D&D (2024) Things You Think Would Improve the Game That We WON'T See

[Horwath]

Yeah, agreed. I've seen several options over the years: Expert, Thief, Sneak, Jack-of-all-Trades, etc. None of them are great.

there is no need for "sneak" group of class.

just add more feat slots. then players can pick for their PCs;
more martial options,
more/better magic options
more skills/expertise

also if you can trade your starting armor proficiency for 2 skills per category can help also.

 

[Gorck]

I think there is room for Cha and Con to work together, just like Monk needs Dex and Wis, but a SAD class that only needs Con? That's not going to work. That is too SAD.

Making the Sorcerer use Constitution as the Casting Ability would be highly unusual, put the finger on why they arent Wizards, and give them a weird supernatural "witchy" toughness in combat.

I was thinking something along the lines of the Spell Point variant in the DMG, but with the base Spell Points Per Level lower than in the table on p289 and adding CON modifier to it. There could be an ability that allows the Sorcerer, in moments of desperation, to convert HP to SP (like how they can currently convert Sorcery Point to Spell Slots). Maybe even combine Sorcery Points and Spell Points into one pool so there wouldn't be a need to keep track of 2 separate resource pools. Then spells can be modified with Metamagic by spending more Spell Points. The exact numbers would probably need to be tweaked, but you get the idea.

Then, if you want to make Sorcerers MAD, perhaps have their Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Modifier use their CHA modifier. There's the seed of an idea here; maybe I'll give it some more thought when I hop in the shower today.

I think that's sufficient enough to make them NotWizards.

Wizards = learning spells from books = Intelligence
Warlocks = beg for spells = Charisma
Sorcerers = innate spell power = Constitution

 

[delericho]

Oh, one more: moving away from the hardback book format, and especially the core three. It's the most efficient delivery method in terms of cents-per-page, but that's just about all that I can say in favour of it.

 

[mamba]

there is no need for "sneak" group of class.

Sneak is its own archetype, just adding a ‘pick locks’ skill to a mage or cleric is not the same. That leaves fighter, and even there I’d rather have a separate base class than building a fighter that focuses on all of this

 

[Yaarel]

If trying to consolidate the classes, there is only need for two classes:

• Mage (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Psion, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard)
• Warrior (Fighter, Rogue, Warlord)

Multiclass (Artificer, Barbarian, Monk, Paladin, Ranger)

 

[tetrasodium]

Sneak is its own archetype, just adding a ‘pick locks’ skill to a mage or cleric is mot the same. That leaves fighter, and even there I’d rather have a separate base class than building a fighter that focuses on all of this

Trouble is that this is d&d, specifically 5e and every class is oozing magic so that the ruleset wouldn't risk allowing the GM to add appropriate magic to mundane things like "sneak". It's really not fair to the gm for the game to present PCs with characters who simultaneously claim "I'm totally mundane and you need to make up for that" as the same time they are switching off to "because I'm a living breathing magic entity that good good" whenever itd convenient to stop being mundane

 

[Yaarel]

I was thinking something along the lines of the Spell Point variant in the DMG, but with the base Spell Points Per Level lower than in the table on p289 and adding CON modifier to it. There could be an ability that allows the Sorcerer, in moments of desperation, to convert HP to SP (like how they can currently convert Sorcery Point to Spell Slots). Maybe even combine Sorcery Points and Spell Points into one pool so there wouldn't be a need to keep track of 2 separate resource pools. Then spells can be modified with Metamagic by spending more Spell Points. The exact numbers would probably need to be tweaked, but you get the idea.

Then, if you want to make Sorcerers MAD, perhaps have their Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Modifier use their CHA modifier. There's the seed of an idea here; maybe I'll give it some more thought when I hop in the shower today.

I think that's sufficient enough to make them NotWizards.

Wizards = learning spells from books = Intelligence
Warlocks = beg for spells = Charisma
Sorcerers = innate spell power = Constitution

I hope the Psion is something like this.

A Warlock chassis but using spell points where the slot level equals the points. There are two indy classes that show this works very well, LaserLlama and KibblesTasty (and others).

 

[Gorck]

I hope the Psion is something like this.

A Warlock chassis but using spell points where the slot level equals the points. There are two indy classes that show this works very well, LaserLlama and KibblesTasty (and others).

I was thinking of that too. One of the concerns with Spell Points is that you would be able to cast multiple high level spells (like Wish or Time Stop) every day, which would be too powerful. The solution would be either A) remove certain high level spells from the Sorcerer list, or B) use the Warlock chassis that limits spells to 5th level (with some kind of Mystic Arcanum equivalent).

I would lean more towards option A and remove the problematic spells from the Sorcerer list. Certain high level spells seem, to me, to make more sense as something that would need to be learned from a book or scroll or dusty old tome hidden away in a Wizard's tower, rather than something a Sorcerer would climb out of his bedroll one morning and say, "Hey guys, I had an epiphany last night. I think I figured out how to stop time for everyone around other than myself." This would help to further make them NotWizards.

 

[mamba]

Trouble is that this is d&d, specifically 5e and every class is oozing magic

yes, do not like that either

so that the ruleset wouldn't risk allowing the GM to add appropriate magic to mundane things like "sneak".

I have no problem giving the thief a mundane version of ‘pass without trace’ or ‘misty step’, I just do not want that to be a spell

 

[Scott Christian]

Combat speed.

We won't see a fix because after fifth level, there is no fix. It just becomes slow. One of the main reasons for that though is (as OP stated)...

Power creep.

My prediction is power creep will slow the game down even more. And that will not get fixed either. It is just not natural to the D&D ruleset.