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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steenan" data-source="post: 5135551" data-attributes="member: 23240">A few ideas:1. Simplify combat mechanics. Keep it balanced, but make it easier to use and much faster. A non-boss fight should take at most 20 minutes. This leaves enough time for exploration. Most of 4e framework may be kept, but with much less modifiers to calculate and less (if any) map-based positioning. 2. Adventure powers should be used instead of daily powers. Similarily, healing surges should refresh at the end of an adventure. 3. Use different criteria for monster balance. Take into account how easy it is to detect, avoid or trick a monster, not only how strong it is in a combat. A powerful, but slow and dumb creature isn't a bigger obstacle in a dungeon than a weaker, but sneaky and perceptive one. This may lead to monster roles defined differently, with their role in the dungeon as a whole considered ("guard", "scout", "ambusher" etc.)4. Give mechanical tools for creating balanced dungeons, taking their geometry and function into account. A balanced dungeon, in general, does not consist of level-appropriate encounters, but ensures that these high above party level may be avoided somehow.5. Remove dependence on magic items and the whole magic item economy. Loot from dungeons should help characters become known and important, noc increase their mechanical effectiveness. I feel tempted to revive the "XP for gold" paradigm, but basing it on gold spent, not gold found. PCs rob a vampire crypt or clear a bandit camp and then throw a party, build a fort or fund an orphanage - each of the three gives them experience points.6. Implement a solid, robust and flexible systems for movement/exploration, information gathering/puzzle solving and social interactions. They should be more akin 4e combat than 4e skill challenges. Include resources that are used in such situations, like HP, healing surges, action points and powers are used in combat.balance classes in such a way that each of them has something to do in each challenge type listed above. There may be a separate set of roles in each of these areas, every class implementing one of each set. For example, a ranger could be a striker/guide/scout/reasonable.</blockquote>

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