4th Edition D&D

[librarius_arcana]

Dude, check any P2P system out there. The books are there in pdf format before my version of Amazon has the physical book.

Yeah but dude, do you really see WotC supporting this?, I don't think so,

 

[wedgeski]

So, my version of 4e would be 3.5 errata'd and include the toolset above.

I could not agree more with Hussar.

 

[WayneLigon]

Bring gaming into the 21st century. I don't think it's a huge assumption to say that the majority of DM's out there use computers when developing material. I would also hazard a guess that the majority of gamers have access to a computer. Why not cater to that?

I think that the WOTC marketing survey said this was not, in fact, the case.

What’s sitting at home?
Wintel Platform: 54%
Macintosh Platform: 7%

Three quarters of the sample use the Internet at least once a week, but only two thirds have access from home.

So you've got only slight majority of the customer base with a PC at home. Whether or not that PC is very good is another question we don't know the answer to, and we don;t know how many use it to develop stuff.

There's also the question of WOTC being interested in funding software development. Their last attempt at this was nothing less than a total disaster and then they farmed it out. I dunno how eTools is faring these days but it took them years to get it to it's current state.

 

[Kanegrundar]

4E? Well, I'd combine some skills (like the oft-mentioned Hide and Move Silently --> Sneak), turn Armor into DR, use a system for spell points, use racial classes in lieu of LA's, trim the fat in general. Oh wait. I'm doing all of that with 3.5 right now, so I guess I created my own 4E. :shrug:

In all honesty, WotC can do whatever they want with 4E. I'm playing less and less, so just reworking a system I already have a metric ton of material for is a much more economic move for me than investing in another edition. Plus, I don't play D&D much anymore even when I do get a chance to play. M&M2 is now my system and game genre of choice.

 

[TheYeti1775]

Primarily, I'd like to see a completely overhauled character generation and experience system, something without levels. Something along the lines of "I want to raise my attack bonus, so I'll spend XP to do so." As for character generation, something completely point-based, similar to Mutants & Masterminds (albeit on a much less building-destroying scale).

Non-randomized minis, but with the same decent price as the current D&D minis. Also, I'd like to see all of the MM creatures released before any other monsters.

I like both of these.
Using the Experience Points to raise various abilities is a good one.
Kinda like Item creation. I like it.

Non-random minis, I like the idea but I think someone said it in another thread. There is more money to be made in random ones, and it gives them a chance to throw a few out there not many would buy. Honestly how many would buy 'Spellstiched Zombies' after getting about 5 of them. Now if they came out with a MMI series of minis, even just randomize within the MMI book on what you get. I might enjoy series like that. And if that sells well continue with a few other lines, MMII, MMIII, Fiend Folio, Regional/Campaigns FR/Dragonlance/Greyhawk.
------------

Yeti

 

[WayneLigon]

So how would you like to see 4th?
what would you add?
what would you change?

I think 4th should be as radical a change as going from 2E to 3E. Unless it can really provide something new to the table, then they should just hold off.

What I think probably will be done:
The idea of 'game as toolbox' will be increased.
Some classes will be consolidated. If you're going with the toolbox approach, for instance, there's no reason to have a Druid when you have a Cleric, or Monk/Paladin/Ranger when you have a Fighter. Those classes will be variants of the base class.
Feats will be streamlined, and have ranks much like skills. You'll get 'Feat Points' to buy or upgrade feats.
The skill system will be simplified, much like Iron Heroes does now. There will be more skill points per class.
Alignment will be dropped.

What I would like to see:
I'd like to see some of the True20 ideas.
Drop stats for bonuses.
Combine skills.
Feats replace a lot of class abilities.
Just three classes, which are then customized into roles via feat and saving throw selection.
No arcane-divine divide.
Drop alignment.
I would like to see a vastly simplified spell system.
I like the Toughness Save mechanic for fights, since it finally breaks us away from th Hit-Point/AC arms race. Since this last is (1) the main reason you need new monsters and (2) the main reason you need more magic at higher levels and (3) the reason the Cleric is currently an essencial party member.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Now if they came out with a MMI series of minis, even just randomize within the MMI book on what you get. I might enjoy series like that. And if that sells well continue with a few other lines, MMII, MMIII, Fiend Folio, Regional/Campaigns FR/Dragonlance/Greyhawk.

IMHO, this would be a good compromise between the two. I could dig that. Or offer both randomized and non-randomized minis. I know I'd buy non-randomized for the things I really want, but I wouldn't mind so much also having randomized minis.

Of course, that would shatter the eBay miniatures market...

 

[TheYeti1775]

IMHO, this would be a good compromise between the two. I could dig that. Or offer both randomized and non-randomized minis. I know I'd buy non-randomized for the things I really want, but I wouldn't mind so much also having randomized minis.

Of course, that would shatter the eBay miniatures market...

Even us Yeti's are bound to get a good idea every now and then.

I would venture on to say on the mentioned types of series, another possible series.
The NPC's and Armies.
Common's would be Foot Soldiers for various races.
Uncommon's would be Generals/Classed NPCs
Rare's would Siege weaponary, Epic NPC's, Large creatures (giants etc.)

Thanks again,
Yeti

 

[erc1971]

4th Edition.

In all seriousness, I would buy this so fast my head would spin...

Take 3.5 - apply all the errata, re-edit everything, clear up all the ambiguties that are still out there (like the Hydra Combat Reflexes for example).

Remove alot of the extra cumbersome junk that has been tacked on here and there, possibly take all these new rules, decide what works best and incorporate it into the PHB.

Remove alot of the doubled up classes (Swashbuckler AND Duelist???). Heck, remove about half the PRC's - there is just too much, and most are never used.

Fix messed up classes (Swashbuckler again - how many people go past level 3 in this thing?)

Trim away most of the feats. There are enough now to fill several books, and 80% of them are never used.

Fix the holes that people on the Wizards optomization boards have found (Pun-Pun, Hulking Hurler, etc). Then, hire some of these guys to try and break new material before you release it!

In short - I would like see a version of 3.5 that is fixed, and uses alot of the new material without the hassle of the untrimmed fat and wading through 30 books. (Yeah yeah, I know 4.0 would end up like 3.5 in a few years, most games do as companies release more books to, well, make a profit! - but I am allowed to dream )

Eric

 

[tzor]

As far as I am concerned 4E needs somethings so radically novel that they make us all go "Ah ha! Why didn't we think of this sooner." 3E had, among other things positive is good notions in both AC and BAB (as opposed to THAC0) and a freeform multiclass option. If you don't have these Ah ha notions you only get 3.75E

One thing I think 4E would need is a reunification and simplification of class/template options. Right now we have PC, NPC, PRC and a semi official Template Levels option. (Actually we have multiple ones from WOTC and non WOTC sources.) Why, for example are NPC classes so lame? (If you really want weaker NPCs why not ust give them lower levels; level equality was supposed to be the Ah ha of 3E, especially from the 1E days when one really could argue that a level X wizard was the equivalent of a level Y monk, but a level X+5 wizard was not the equivalent of a level Y+5 monk.