Like others, I would suggest Manual of the Planes as a “fourth core.” With the “D&D Multiverse” becoming more and more part of the default assumption, we see how much of the DMG in recent versions is devoted to describing the planes. A core MotP could be used for that material and much of what...
I remember the prerelease days from 1998-1999 as well. I was back and forth from college, playing in our 2nd edition game with the old open table high school crew, when the first word of 3e from Dragon Magazine sent us searching online through our AOL sign-ins to learn more and I was the first...
Cantrips that let the caster do random tricks and Be Magical also beat out damage dealers for pure awesomeness. This spell lets you casually light your torch AND fill your glass? That’s more Wizard than shooting rays out of your fingertips any day…
In 1st edition, the elemental planes were originally the Elemental Material Planes, hence the origin of the term Prime Material Plane for the realm created by the overlap of the elements (and forces of the Positive and Negative) like colored gels overlapping to create white light. Just as the...
A “Gen X” D&D would just be the style of the game in its initial years. We joke about kids in our era wandering out on our bikes until all hours — either being home for dinner or establishing whose home we’d be at for dinner, but that also matches a style of campaign design from around...
Dragonlance back in the day made interesting use of the Battlesystem rules and a range of isomorphic maps for the War of the Lance. If they’re likely to be returning to that event/timeframe, I’m curious if a release will be built to include mass combat systems and perhaps even some sort of...
You could do a Saltmarsh-style Spelljammer book that’s a mix of updated adventure, interstitial new elements traveling around, and bits of possibly jamming to other outside adventures.
Apologies for Not Reading The Entire Thread, but a few thoughts from a bit of a DL Grognard (who’s never thought that the post-2000 game has gotten it quite right, as much as Sovereign Press worked at it).
I can understand not having a specific Handling mechanic (it creates an odd thieving mini...
I fondly remember the days of running my older brother’s B/X and 1st Edition adventures in our 2nd Edition campaign (where a number of characters were built straight out of the UA-era Dragonlance Adventures book anyway), at most swapping in a different version of the same monster if I felt like...
Reattaching a limb feels a bit strong to do without other Magic for someone of merely troll bloodline (versus a proper troll), but I could see adding proficiency in Death saves to the ability to spend HD (since hit dice are a limited resource themselves).
As much as folks talk about monsters borrowing from character design, this is a place where I wonder if characters can borrow from monster design. I’ve kicked around the idea of cantrips and other more potent “at will” abilities getting a refresh die like many monster powers. Perhaps different...
What strikes me as the basic reason is the balance between HP and AC, or more broadly the classes’ ability to absorb damage versus resist damage. The monk — between higher natural AC, deflection abilities, and bonus dodge actions — can avoid taking damage without the negative impact (weight...