I'm Sick Of...(D&D tropes that you can do without)

[TrippyHippy]

Well, if I had my choice...

I'd rather replace the term 'Race' with 'Culture' and include more than one option for 'Human' characters, along with the traditional Tolkien types. I'd do away with the notion of 'Half Races' accordingly ("was he brought up as an Orc or a Human?"). Human Cultures could be 'Civilised Man' and 'Barbarian', for example.

I'd ditch the Cleric as a separate class, and hone in on the Paladin being the sole 'Holy Warrior' class. I'd base the Class on the Charisma Ability, and remove the spell list aspect of the class for progressive healing, leadership and protection powers (along with strong martial abilities). Similarly, I'd keep the Druid but do away with spell lists - make them based upon inherent magical abilities and skills, rather than Vancian style casting.

I'd combine all the 'Magic-Using' types (Wizard, Warlock, Witch, Sorcerer, Illusionist, Specialist, etc) into one Intelligence based caster, but who was customizable to utilize different magical styles and systems by using Feats and the like. If you want a spontaneous caster, then there should be a mechanism in the rules to allow it. If you want to make pacts with otherworldly sources, there should be a mechanism to do it. If you want at-will powers, there should be mechanisms to do it. If you want to base your magic off an alternative Ability there should be feats to allow you to do it. If you just want to play a generalized Vancian caster, then you should be allowed to do it.

I'd like Fighters to be customizable to different styles and types just like Mages above would be. No more Barbarian class (just customize the Fighter to play that way).

I'd make Rangers a core class that was differentiated apart from fighters by focussing on the hunt. They'd be capable warriors, but not specialists. Instead, they'd be resilient trackers and survivalists, hunters, scouts and skirmishers. They'd be cased upon Constitution.

I'd have all Classes built on the basis of an association with a prime Ability:

Strength: Fighters (all types).
Dexterity: Rogues (all types)
Constitution: Rangers (all types).
Intelligence: Mages (all types).
Wisdom: Druids
Charisma: Paladins.

I'd make good use of Theme and Background to categorize and personalize those classes

I want to make miniatures a non-compulsary aspect of gameplay.

I'd produce a single core 'Basic" self-contained rule book (or box), and then produce 'Advanced D&D' supplements to expand the game towards different styles of play.

I'd ensure that all materials were IPad compatible, by releasing everything as online PDFs, including all previous editions of the game.

Hows that?

 

[Arlough]

I think that is more of a 5e wish list than D&D trope peeves.

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

 

[Drowbane]

...Strength: Fighters (all types).
Dexterity: Rogues (all types)
Constitution: Rangers (all types).
Intelligence: Mages (all types).
Wisdom: Druids
Charisma: Paladins...

Strength: Warriors (all fighter-types being one class with composite traits to define them further. Favored Enemy, Martial Arts, Rage, etc can all be just fighter traits ).
Dexterity: Rogues (all types, such as thieves, ninjas, swashbucklers, etc)
Constitution: ?? (all types).
Intelligence: Mages (all types).
Wisdom: Priests (all types, including druids, templar-style-clerics, etc)
Charisma: Spontaneous Casters and party faces, including Bards, psionicists, and warlocks. (leaving Int to the Wizard).

Totemists uses Con, but don't know of any other class that uses it as a prime ability... fortunately for Con it is important to all characters (or should be!).

 

[SnowleopardVK]

I'd get rid of the concept of "necessary" roles in a party, if at all possible.

I hate the idea that a party "needs" a melee fighter, a healer, a mage, and a rogue type, and that players all-too-often get forced to play classes they don't want to because others in their party insist that a role needs to be filled.

I also vehemently disagree with the whole idea anyways.

 

[Terrance888]

My biggest peeve ever.

Fluff is fluff. Crunch is Crunch. You can change fluff to whatever as long as DM is OK with it- If you want scorching burst and another fire power with an effect, I'm all for refluffing a different power. BUT:

Then you have people sticking straight to published fluff, and refuse to do anything not said in said fluff, even in the crunch. Ice Giants will not get frozen by their frost blast, no matter what. What will work great for them is a whole spectrum of specified powers but we don't have that, so they complain that there arenot enough options when they can fluff up the options easily.

Or you have people completely ignoring fluff. All they shout is "I rolled X against Y defense, and I do Z damage with A effect" all day long. "What did you do?" I ask them and they shrug. One power is exactly like another to them.

 

[Grydan]

All clerics can heal

Really? Not just the ones blessed by the god of medicine or healing?

Why and how does the goddess of death grant her clerics healing powers?

Why does being a devout follower of the god of storms and battle allow you to cure disease?

Every single god and goddess, no matter what their "portfolio", seems to have called dibs on healing as well.

If we're bothering to go with a multitheistic pantheon, shouldn't the choice of which god or goddess you derive your power from have an impact on what powers you have?

 

[scourger]

I grew most weary of the emphasis on & rewarding of tactical & strategic play where a hero's reward is death with his allies looting his body. The game rewards that, and it is not helped by the complexities of magic generally and upper level play specifically. D&D is a great low-level game, though.

 

[Thunderfoot]

MAGIC MISSILE!!!!!
Over-used, over-powered, no save.

Paladins as a fighting class - make them a cleric class who relies on strength and weapons and the priest a cleric with a focus on magic. Get rid of the special abilities, except lay on hands and the alignment restrictions.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Strength: Warriors (all fighter-types being one class with composite traits to define them further. Favored Enemy, Martial Arts, Rage, etc can all be just fighter traits ).
Dexterity: Rogues (all types, such as thieves, ninjas, swashbucklers, etc)
Constitution: ?? (all types).
Intelligence: Mages (all types).
Wisdom: Priests (all types, including druids, templar-style-clerics, etc)
Charisma: Spontaneous Casters and party faces, including Bards, psionicists, and warlocks. (leaving Int to the Wizard).

Totemists uses Con, but don't know of any other class that uses it as a prime ability... fortunately for Con it is important to all characters (or should be!).

The peeve I have about Rangers is that they should be fundamentally based on Constitution as their primary stat - but they're not! I mean, Rangers could have all sorts of variations held within their archetype, but if they aren't basically fit (i.e. decent Constitution) then they aren't going to survive. If you have Barbarian as a Culture rather than a Class, incidentally, then you could differentiate between Barbarian Rangers, Barbarian Rogues and Barbarian Fighters...

The caster issue is a long standing peeve I have got, inso far that all the best fantasy literature, including Vance's Dying Earth series, have Wizards that are diverse. In the books, they have all got different styles and magical abilities. Why shouldn't Wizards be able to spontaneously cast spells as part of their style too? Why shouldn't they have pacts? Vance's wizards do. Why doesn't D&D's Vancian system?

The Priest uberclass thing I can accept, inclusive of Druids, but my peeve is that Paladins are basically occupying the same archetype (Holy warrior) as Clerics - just do it better. If you want to make a more distinct Cleric Class, have them operate more like Druids with lighter armor and more pantheon-related abilities, I guess. You could also integrate Monk-style Mystics and Hermits into this class. Basically, any character who is fundamentally dedicated to worship or a way of life.

With regards to the Charisma score, well I find Warlocks and Spontaneous casters contrived as a concept (They should be variations on the Mage class - see above). However, I think there should be feats that allow Mages to base their magic on alternative Ability scores (to Intelligence). So 'Spontaneous Magic (Cha)' could be a feat, as could f'rinstance 'Life Linked Magic (Con)'...

The real type of characters that should fit the Charisma slot should be leaders though - Paladins, Bards, Nobles, etc. What single customizable banner you stick them under could be anything, I suppose - but Paladins are the most popular Class.

 

[innerdude]

Well, if I had my choice...

I'd rather replace the term 'Race' with 'Culture' and include more than one option for 'Human' characters, along with the traditional Tolkien types. I'd do away with the notion of 'Half Races' accordingly ("was he brought up as an Orc or a Human?"). Human Cultures could be 'Civilised Man' and 'Barbarian', for example.

I'd ditch the Cleric as a separate class, and hone in on the Paladin being the sole 'Holy Warrior' class. I'd base the Class on the Charisma Ability, and remove the spell list aspect of the class for progressive healing, leadership and protection powers (along with strong martial abilities). Similarly, I'd keep the Druid but do away with spell lists - make them based upon inherent magical abilities and skills, rather than Vancian style casting.

I'd combine all the 'Magic-Using' types (Wizard, Warlock, Witch, Sorcerer, Illusionist, Specialist, etc) into one Intelligence based caster, but who was customizable to utilize different magical styles and systems by using Feats and the like. If you want a spontaneous caster, then there should be a mechanism in the rules to allow it. If you want to make pacts with otherworldly sources, there should be a mechanism to do it. If you want at-will powers, there should be mechanisms to do it. If you want to base your magic off an alternative Ability there should be feats to allow you to do it. If you just want to play a generalized Vancian caster, then you should be allowed to do it.

I'd like Fighters to be customizable to different styles and types just like Mages above would be. No more Barbarian class (just customize the Fighter to play that way).

.....

Hows that?

In other words, you want Fantasy Craft.