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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dausuul" data-source="post: 5572429" data-attributes="member: 58197">This is more or less what I had in mind, yes.To me, the key features of BECMI/RC D&D are these:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Stripped-down mechanics. The game offers a small array of "defined" tactical choices, with the expectation that the DM and players will build on them through creative and descriptive play. As such, the game is friendly to players who aren't all that into "crunch."</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Quick resolution. There should not be a pile of fiddly little modifiers getting thrown around. BECMI didn't always live up to this ideal, but it tried. (My rule of thumb: No temporary modifier smaller than 3 is worth the bother of tracking it.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A limited set of choices at chargen and level up.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The classes are fighter, cleric, magic-user, thief. Elf, dwarf, and halfling are optional. Variants may exist, especially at high levels, but everything builds on the basic four.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Low-level PCs are somewhat more fragile than in 4E. (They do not have to be as fragile as they are in straight-up BECMI, however!)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The scope of the game widens as PCs advance, and the rules support that widening scope. For example: Dungeon adventuring (Basic), to wilderness exploration (Expert), to warfare and becoming vassal to a lord (Companion), to domain rulership and questing for immortality (Master). Master-level PCs still crawl dungeons from time to time, but it's just one part of a much larger world.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Personal power increases at a fair clip in the first few levels, then plateaus upon reaching "name level." This is the same basic principle underlying the design of E6, and one I want to build on. PCs continue to advance past name level, but a 26th-level PC is not all that much stronger than a 16th-level one in a direct confrontation. The 26th-level PC's main advantage is versatility and a stronger position in the world (followers, allies, strongholds, etc.).</li> </ul>So, that's what I want to keep. I'm also trying to keep a general resemblance to BECMI D&D; 36 levels, 7 levels of cleric spells, 9 levels of M-U spells, all the classes have the same general outlines as the originals. (That said, I'm making Vancian casting an optional variant. The standard casting model will look like the sorceror from 3E. Vancian casting just grinds my gears.)From 4E, I want to import:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Balanced combat math. (Happily, my dad was a mathematician...)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Class balance more or less constant across the level range. Lowbie M-Us are not pathetic weenies. High-level fighters do not become obsolete.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The standard d20 core mechanic (1d20 + bonus versus DC).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A small list of predefined conditions: Stunned, blinded, grabbed, etc.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The scaling back of insta-kill mechanics. I'm not saying there can't be a handful of effects that just kill you dead right there, but they should be rare and fearsome. "Save versus poison or die" is a horrid mechanic that is justified neither by gameplay (instant arbitrary death makes a lousy game) nor by fiction (except cyanide and nerve gas, I don't know any poisons that take effect instantly).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">"Page 42"-type guidelines for handling stunts on the fly.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Spells that eclipse other classes' abilities or wreak havoc with the game world have their usability limited; e.g., by ritual component costs.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Special moves/tricks for fighters and thieves. This one I'm on the fence about; after all, I just said one of the attractions of BECMI is stripped-down mechanics! But I do feel that non-casters ought to have some tricks up their sleeves that don't rely on stunts.</li> </ul>So, that's what I'm working with. I've got some ideas for the basics that I'll put up later tonight.</blockquote>

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