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<blockquote data-quote="Man in the Funny Hat" data-source="post: 7553650" data-attributes="member: 32740"><p>Don't use them at all. Pretty much haven't for 40 years.</p><p>I've tweaked it to where I would permit it, but I haven't actually had a barbarian class in any recent game. In a 3.5 game about 15 years ago was the last time a player ran a barbarian and only once after UA first came out do I recall a player running a barbarian.</p><p>Only once in a 3.5 game did I consciously end a campaign at a specific time. I begin ALL campaigns with the default assumption they'll run forever. I'm optimistic that way. In reality how long any campaign lasts varies a huge amount because of individual schedules, obligations, commitment to playing, etc. In recent years I think the highest PC's have got is 5th.</p><p>No.</p><p>No. They certainly can, they just don't.</p><p>FIRST. Classes are not balanced. They never will be at ANY level. Those who believe they can be are tilting at windmills.</p><p>I do, but only because the numbers that players see then look more fair. In reality it doesn't have enough of an impact to bother with. In fact, for my next AD&D campaign I plan to just dispense with individual class xp tables and go with a universal table along with some other notable changes in xp awards.</p><p>Yes.</p><p>No. Again, too fiddly and doesn't actually accomplish any balance or whatever else people THINK it's trying to do.</p><p>I have revised tables of multiclass options and level limits and so forth in case I DO decide to use those things, but don't use them currently. Mostly it guts a lot of multiclass options from half-elves, provides standardized and generally higher level limits - but only for multiclassing. Single classes would be unlimited.</p><p></p><p>Currently I don't have level limits on ANY class except those classes that have an inherent max level (druid, assassin, monk). I reserve Monk and Paladin for humans-only. Druids reserved to human, half-elf and halfling. Other than that, PC's can be any race, class, and even any multiclass. If a player were to <em>request</em> something that went outside those boundries I'd almost certainly let them do so anyway. Currently thinking of just going with 3E's Favored Class approach.</p><p>From other versions of D&D, maybe some though I can't think of any. From other RPG's entirely? No.</p><p>Initiative. Without a doubt.</p><p></p><p>Each PC rolls 1d6 and modifies as indicated, then resolves turns in order of lowest to highest:</p><p></p><p>Melee weapon --- Add weapon speed factor (I have a revised chart that mostly just halves original values)</p><p>Multiple melee attack routines --- 2 routines = +1, 3 routines = +2, etc.</p><p>Spell --- Add spell casting time</p><p>Missile weapons --- ROF = Modifier; 3+ = n/a, 2 = +2, 1 = +4, ½ = +8</p><p>Monster using natural weapons --- Monster Size M +3, size L +5 (VL +8?)</p><p>Turning, innate/spell-like abilities --- +3</p><p>Charge --- <em>minus</em> 1, (but longer weapon still strikes first vs. melee)</p><p>Set for charge --- +1</p><p>Grapple --- +2 </p><p></p><p>I mostly roll for opponents as a group to make things easier on myself.</p><p></p><p>How I handle healing and hit point recovery is the second biggest.</p><p></p><p>A short version would be that PC's can recover some hit points after any combat as "fatigue" assuming they can and do rest for at least 1 turn. The remainder is lasting damage. Clerics can do rituals OUTSIDE of combat that provide healing in terms of each characters own hit dice. Fighters get back d10's of healing, MU's only get back d4's, etc. Wisdom of the individual PC permits a bonus to that. The cleric has limits in the amount of such healing they can produce in a day and individual recipients have a limit in how much they can benefit from it in a day. Spells work on the same basis of giving back hit points by hit dice of the recipient, not just d8's. The wisdom benefit doesn't apply with spells, but spell healing faces the same limitation on how much healing a given individual can receive in a day, whether by ritual or spells.</p><p></p><p>The advantage of spells therefore is ONLY their immediacy in combat. They are a less efficient means of regaining hit points than fatigue recovery and the out-of-combat healing ritual. I really like the way it changes game play, as do my players. It's obviously more complicated, and there's more details to it all, but I feel it's worth the effort.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Man in the Funny Hat, post: 7553650, member: 32740"] Don't use them at all. Pretty much haven't for 40 years. I've tweaked it to where I would permit it, but I haven't actually had a barbarian class in any recent game. In a 3.5 game about 15 years ago was the last time a player ran a barbarian and only once after UA first came out do I recall a player running a barbarian. Only once in a 3.5 game did I consciously end a campaign at a specific time. I begin ALL campaigns with the default assumption they'll run forever. I'm optimistic that way. In reality how long any campaign lasts varies a huge amount because of individual schedules, obligations, commitment to playing, etc. In recent years I think the highest PC's have got is 5th. No. No. They certainly can, they just don't. FIRST. Classes are not balanced. They never will be at ANY level. Those who believe they can be are tilting at windmills. I do, but only because the numbers that players see then look more fair. In reality it doesn't have enough of an impact to bother with. In fact, for my next AD&D campaign I plan to just dispense with individual class xp tables and go with a universal table along with some other notable changes in xp awards. Yes. No. Again, too fiddly and doesn't actually accomplish any balance or whatever else people THINK it's trying to do. I have revised tables of multiclass options and level limits and so forth in case I DO decide to use those things, but don't use them currently. Mostly it guts a lot of multiclass options from half-elves, provides standardized and generally higher level limits - but only for multiclassing. Single classes would be unlimited. Currently I don't have level limits on ANY class except those classes that have an inherent max level (druid, assassin, monk). I reserve Monk and Paladin for humans-only. Druids reserved to human, half-elf and halfling. Other than that, PC's can be any race, class, and even any multiclass. If a player were to [I]request[/I] something that went outside those boundries I'd almost certainly let them do so anyway. Currently thinking of just going with 3E's Favored Class approach. From other versions of D&D, maybe some though I can't think of any. From other RPG's entirely? No. Initiative. Without a doubt. Each PC rolls 1d6 and modifies as indicated, then resolves turns in order of lowest to highest: Melee weapon --- Add weapon speed factor (I have a revised chart that mostly just halves original values) Multiple melee attack routines --- 2 routines = +1, 3 routines = +2, etc. Spell --- Add spell casting time Missile weapons --- ROF = Modifier; 3+ = n/a, 2 = +2, 1 = +4, ½ = +8 Monster using natural weapons --- Monster Size M +3, size L +5 (VL +8?) Turning, innate/spell-like abilities --- +3 Charge --- [I]minus[/I] 1, (but longer weapon still strikes first vs. melee) Set for charge --- +1 Grapple --- +2 I mostly roll for opponents as a group to make things easier on myself. How I handle healing and hit point recovery is the second biggest. A short version would be that PC's can recover some hit points after any combat as "fatigue" assuming they can and do rest for at least 1 turn. The remainder is lasting damage. Clerics can do rituals OUTSIDE of combat that provide healing in terms of each characters own hit dice. Fighters get back d10's of healing, MU's only get back d4's, etc. Wisdom of the individual PC permits a bonus to that. The cleric has limits in the amount of such healing they can produce in a day and individual recipients have a limit in how much they can benefit from it in a day. Spells work on the same basis of giving back hit points by hit dice of the recipient, not just d8's. The wisdom benefit doesn't apply with spells, but spell healing faces the same limitation on how much healing a given individual can receive in a day, whether by ritual or spells. The advantage of spells therefore is ONLY their immediacy in combat. They are a less efficient means of regaining hit points than fatigue recovery and the out-of-combat healing ritual. I really like the way it changes game play, as do my players. It's obviously more complicated, and there's more details to it all, but I feel it's worth the effort. [/QUOTE]
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