D&D 4E I'd like to put 4E on a diet!

[TerraDave]

What I would like to see in D&D: 4E but with LESS:

Hardly used powers, feats, races, classes, magic items or redundant or “taxy” versions there of;

Time in combat and hence fewer HPs and probably maximum attack powers ( e.g. 2/3/3 instead of 2/4/4 or more);

Tracking conditions, marking, quarrying, challenging, oathing…;

Overall levels (20, maybe even 15, are probably enough);

Character components (race, class, build/”subclass”, powers, feats, magic items, paragon path, epic destiny, background, theme…);

Fiddly monster bits (has gotten better, but could be better still)

You might think essentials martial characters are part of the solution here, but for me that’s more like anorexia then a diet. Fighter or rogue dailies are not a “problem” I would like solved (but too many, both overall and for the higher level characters, is).

What do you think? Time to shed some pounds?

 

[Incenjucar]

Sounds like you want to play Gamma World.

 

[Neverfate]

Sounds like you want to play Gamma World.

Or Monopoly

 

[Mr. Patient]

I strongly support 1-4, but I'm not sure how far to take #5. The monsters I think are mostly OK once you fix the math.

I wish there had been a true 4.5 to clean up all the cruft.

 

[Dannager]

I'm not a big fan of any of those suggestions, save perhaps the first. I don't want fewer character options, though. I just don't want to ever have to feel that I'm giving up significant effectiveness in favor of picking a "fun" or "interesting" option for my character.

 

[renau1g]

I never understood the problem with "bloat" in # of feats/powers in 4e with the character builder. I love reading through the big list of feats, especially when the DM grants the taxes free. If you want it easy, head on over to CharOp on the wizards board and grab the gold/sky blue feats and you're good to go. Same for powers.

 

[TerraDave]

Sounds like you want to play Gamma World.

I would in fact like to do so...but I don't think I said anything about randomized powers using a collectible component

I'm not a big fan of any of those suggestions, save perhaps the first. I don't want fewer character options, though. I just don't want to ever have to feel that I'm giving up significant effectiveness in favor of picking a "fun" or "interesting" option for my character.

This isn't about nerfing...

I never understood the problem with "bloat" in # of feats/powers in 4e with the character builder. I love reading through the big list of feats, especially when the DM grants the taxes free. If you want it easy, head on over to CharOp on the wizards board and grab the gold/sky blue feats and you're good to go. Same for powers.

...that the thing, why have all that if so much of it is hardly used (and I strongly suspect much of it isn't) or is almost just like something else. Just use the same name for it.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Why bother?

Most of this kind of stuff only matters when you are making or leveling a character, which for me, is less than or about equal to 5% of my play time. The rest o the time it is what is on my sheet and everything that is not is meaningless.

Sure some things could be simplified, like quarry, sneak and curses could use the same mechanic, but it is not that hard. Just have each player keep things moving. Sure the DM has to keep that all in mind, but that is why we are superior beings

It is certainly possible (even without using essentials) to make a simpler character. I have done it many times for the non-rules guy in my group. Make every feat and power as straightforward as possible, and definitely get as few conditional abilities as possible.

It is doable without major changes.

 

[Scribble]

I would TOTALLY Love to have a version of D&D that works like Gamma World.

Race Element + Class Element creates the character. Roll stats, buy gear. Blamo.. D&D.

Heck they could probably just release it in an Unearthed Arcana article or something.

 

[Tony Vargas]

Sounds like you want to play Gamma World.

My thoughts exactly. No Feats, no fiddly bits, 10 levels, and combat is pretty deadly, with both PCs and monsters dishing quite a bit of damage and vanishingly little healing available. Still some condition tracking, though.