D&D 3E/3.5 Conceptual Problems with 3E/3.5E and Desired Solutions for 4E

[Shade]

I'd want to see an advanced and basic version of the game, whether that be included in the same rulebooks and clearly stating which rules are for simple/fast play/whatever or even two different lines.

Since it appears WotC is currently heading down the simplification or "dumbing down" road (depending on your definition and who you ask), I fear that the game is going to not be to my tastes. I like the game complex with boatloads of options, and I'm not going to embrace a system with less options than I have now.

 

[arscott]

My big problems are the wealth system and the magic system.

I remember hearing a designer (possibly Monte Cook or Mike Mearls) say that wealth in D&D is a point-buy system for character improvement tacked on to the normal system of advancement. That struck me as particularly true, and I think it's something that needs to be done away with in the next addition. I want an opportunity to have 10th level characters who are fabulously rich without turning them into 20th level characters, or dirt poor without turning htem into 5th level characters.

And the only thing that rankles me almost as much as the wealth system is the casting system. Spell slots need to go. I'm fine if they're replaced by a spellpoint system similar to the XPH, or a skills-based system similar to True20.

 

[Torm]

Things I'm trying in the homebrew that I started yesterday:
(see if any of these move you)

1. Action Dice
2. Power point pools, that do different things for the different classes.
3. A much freer, but more fragile, magic system. "Metamagic" and such cost additional points, rather than needing feats. Outcomes of casting are based on a skill roll - Spellcasting for Wizards, Perform (Magick) for Sorcerers.
4. Priest spells are PRAYERS, and are answered (or not) by their deities, and sometimes in mysterious ways.
5. Character points at levels, which can be used to buy features (like feats and class features and action dice). Unspent points get dumped in the aforementioned power pools.

And the biggies:
6. Ability scores range from 1-9, and the SCORES are added everywhere the mods would have been, previously. Racial ability mods are halved, and additional ability points are awarded at multiples of 8th level. All DCs are up 5. This eliminates a redundant set of numbers, and the need for negatives in the set that is left. Yes, this does result in some strange numbers, but if you do the math, it all works out okay.
7. Body location armor, facing, and a return of backstabs and called shots.

In our first game, everything seems to work pretty well, so far, and add some flavor, or at least, a measure of "newness" that is always at least nice for a while.

 

[3catcircus]

Healing magic should get a powerup to become a par with hit point and damage - or hit points and damage should be lowered so that healing magic is on par with it.


The rules for playing non-standard races needs to be redone. Farewell to LA/ECl.

Less emphasis on dungeon combat and more on worlds and campaigns.

Why? So you can turn the game into even more of a power-pelletized console game?

 

[3catcircus]

The only thing which I can call a "big conceptual problem" is the D&D economy.

It will only get worse in future editions.

Hmm - they could move to an actual, historically pseudo-accurate model, but then players will complain when the BBEG's treasure horde consists of 12 bound books, a silver serving set and a herd of sheep.

 

[mhensley]

What, then, of electrum and platinum?

Drop them altogether. They are a needless complication.

 

[Graf]

A lot of people still feel like specific rules changes are conceptual changes.
(Drop LA/ECL, make wisdom work differently)

Which is, I think, the biggest issue for the game right now. Most people don’t actually understand the (admittedly entirely implict) concepts the game is based around.

That’s really the big conceptual change I think would be needed for 4th ed to ‘evolve’ the game.
Making things like average and maximum effects more explicit. Most of the serious rules issues right now (people who don’t understand what’s wrong with certain kinds of powerattack builds, etc.) come about because the game designers haven’t given the average player the ability to think about the impact on the game.
(it’s not complex, but most people haven’t absorbed enough math/statistics to do basic analysis by themselves)

They should be push to regularize ‘damage’ powers (using a spell, firing a bow) that do x damage/lvl. That damage is increased at melee range, and decreased if it affects multiple targets. It’s increased if you have a limited number of uses (Wizards) and decreased if it’s ‘at-will’ (Warlocks).
That way when someone comes out with a new system (incarium, shadowcasting, psionics, BO9S’ maneuvers, etc) you don’t have people constantly re-inventing the wheel.

Some things, like charged magic items, that work off of a completely different system than class granted powers need to be brought into line.


Right now balance is accounted for on a sort of ad-hoc basis. Fireball does lots of damage in a huge area but can’t be shot off willy nilly because your fighter is in melee with the monsters. Arcane casters are awesome, but they die if they make a mistake.
Clerics rock but their resources are consumed rapidly over the day (i.e. healing between adventures).
A good stat will explicitly let you punch a level higher in your specialty (and a simple system that blocks people searching for weird/broken combinations that let you punch 5 levels higher but allow you to cover it up)

 

[Andre]

They should be push to regularize ‘damage’ powers (using a spell, firing a bow) that do x damage/lvl. That damage is increased at melee range, and decreased if it affects multiple targets. It’s increased if you have a limited number of uses (Wizards) and decreased if it’s ‘at-will’ (Warlocks).

Along these lines I'd like to see the system move away from the critical importance of modifiers and equipment.

For instance, how much damage a character does with a weapon should depend more on the character's class and level than what weapon they are using, or how high their Strength score is. A high-level fighter should be able to clean the clock of a low level fighter, even if the former has a knife and the latter has a greataxe. (Yes, hit points allow this to happen currently, but then the high level fighter has to find a cleric to heal all the wounds caused by the low-level mook.)

With spellcasting it's even worse - the most important item in the game for a spellcaster is a permanent item that buffs his primary spellcasting stat. Save DC's reach obscene levels quickly if characters are given free access to stat boosts.

Cutting the power of all such boosts in half would go a long way toward making class and level more important vis a vis equipment and stats.

 

[Zaruthustran]

A series of sentences

Items and equipment should be less important.

The 3.5 magic system is lame. It's time to move to spellpoints.

A portion of hit points and spell points should regenerate after each encounter. "Resting" is boring.

 

[Nifft]

There is a penguin haunting Europe.

(blah, blah, blah)


Nifft's Manifesto

Our demands are as follows:

1: No more healing spells -- come up with a recovery mechanic that doesn't force one guy to play the cleric. Then, make the cleric balanced with the other classes.

2: No more gold pieces -- use a resource system like Exalted or d20 Modern.

3: Balance by the encounter, not the day -- don't encourage PCs to camp after one fight.

Gamers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your spiked chains!

Yours in brotherhood, -- N