Since we know the next iteration of D&D is going to be a slight update from the 2014 game, the big issues that we might have with the game are not going to be addressed.
I’m wondering what “big” changes you'd like to see in the game if/when they decide to make significant revisions.
- Minions
- Bloodied condition
- 4e-style healing surges
- Niche protection for classes
- Monsters that have defined roles (leader, soldier, striker, etc.)
- More survivable low-level characters
- Meaningful positioning/flanking
Basically, my list is wanting to add more 4e design elements into the game.
What would you like to see in a new edition?
Of these listed: only bloodied, niche protection, and meaningful positioning work for me.
For the rest, I'd rather see much the opposite. Minions and many other 4e monster-design elements are IMO awful, in that they sacrifice internal setting consistency on the altar of pure gamism. Healing surges just add to the problem of there already being too much healing available in the game. And I'd prefer to see the game become generally more lethal rather than less, if 5e is the baseline for comparison.
What would I like to see in a strip-it-to-the-studs new edition? On a broad scale:
--- true zero-to-hero play, where a 1st-level character is only a small step up from a commoner and a 2nd-level character is that same small step up from a 1st-level
--- magic be made risky and dangerous, casting easy to interrupt, wild magic surges possible, etc.; and no at-will spells or cantrips - this all to rein in the casters in comparison with the martials
--- greater granularity all round, which by default means less reliance on unified mechanics and more discrete subsystems for different tasks/purposes
--- greater emphasis on resource management, "resources" here including gear, rations, hit points, spells, and so on
--- fewer classes, each with more obvious strengths and weaknesses and all with strong niche protection; no single character can be good at everything, instead every character is very good at something and rather bad at a lot of other things
--- multiclassing exists but is always a "sub-optimal" choice - and clearly labelled as such
--- fewer PC-playable species, there's a few dozen too many in 5e
--- fast and easy character generation if a players goes with the suggested defaults (presented in the PH) for a given class; though more complex generation can be available should a player want it, the intent is that focus shifts sharply away from the "character build" aspect of the game in favour of the play-at-table aspect
--- a strong underlying design philosophy that says "for every benefit there must be a corresponding penalty or drawback somewhere else"; and yes, among other things this specifically means species-based penalties to some stats to cancel off the bonuses they get elsewhere
--- a body-fatigue or wound-vitality hit point system, complete with viable and logical long-term injury or incurability rules
EDIT to add:
--- more emphasis on downtime and non-adventuring activities e.g. training, stronghold/guild/temple construction, travel, etc.
Howzat?
