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I think there are a few places where the DM and players can tweak magic item creation to their satisfaction: 1. The DMG says that to craft an item you pay the maximum of its price range, but also says that the market value of an item is anywhere in the range. So a rare item is 5,001-50,000 gp...

Every time someone quotes this rule, I get a warm tingly feeling inside. :-) The DMs solution is to overrun, of course--you only get one reaction a round so the spearholder can't fend off 2 orcs.

You only have three choices as I see it: 1. Magic items are cool, exciting, and powerful so that PCs are thrilled to get them -- but require a judicious DM 2. Magic items are perfectly balanced within the system and PCs are assumed to have a certain amount (3E) 3. Magic items are perfectly...

Just like the AD&D DMG! :-) Doesn't everyone have a story about randomly rolling up the Wand of Orcus in a treasure hoard? Frankly, I think the 3E magic item creation system, while robust, ultimately did more harm than good by making certain items both easily attainable and inordinately...

Spykes, I'm not seeing the difference between your proposal and spell slots. For me, the most satisfying version of the psionic class was the one from 2nd edition's Complete Psionics. What made it feel different from magic? 1. Psionic points ran out quickly. Over the course of your 10-level...

I've been toying with this idea too. It doesn't make sense for all maneuvers, but some like disarm and trip provide a success mechanic that anyone could use. The superiority die just adds bonus damage on top of the effect. I've heard the DMG has some rules for resolving this sort of thing in...

Yes, well, exceptional strength was one of the most massively broken aspects of 1st and 2nd edition. The benefit of 18/00 was so disproportionate that players manage to roll the double-zero at least 10% of the time... But at the same time, if you don't have an 18 then it's not even an issue. But...

There is no such rule in AD&D--the only difference is in the maximum allowed Str. Note also that only male humans can have 18/00; the upper limits varies by race and gender. This could also be seen as a penalty, or as an incentive for players to put their 18 in Dex or Con instead. I don't know...

OK, I think this thread just died a messy death.

I like the idea of Gruumsh growing from Corellon's eye. If you don't want to set Corellon up as a foolish god in the mythology, another possibility is to trade the eye with a primordial entity in exchange for a significant aspect of power (e.g. adding magic/lore to his portfolio), maybe an...

A worthy addition!

Along with XP, I see reputation/honor as tools to align the players' incentives with the desired flavor for the campaign. I can understand why native Asians would find the name irritating. I'm sure if I were a native American I would roll my eyes at an RPG where all spells were described in a...

I really like where this is going, rogue with a dash of battlemaster for the combat role and special abilities tied to investigation. Some thoughts: * Help an ally to give them your SA damage is very good, I agree the damage should still be limited to once per turn. Do you also have to be...

I'm another AD&D veteran, not the kind of guy the OP was looking for. But it's an interesting topic so I'll chime in. 4E had some really interesting ideas that didn't make it into 5E. I vastly prefer 5E, but if you had to twist my arm I would cite the following regrets: * 4E does more than any...

Well, my assumption is that real clerics are rare, and the monsters don't know they're fighting PCs. Most monster bands don't have clerics healing them back from zero either. But in a setting where clerics are common, you're right that CdG should be a standard tactic.

IMC, any sane monster with Int 8 or better will fight tactically, but not fight to the death. In particular, humanoid opponents will try to set up ambushes, use cover and terrain, focus fire on one PC to reduce the number of opponents, and run away if outmatched. On the other hand, I don't...

Gnomish Cunning looks insanely good. Having advantage on Int, Wis, and Cha saves? Move over, dwarves. I'm making a gnome eldritch warrior with Resilience so I have proficiency in Str, Dex and Con saves, and advantage in all the rest. :)

Personally, I never understood why Artificers, as the ultimate magic engineers, wouldn't be able to cast spells. Practically every class has them, so it must be a pretty easy skill to pick up. I really think that the whole "infusions" thing can be taken care of by giving them a handful of...

Lots of really interesting ideas in here, but I don't think there's any point in debating the "right way" to do the artificer. If your goal is to reproduce the 3E class from the Eberron setting as closely as possible, then clearly a new class is needed to grant the right combination of...

I don't think anyone can make a credible claim that AD&D was "meant" to be played in a particular way. Each table has always had a unique approach. Official Setting <--> Homebrew? Miserly Rewards <--> Monty Hall? Let the Dice Fall Where They May <--> DM Rolls Behind Screen? Torches and Rations...