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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Crimson Binome" data-source="post: 7620697" data-attributes="member: 6775031">I can't really think of what my favorite system is, so I'll take this opportunity to shill for Gishes & Goblins. These are the three things where I really think I hit it out of the park:1) Efficiency of class differentiation. The primary difference between a druid and a warlock is that a druid has some nature spells on their spell list, while a warlock has dark/evil spells instead. (All spellcasters can cast any spell that they know, and their spells scale automatically with level, so you don't need to justify how your cleric/wizard/whatever uses warlock mechanics just because those are more convenient for you.) The difference between a warlord and a monk is that a warlord has some leadership abilities on top of their fighter abilities, while a monk has some kung fu stuff on top of their fighter abilities; but they both swing swords the same way, and they both have the same number of attacks (including Action Surge), because changing those things isn't necessary to differentiate those character concepts.2) Enemies that can hold their own. Taking a page from 4E, elite monsters have the HP of two standard monsters put together, and boss monsters have three times as many HP. Taking it one step further, elite monsters typically have two actions per turn, and boss monsters typically have three actions per turn. Fighting a lich is like fighting a wizard, fighter, and rogue at the same time; except they share a health pool, so you can't focus fire one down in order to spoil their action economy. A boss monster is actually more powerful than its component parts.3) Ease of Homebrew.If you want to add new classes/races/monsters/whatever, there are guidelines to keep it balanced. There's an index full of generic monster stats, listed by role and level, so you can generate a level 15 sniper or a level 3 tank if you need one. Creating a sub-class is the easiest thing in the world, since it's literally just a progression of seven class features that you can add on top of any other class.Some honorable mentions, while I'm here and on the topic:4) Fewer Trap Options. The only real choice that you have when levelling is in selecting a feat - er, merit - every three levels. Every merit gives you a cool effect in addition to a stat boost. While it's impossible to balance cool things against each other, the real power comes from the stat boost, so you don't lose out on power if the cool thing is less useful than you'd hoped.5) Slower Progression. The sweet spot of adventuring in D&D has traditionally been between level 3 and level 9 (or so), but players also really like gaining levels, and expect to hit end-game after a year of play. G&G solves that by flattening out the power curve, so low-level wizards aren't starved for spell slots, and high-level fighters can't just keep fighting forever. A level 20 G&G character is more like a level 13 D&D character.6) Class Resource Balance. I almost forgot, since it's getting late into the day, but this is actually my favorite thing. Short rests are only 5 minutes long, with the assumption that you'll definitely take one after every fight. Class balance doesn't get skewed by pacing.I'll stop there. In retrospect, after compiling this list, maybe I do know what my favorite system is.</blockquote>

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