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Meh, stat adjustments aren't needed at all. Too messy. Better off keeping everyone at the same level to start. A couple of stat points isn't going to affect balance at all, but some players may be intimidated by the choice of stat points vs. feat. Remove the anxiety. Human does need to be...

I like feats but I really dislike the 5E feat system. Way too limited and balance is totally out of whack. I also don't like that variant human is the only race to get a feat. I've started giving a bonus feat to all characters at 1st level but I've revised human by removing the feat and...

Don't get your real-world experience in my good design! Fair point I guess but systems like this are intentionally abstract and meant to serve the game, not reality. I could still make a case for reality though - exerting yourself by fighting monsters and trekking across the wilderness day...

Because it can get proficiency in Persuasion? That's not very unique. Sure Expertise is an option but rare for a rogue to use it on Persuasion.

Swashbuckler is good but doesn't get a unique social ability until level 9. The distance between rogue archetype features really bothers me...

Any can work well really, especially if you use Expertise on Persuasion. Assassin gets disguise and infiltration abilities. Inquisitive gets a bonus on Insight to detect lies (although the ability is kind of weak). Mastermind gets extra languages, disguise and forgery kit proficiencies, and...

I also tend to err on the side of grim & gritty in my campaigns, although I don't like the Gritty Realism variant. Requiring long rests to be 7 days slows down play and isn't fun. But that's another discussion entirely. Anyway, I have also sought to factor environmental conditions more...

Agreed. I have some issues with the AiME classes but it's certainly where I would start. The problem I see with restricting classes to Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue is it's fairly boring. The classes have somewhat different abilities but they behave very similarly. The AiME classes were created to...

I love gritty, low-magic settings. I love the sword & sorcery genre. I've played and run low-magic games and done some work on low-magic rules. I also love 5E. That said, I'm definitely agree that 5E can't do it without serious rework. You really need to scrap the classes almost entirely. While...

Wow I'm impressed! Great resume, and DC Heroes is the greatest superhero RPG of all time.

Ahh that's what I needed! Much obliged!

I have a potential encounter coming up next session that will involve a wagon chase, specifically the PCs helping a group of wagons to escape. The DMG chase rules are fairly rudimentary and don't really apply much to vehicles. I could wing it of course but I'd like something a bit more...

Well it was $18. :cry:

Games simply aren't designed that way. Of course there is a theme. If you are designing a ship-to-ship combat game, you need rules for movement and cannonfire that make sense. But beyond that, game balance and fun are paramount (well these days it's primarily monetization and player retention...

Your head would explode on first day on the job as a game designer.

I really don't like fluff vs. mechanics discussions. While fluff might influence mechanics, good design should not be sacrificed for the sake of fluff. Anyway, sneak attack (which I agree is poorly named), has 2 conditions: Advantage on your attack roll, or An ally is within 5 feet of your...

Agreed. Tweak the shifter race to something mutually agreed upon. Done.

Combination of Exploration and Intrigue, with a generous helping of Action!

Agreed. But easy enough to let a cleric choose 2 and then a choice between each ability when a domain feature is granted.

It only "makes zero sense" if you are bringing a preconceived notion about the narrative of what sneak attack actually is. If a mercenary class had an ability called "Bypass Defense" or a Thug class had "Dirty Hit", or the history behind backstab/sneak attack didn't exist, I guarantee there...