D&D General 5e System Redesign through New Classes and Setting. A Thought Experiment.

[Lanefan]

Hmmm... like perhaps setting up a separate section, or even small book, full of 'sideplots' suited for specific level ranges but with the NPCs and such unnamed so that if the party does get sidetracked by a specific NPC or Situation, you can snag a sideplot in the right level range with a few pre-generated encounters and the bare bones of some NPC interactions and then apply the names of NPCs in and around the current area to those encounters and sideplots that allows them to be wrapped up, nicely?

That way the distraction gets to be explored to a conclusion resolved with social, exploration, or combat mechanics, and the players can then return to the main plot?

Or even spin off such that the side plot becomes the main plot, though at that point the DM is probably winging it.

 

[Steampunkette]

Or even spin off such that the side plot becomes the main plot, though at that point the DM is probably winging it.

I don't think I wanna go -that- far... the fractal tree of 'main plot expansion' would become so byzantine as to be almost impossible to map. Especially with how little it takes for a group to get sidetracked by a red herring of their own manufacturing.

But giving some guidance and a pre-generated "Use this to resolve dangling threads" option could help get things back on track, no?

 

[Corinnguard]

The Laserllama Magus can replace Dex to AC with Int to AC, but it can't stack them, so even with the Blade Dance bonus it doesn't get crazy.

Ignoring magic items, it can get to Breastplate (15)+2 Int + 2 Shield +1 Fighting Style + 3 Blade Dance = 23 AC.

Very solid, but nothing gamebreaking at 15th level.

The only time an LL Magus can replace DEX to AC with INT to AC is when their armor has been made a part of their Arcane Armory. The neat part of this feature is that you can use a bonus action to either don your armor or shunt it back into your armory. And as long as it is a part of your armory, it's treated as magical.

As for the stacking part, an Order of Blades Magus could forgo armor in order to get an AC = DEX modifier + INT modifier at 3rd level. If they were to max out both their DEX and INT scores while wearing no armor, they could get an AC of 20. They could get a 21 from either using Defensive Fighting or Dual Wielding with the Alternate Dual Wielder feat. Unfortunately, most martials are leery about going into a fight without armor.

Assuming that the adventure goes all the way to 15th level.