D&D General 6E But A + Thread

[Reynard]

I know, I know. "Another 6E Thread?!?"

Yes. But I want to keep it positive. If you love 5E (either flavor, or any other edition) that's awesome! Congratulations, you have your game. However, i (and I asssume some other folks) would like to see the next iteration of D&D.

For my part, I like 5E but it has been around a long time and its weaknesses are pretty easy to see (and I personally do not think 2024 5E addressed them). So I would really like to see a new edition of the game.

I think D&D, to be D&D, will always need some of its sacred cows: classes, hit points, and levels, some form of "Vancian" casting, and the baked in genre that is D&D (that constantly evolves). But I also think it can adopt other game subsystems to make it a better play experience even while retaining those sacred cows. it doesn't have to be quite the Frakengame that Daggerheart is (and I love Daggerheart but it is definitely composed of many parts), but it could stand to embrace more modern approaches to some of its gameplay challenges. I also personally like "clean and concise" as design ethos and so I would like to see Shadowdark as a influence (without some of the built in randomness).

What do you think? What would your preferred hypothetical 6E look like?

And, again, this is a + thread. Please try and keep it positive about 6E (as a hypothetical).

 

[Scribe]

In a word: Intentional.

What should D&D be? If we have tactical games (Draw Steel) story games (Daggerheart) and great games (Shadowdark) what is it that D&D wants to be?

I'd say it needs to try and be the jack of all trades, and a little bit of tactical, story, and straightforward, simple dungeoncrawl, all in one.

There are still things which D&D does, that it has gotten away from that could cement what 'D&D' is. All of this is IMO of course.

The Sacred Cows

This stuff needs to be there

Attributes (Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha) - Not much to say here.

Ancestry (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Halfling, Tiefling, Aasimar, Half Elf, Half Orc, Gnome, Goliath, Warforged, Dragonborn, Goblin as a treat) - I think Daggerheart does Ancestry much better, with a much more elegant way of managing mixed ancestry, D&D could for sure lift from there, but if they do not...a solid list of options is a must.

Classes/Subclasses - The main class options are fine, but the design could be dramatically tightened up. I would shove multi-classing into a sidebar deep in the DMG, and would put subclasses at Level 1, and have something meaningful happen on every level up.

Alignment - This is a D&Dism, that absolutely should be leaned into. Put it into Class design, Ancestry design, Spell design. It should be fundamental to the game. If D&D wants to be this multiverse, planar, city of doors, spelljammer, planescape gonzo setting? Alignment, make it happen.

At the crunch level? Jesus clean things up. Masteries are fine in concept, but some of the theory craft is just horrific to read. Much like multi-classing, stick this deep in a sidebar as optional somewhere. Actually refine the concepts of the Wizard. It cannot, should not, be a dumping ground of just 'everything arcane'. Sorcerer seems to have a better definition that Wizard does now, its crazy.

Look at the design of games which are intentional in what they want to be, strip out the excess. Do not bother with rolled stats, just go with Array.

"Three Pillars" - If they are going to do it. Do it. Enough with the partial design, half measure stuff. Get the combat (done) exploration (not really done) and social (not really done) actually defined, documented, and put down in the rules.

And then, strip out everything that is not about the game, and toss it into a super clean SRD.

I dont know, I dont feel like it should really even be as difficult as it seems. The biggest thing missing, is the focus on Alignment to make it a truly epic "Good and Evil, Law and Chaos" crazy high concept Fantasy.

Do not try and be 'grounded' we have other games for that. Go wild, go planar, go multiple words and realms of the gods.

 

[CleverNickName]

I don't know about what should change, or whether or not it needs to change at all, or if/when/how a new edition were to come to pass...but assuming it does, here's a list of what I'd like to see.

1. A spell point system to replace the current spell level/spell slot system. The version in the 5E DMG is good, but I'd like to see it expanded and ensconced as the standard in the Player's Handbook.

2. A half-dozen "core classes" with feat trees, to replace the 13 classes/900 subclasses/multiclassing system. This would address some of my biggest gripes with 5E's power curve and player-side rules exploitation.

3. A new default D&D setting. I don't have a problem with Forgotten Realms or Ebberon or any of the other published ones; I just like new campaign settings and I want more of them. New edition should have a new campaign setting, IMO.

But really, that's all I can think of. I don't know if it's enough to merit an entirely new edition of the game, but there ya go.

 

[billd91]

I think 5e.2024 has gone a bit farther down the road of nerfing monster defenses than I would like. I'd like to see lycanthropes toughened up again. Just having a lot of hit points doesn't exactly make them scary - not like them regenerating or strongly resisting non-silver damage does anyway. I'd like to see more magical abilities given to the demons again. I'd like them to get their heads straighter and with more clarity about hiding/stealth/perception.
But, then again, I think the incrementalism of the 5e pairing from 2014 to 2024 is the way to go. I DON'T want the editions lurching around with massive changes again. That SUCKED.

 

[TiQuinn]

I think having a clock system for challenges, chases and the like would be a good addition, particularly if it gives rules for how it applies to skill and spell use.

 

[Reynard]

Alignment - This is a D&Dism, that absolutely should be leaned into. Put it into Class design, Ancestry design, Spell design. It should be fundamental to the game. If D&D wants to be this multiverse, planar, city of doors, spelljammer, planescape gonzo setting? Alignment, make it happen.

On this: I am absolutely OK with Alignment staying as long as it is both actually integrated into the mechanics AND a part of the implied/meta setting of D&D. IMO, it should not be a personality descriptor, but rather a measure of one's ties to very real, very substantive forces in the universe. Being "aligned" with Good doesn't necessarily mean you are what any given person would describe as a "good" person. It means your very soul, your powers, and your fate a linked to the transdivine concept of Good.

 

[payn]

Id keep 5E going, but start working on the modules to enhance the game that were talked about back during NEXT. Tactical combat, alignment, social mechanics, etc..

 

[bedir than]

Separate nature and nurture
Return Backgrounds to supporting non-combat pillars
Expand support for the non-combat pillars

tbh none of that requires a 6e. It can be done within the current framework (and has by several 3pp). But that's good! Keeping an interoperable system that supports past material is best for the long term.

 

[Reynard]

Separate nature and nurture
Return Backgrounds to supporting non-combat pillars
Expand support for the non-combat pillars

tbh none of that requires a 6e. It can be done within the current framework (and has by several 3pp). But that's good! Keeping an interoperable system that supports past material is best for the long term.

But that misses the point of the thread.

 

[Scribe]

Separate nature and nurture
Return Backgrounds to supporting non-combat pillars
Expand support for the non-combat pillars

tbh none of that requires a 6e. It can be done within the current framework (and has by several 3pp). But that's good! Keeping an interoperable system that supports past material is best for the long term.

The current system, that would be 5.5, doesnt support the back catalog, any more than I can take 'any' OSR adventure, and run it with Shadowdark, after I make my own adjustments.

Nature and Nurture? What does that even mean structurally? There is no Culture object in the 5e or 5.5 books.
Backgrounds. OK you want to revert to 5e, thats a functional change from how 5.5 operates, and will operate, going forward until it gets its own 'Tashas' floating ASI update.
Expand Support for other pillars, this goes to what I was saying.

6e, needs to be intentional in its design. 5.5 is a mess of conflicting and half implemented ideas all in the hope they could be 'interoperable' enough to pull the wool over the eyes of 5e players.

Regardless, this is intended to be a 6e (+) thread. Not a '5.5 and anything else daddy D&D does is great' thread.