, it presents two main problems. First, doubling your number of attacks doubles your character's...

The current 5e playtest has the fighter get a boost at 6th level, allowing him to make two attacks with a standard action. I prefer multiple attacks to attack bonuses because it helps with the whole "flat math" thing. My two questions are: 1. Should other classes get multiple attacks in a...

Love it as a fighter-only mechanic. Say "no" to rogues with expertise dice.

It's an unfocused mash-up of powers and passive bonuses that don't really make sense. For instance, let's compare Maximize Spell, Durable, and Master Detective. • Maximize Spell: 1/day, do maximum damage on a spell. • Durable: Regain +2 HP per HD spent. • Master Detective: Detect hidden...

It seems the developers still aren't factoring weapon proficiency into monster attack rolls. Bugbear: +2 attack with 15 Strength (morningstar), +2 attack with 14 Dexterity (javelin). Giant centipede bite: +2 attack with 7 Strength / 14 Dexterity. Either the centipede should be proficient...

Do we really need Forbidden, Geographical, Heraldic, Historical, Local, Magical, Natural, Planar, Religious, Societal, Underdark, and Undead Lore as separate skills?

I ditched that last junk game I was in and played with a new group. Currently, I am playing a halfling warpriest, who is working out much better than I anticipated. The rest of the party is a human gloom pact hexblade, an elf druid (yawn), an elf rogue, and a dragonborn warlord. Two leaders...

5e, please fix this. In my very first 3e campaign--my very first time playing D&D!--our entire party was almost TPKed by a swarm of locusts. Then in my very second 4e game, we fought a swarm of spiders. We didn't die, but it was really annoying nonetheless. It's also unsatisfying to do damage to...

I was having a discussion with a friend of mine the other day, and he said something to the effect of: "I think blasting spells should be less good than melee combat because that's not what wizards are supposed to be doing. Wizards should be mostly about utility spells." And this annoyed me...

Something I noticed the other day when leafing through my D&D Essentials book was that flipping from the rogue to the cleric gave me power envy. I was looking at all the options that the wizard had available (at-will, encounter, and daily) and the options the rogue didn't have. Sure, I had my...

Skipping a lot of story from the 5e forums, I'm about to join another 4e group. Since the last healer in our group was awful, I'm going to be playing a cleric this round. I want to be a halfling warpriest, but I'd like a little help on building him to be optimal. I'm going to have to look...