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

[Aldeon]

This one's been mentioned a few times, but I absolutely hate the divide between arcane and divine magic. Can't a wizard telekinetically set a bone back in place or rewind time on the person's wound to undo the wound? Does it really have to be healed by Jerry, the cleric of the god-of-kill-everything? I love how Arcana Unearthed dealt with it by creating the magister and mage blade to remove the arcane-divine split (if only they didn't partially re-add it by making greenbonds).

Although I love half-elves and half-orcs, it irks me that they exist. It really confuses me since these are separate species who can crossbreed. And it's not even like it's a normal thing, as only humans can do it-- an elf and orc can't create viable offspring, even though they apparently both have the same chromosomes as a human.

This one isn't as much a shot at D&D as it is at the 4e playerbase: they are so damn restrictive with fluff. The 4e books actively encourage refluffing and I hear so many creative and interesting character ideas online by refluffing things slightly, but it seems that no matter where I go refluffing is a crime. I tried running an elf-orc halfbreed one time (using a completely crunch-legal half-elf with giant as my free language), only to be shot down because the books never said orcs and elves could procreate with eachother. Tried refluffing an shaman and his spirit companion as an elderly man and his brother's ghost-- NOPE. I've been playing 4e since it came out, but I have yet to have been able to refluff anything other than the names of powers in the ten or so DMs I've played under during that time.

 

[Lwaxy]

Although I love half-elves and half-orcs, it irks me that they exist. It really confuses me since these are separate species who can crossbreed. And it's not even like it's a normal thing, as only humans can do it-- an elf and orc can't create viable offspring, even though they apparently both have the same chromosomes as a human.

Why do people keep thinking that? I had an orc/elf mixling through 4 campaigns, she was fun to play.

Also, in my worlds, only humans say half-orc to a half orc. The orcs woud say half-human and everyone else would call them mixlings.

 

[Fifth Element]

This one isn't as much a shot at D&D as it is at the 4e playerbase: they are so damn restrictive with fluff. The 4e books actively encourage refluffing and I hear so many creative and interesting character ideas online by refluffing things slightly, but it seems that no matter where I go refluffing is a crime.

Really? I've only really noticed that behaviour in anti-4E comments, in the form of "I can't make a 4E fighter who's good at archery - So play a ranger then - No I said I want to play a fighter."

Although I love half-elves and half-orcs, it irks me that they exist. It really confuses me since these are separate species who can crossbreed.

My advice here is to not apply real-world biology to a fantasy game. And I very much dislike half-orcs as well, and am completely indifferent toward half-elves. But trying to apply reality to D&D is only going to end in tears.

 

[Elf Witch]

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?

This a hundreds times over. And add in they all get to wear metal armor and use melee weapons. Why would a nature goddess wear plate and use a morning star?

Also their spells should not all be the same I really liked the idea of spheres in AD&D.

The only way to get around this is to spread healing around. Allow arcane casters to use the spell and make healing wands special and that anyone can use one.

 

[Razjah]

Alignment- I see why it is there. It gives guidelines, it should enable difficult choices. In reality I've seen it more as an excuse for acting like a jerk and ruining other people's fun than anything good.

Vancian Casting- Nothing ever frustrates me like this mechanic. Why? Just why are we still stuck with this irritating system? I assume it is supposed to reward careful planning and preparation. In reality it shortens the adventuring day because the casters are less effective having thought the Dungeon of Ice would not have monsters resistant to fire and so they prepared tons of fire effects. So the party sleeps and tries again the next day.

Splatbooks- I want the system. I want it to work. I do not want to keep shelling out money for more options that don't balance well with the older stuff. It feels like an arms race, the best characters have the newest books and options. Without an SRD of some sort (4e, I'm looking at you) this gets really annoying and makes GMing more difficult. I build settings with certain limitations in mind, someone showing up with a telepath because the newest book has it doesn't mesh well and I have to turn down the player's request because I haven't paid for that new book and read it over.

Hit Points- I don't like the abstraction of fighting. What got hurt? There are some really simple systems for things like this, D&D could do one. Yeah, house rules cover this- but that doesn't mean the problem isn't there. If a car manufacturer used spark plugs that died after 3,000 miles, people would be mad. RPG companies does that same thing and people tell you to buy better spark plugs.

Clerics/gods- Why do all clerics repell undead? Why do all clerics have domain over this? Why has the pantheon with 15 gods have everyone with the same powers? Overlap is fine, it happens. But not everyone should grant healing, turn undead, or even buffs. Why is the god of farming concerned with flaming sphere? He shouldn't be, it is simple.

Adventuring- Is not everyone's life. Where are the mundane spells, the gods who help the farmers and the like? They don't exist. There is no spell for helping a mill work 15% faster. No spells to help the harvest grow. Those casters would be loved. Want to know why townspeople hate casters? Fireball kills 10% of the village population, of course they fear casters.

+N Magic- It is so boring. I have never read a book that has a magic weapon that is simply more accurate and more damaging. Flaming, sure. Bow that can pierce armor, sure. A knife that can drain blood, sure. But an ax that hits better than a normal ax? That is just boring and a waste of my time, especially when it becomes a part of the math for the system.

Character Level Up From Killing- Seriously? The bard helped kill a bunch of orcs and goblins so now he can persuade the king raise the contract price all because he leveled up and put another skill point into it? Really? I have never gotten better at my math classes because I got into a fight with someone, but if it worked more students would be training for MMA fights and getting near perfect grades. Big game hunters would eventually be able to take down a bear with a knife. Sure the hunter is better with a rifle, but now he can fight just as well with his knife, so why not stab the bear to death? This style of leveling up bug the hell out of me. Burning Wheel has a more organic path, you get better at what you practice. Why can't D&D have something like this?

Skill point amounts: Wizards have a fake number, 2+ is really much higher because Int is the primary stat. But melee classes (paladin and fighter most, but the others too) have less incentive to be smart so they can be good at their jobs, so now they are less skilled and can only apply their skills to fighting. Fighters in 3.5, Pathfinder, and 4e all suffer this. Low number of skills, little list to pick from. It is boring. Why is someone devoted to mastering combat less skilled to talk than the person who is a channel for the god of war?

I'm done now, I'm going to take myself for a walk to calm down. This was therapeutic though.

 

[Fifth Element]

I'm done now, I'm going to take myself for a walk to calm down. This was therapeutic though.

It kinda sounds like you don't like D&D at all.

As for the practical magic issue, it's related to the adventuring one. Agricultural spells do not belong in a PHB devoted to adventurers.

 

[Drowbane]

Anybody else get bored and read through these types of threads thinking "but these are features, not flaws...".

Oh well, its the internet.

 

[Tonguez]

Anybody else get bored and read through these types of threads thinking "but these are features, not flaws...".

Oh well, its the internet.

yes, I started thinking, dude theres lots of other games out there...

 

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

The tacit racism where some racism are fit only for genocide.

 

[amerigoV]

Anybody else get bored and read through these types of threads thinking "but these are features, not flaws...".

Oh well, its the internet.

I contend that D&D is defined and loved by what people fight over on the internet (going all the way back to us BBS people).

Hit points, AC vs. DR, Saving Throws, Falling Damage, Rangers, Alignment, Gnomes.