D&D 5E (2024) How I would do 6E.

[HatWearingFool]

It would be less brainwork.

Fighter with 16 STR, 12 DEX, and 14 CON

Attack DC is 16
Saving throws is just drop the 10
STR save is +6
DEX save is +2
CON save is +4

You only worry about ability modifier or proficiency modifier for Attacks and Skills. OR maybe just attacks,

That's the beauty of it, your numbers* don't level up with level. Only if you get an ASI or magic item.

Ah I see, I don’t hate it but why not just have stats that are -9 to +8 then and get rid of stat - 10?

If we kept the base stats I’d rather switch to a roll under stat system. Need a reflex save? Roll a d20 and get <=12 or <12, if that’s what you want. I think Vagabond does something like this.

Edit: ninja’d by the King

 

[Merlecory]

I have some concerns with 5e's bounced accuracy that I would like to see addressed in a hypothetical 6e: the very flat nature often feels like the difference between an untrained and trained individual is too small, at least at the levels most play occurs.

Other thoughts: I think 5e didn't have nearly enough decisions to make about your character after (usually) third level. The upgraded feats help, but still fine really feel like they go far enough. I liked being able to assign skill ranks in different skills in 3e, and I think they're is a good, expressive firm of prestige classes. Maybe put a little differently: I want to be able to opt in to being good a specific things that other members of my class/subclass aren't. This could be specific skills, combat actions, or some other trait.

I'd like to have get default spell casting than 5e. I think having abilities that are explicitly magical, but not spells is a useful thematic/mechanical distinction.

Spells should provide less utility, especially at lower level. Cantips like create bonfire and light, as well as leveled spells like goodberry trivialize many non combat problems. Damage cantips should still be better than weapons for low level casters. A wizard who defaults to grabbing a crossbow is a lame experience.

 

[Horwath]

I would add extra dice of damage vs a % boost.

Pubbies hate math basically.

what is faster to math?

12d4 for fireball or 30 flat?
or with +10 over AC 18d4 or 30×1,5?

not to mention that you can write all your "crit" damage on the attack sheet.

IE:
greatsword:
hit AC; 14 damage
5 over AC; 21
10 over AC; 28
15 over AC; 35
20 over AC; 42
nat 20 roll; +7 damage
graze: 7 damage

 

[DeviousQuail]

1. Complexity
I think my 6e lands between 5e and Level Up. Probably closer to the 5e end of the spectrum.

2. Level Breakdown
It would be 20 levels split into two sections. 1-10 would be a single path of advancement similar to how 5e does it. 11-20 would have multiple paths of advancement.

Using the 5e Wizard as an benchmark my 6e Wizard would progress in a similar fashion for the first 10 levels. At level 11 the 6e Wizard would choose between something like metamagic, mastery, or multitudes (I do not apologize for the alliteration). Metamagic goes down the path of augmenting your spells in new ways, mastery treats some spells as always prepared and gets extra castings or more consistent results, and multitudes allows the wizard to dip into one or more wizard subclasses other than their own. It may not be those exact three, but you get the idea: branching chassis' at 11.

3. Subclasses
Keeping them and devoting a bit more of the character advancement space to them than 5e. Bards are wack for only having three levels of archetype features. Give me 6 at least.

Also, when I release a new book with more subclasses I'm doing it right. That upcoming Dragons & Giants book? It contains a dragon AND giant themed subclass for EVERY class that doesn't already have one. Dragon clerics and giant rangers here we come.

4. Hit Points and Damage
I'd like a higher starting HP and slower increases. A commoner should be 8-12 HP, 10-20 HP for 1st level adventurers, and 70-120 for 20th level adventurers. Damage starts similar to 5e, but scales a bit slower.

5. Advantage/Disadvantage and Bonus/Penalty
B/P is mechanically identical to Adv/Dis. However, the two sets don't directly interact. Adv isn't canceled by a Penalty. Adv can stack with a Bonus. You get the idea. The only difference is where they take place in the rules of the game. Bonus/Penalty are mostly gained by features. Adv/Dis are mostly gained by game mechanics and DM discretion.

Applied to 5e this would be like granting Advantage to melee attacking a prone creature, a Bonus to a barbarian using reckless attack, a Penalty to a creature's next attack roll after being hit with Viscious Mockery, or Disadvantage on an Persuasion check because you haven't bathed in a week.

6. Proficiency
I like proficiency and what it represents in the game. My issue is we could do so much more with it. I want Untrained (0), Novice (.5x prof), Proficient (scaling amount), Expert (1.5x prof), and Master (2x prof). 5e barely uses .5x prof and I can't think of any time where 1.5x prof appears. I believe this can provide some serious mechanical depth without adding much complexity.

7. Spells and Rituals
I'd like to see a greater distinction between these two areas of magic. Spells are quick and dirty magic. Anything with a casting time of a minute or less as a rule of thumb. Rituals are for workings of magic that take time, material resources, and have more leeway built into the outcome.

8. No Free Magic
Many cantrips get folded into leveled spells (with reworks as necessary). Magical implements take the place of combat cantrips and require spell slots or rituals to regain charges. I don't want to go back to clerics breaking out slings when they're tapped on spell slots. But, no more unlimited cantrip nonsense either.

9. Tiered Conditions
They don't all have to be tiered the same, but I'd like weaker versions of some conditions. Prone -> pinned, grappled -> restrained, charmed -> dominated -> enthralled, frightened -> turned -> banished, dazed -> stunned -> paralyzed, poisoned -> withering, etc. Let them build off each other and have features that can move someone up or down a condition tier.

 

[Zardnaar]

what is faster to math?

12d4 for fireball or 30 flat?
or with +10 over AC 18d4 or 30×1,5?

not to mention that you can write all your "crit" damage on the attack sheet.

IE:
greatsword:
hit AC; 14 damage
5 over AC; 21
10 over AC; 28
15 over AC; 35
20 over AC; 42
nat 20 roll; +7 damage
graze: 7 damage

I was referencing the % you were using.

Flat is easy but people like rolling dice.

 

[Horwath]

I wouldn't do that..

To be the best way is to have a couple resources classes that are very simple. For beginners or people who do not want to put that much mental load on themselves..

Then, you have a bunch of spellcasters, for people who the love spells and all kinds of crazy things that you could do with spells. For the resource management big effect folk.

And you could have a whole bunch of classes in the middle, You have some half casters. You have some stamina users. You some willpower users. You have some item charge user.

On the far far end, you have some class that is just resources galore. Points and slots and charges and a gauge and all kinds of different things.

however you want to play the game, 6E should be started with complexity 10 that you can as a player lower on your PC design as much or as little as you want.

Good example is Pillars of Eternity 2.
you could make your character as complex or as simple as you wanted it to be.
when you picked your talent(feat) at every level or more than one, you could pick an active one, a passive ability or upgrade to already gained ability.
you could go trough 20 levels with only one or two active abilities that you must decide to use on your action. Rest was just +X to some stat that you have.
this is especially useful if you run the mod for 8 party members as you want as much dialogue options in quests as you can get, making 5 characters with "passive" only is great way to reduce your mental load as you just lead your character and maybe one or two more for spells.


it's easy to dumb down the game if it's made complex in start, it's hard to increase complexity of a game if basic design is simple.

it's the fighter with champion and battlemaster options, one is completely passive one requires decision points on most attacks.
every class should be made in similar way at basic design.

or with feats, and a lot more feat slots.
then for martials, feat can be(not including ASIs):

fighting style
2 weapon masteries
2 maneuvers + 2 dice(d6)
+1 crit range
+1d8 sneak attack
and usual feats for martial characters.


spellcasters could use 2 preparation slots for same spell for extra effect.
IE fireball might get d8 damage die instead of d6 if your use two preparation slots. Turning and active preparation slot into a passive one. Or saves might be at disadvatage vs it. Or both for 3 preparation slots.

cure wounds might get 60ft range and Bonus action cast time for extra preparation slot. or +3d6 healing per level for one extra preparation slot
or a feat that gives +4 preparation slots that you can use anyway you want it. New spell or a passive spell upgrade.

6th level wizard could have 15 preparation slots, but only 5 spells prepared. rest are upgrades to those spells.

 

[Horwath]

I was referencing the % you were using.

Flat is easy but people like rolling dice.

I like rolling attacks, for damage, I like 3 or 4 dice max. Like to average the rest.

IE, fireball 8d6 is 4d6+14 or if 9d6 then it's 3d6+21.

gathering a lot of dice to roll around table slows everything down, that is why I like the idea that attack is the damage roll also.

 

[delericho]

I wouldn't.

With the D&D movie flopping, the TV show(s) seemingly being in development hell, Stranger Things ending, and Critical Role seemingly losing steam, D&D is dropping out of the zeitgeist - possibly only briefly, but potentially for a very long time. Under those circumstances, the last thing I'd look to do is take a risk on replacing the most popular iteration of the game with something significantly different. I might go for a 5.75 in five years time, but I'm more inclined to leave it longer than that. Whether deliberately or not, I think they have create essentially the "forever edition" of the game with 5e.

 

[delericho]

But to engage with the premise of the thread in good faith, I'd look to make two big changes:

- Get rid of ability scores completely - no 3-18 range, but not even the modifier. Roll most of what the ability scores do into the classes directly, but then expand the use of feats to provide customizations for the characters.

- Merge all the non-spellcaster classes into a single class with a customizable range of combat powers but essentially all of the non-combat powers of all of the classes. D&D was ruined forever when they added Thief as a standalone class.

 

[Zardnaar]

I wouldn't.

With the D&D movie flopping, the TV show(s) seemingly being in development hell, Stranger Things ending, and Critical Role seemingly losing steam, D&D is dropping out of the zeitgeist - possibly only briefly, but potentially for a very long time. Under those circumstances, the last thing I'd look to do is take a risk on replacing the most popular iteration of the game with something significantly different. I might go for a 5.75 in five years time, but I'm more inclined to leave it longer than that. Whether deliberately or not, I think they have create essentially the "forever edition" of the game with 5e.

Its only a hypothetical. Eventually 5E will run out of steam.