TheCosmicKid
Hero
I got the impression that 5E was designed from the ground up on the philosophy that it's easier to start with a basic system and then season to taste with additional weight than to try to lighten a system that starts heavy. Always made sense to me.I hear a lot of complaints on the PF forums that 5e does have enough options and is not tactical enough. However, for me PF2e is not just adding some depth and options, but a lot more fiddle bits and complexity. To much for my taste. So I have a few questions for forum foragers:
To start here are my thoughts on an answer to #3 (which means I think #2 is a yes):
- Is there a RPG that has the simplicity of 5e with some more depth and tactical options like PF2e (or 4e really)?
- Can you add depth and tactics to 5e without losing much of its simplicity / streamlined play?
- Assumed “yes” to #2: how would you do it?
- I would give tactical options to monsters (I’m already doing that)
- add tactically oriented subclasses
- Maybe rework feats to be half or mini feats and spread them across more levels
And I think you're right on track on the question of how. Just more tactical options and more options in general. On your point about feats, I once had the vague idea (but never fleshed it out, because my playgroup is fine with 5E character building as-is) to expand the 5E language/tool proficiency system with "special proficiencies" that look like the little, granular 3E/PF style of feat. Perhaps even have them be trainable with downtime, so you don't lock yourself into a particular build, with some maximum number active at once.
I get the sense that you're already on the same page as me here, but I'll say it anyway: I would avoid broad, general bonuses to stuff. Those start to look like feat taxes real quick. I'd take the opportunity instead to port over all those 3E/PF feats with situational perks that you always wanted to take because they'd give your character some character but never got to because it was better just to take Weapon Focus instead.