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

[RFisher]

In 1e a DM thought it'd be fun to have to haggle for everything. The problem was, he didn't know the game's conversion rates very well, yet tried to get clever & have merchants switch denominations to throw us off. It back-fired, & I got some really good deals. ^_^

Yes. And we all know that real world medieval monetary systems had no needless complications....

I like baroque monetary systems, but I think I'd prefer the game to stick with a single abstract unit & let me map that to the coinage I come up with for my world as I see fit.

 

[demadog]

My biggest conceptual problem is with the profession, knowledge, craft, and perhaps a few other skills being linked to class level. I don't care how many dragons a character slays, it isn't going to turn them into master blacksmiths within the span of a few months or years, depending on the campaign and DM style of course. Along the same lines, I haven't yet seen it explained suitably how long lived Races progess in their skills so slowly, but with magic I guess everything is possible.

Also, I agree with the previous post about "hit" points and "healing", but perhaps those concepts are so ingrained in the fabric of the game as to not take away from anything.

 

[VirgilCaine]

My biggest conceptual problem is with the profession, knowledge, craft, and perhaps a few other skills being linked to class level. I don't care how many dragons a character slays, it isn't going to turn them into master blacksmiths within the span of a few months or years, depending on the campaign and DM style of course. Along the same lines, I haven't yet seen it explained suitably how long lived Races progess in their skills so slowly, but with magic I guess everything is possible.

Sean K. Reynolds had an optional rule that let NPCs add their ranks in Knowledge (X) and Profession (X) to their ranks in Craft (X) for their Craft checks. They have concentrated their expertise in one industry and are much better than PCs who have just dabbled in the practical aspects so they can get their horses or armor repaired or whatnot.

 

[Roman]

Sean K. Reynolds had an optional rule that let NPCs add their ranks in Knowledge (X) and Profession (X) to their ranks in Craft (X) for their Craft checks. They have concentrated their expertise in one industry and are much better than PCs who have just dabbled in the practical aspects so they can get their horses or armor repaired or whatnot.

That would probably create some problems too, but adding 1/4 or 1/2 of the ranks of these skills to Craft would probably work.

 

[Lanefan]

Hit points as such aren't an issue to me, mainly because they're a known solution to the problem of describing in concrete terms how wounded/fatigued/devitalized someone is.

For many years, we've used a houserule "body points/fatigue points" system; the Star Wars game replicated this nicely with "wound points/vitality points"; though the mechanics are slightly different the result is close to the same.

I'd like more flavour built in - odd currency systems are a fine place for this - with a strong caveat right in the RAW saying clearly that flavour items like this can be changed to suit. Having 5 coin types c.p. s.p. e.p. g.p. p.p. isn't even an odd system...in Canada right now we have 6 coin types (ignoring the 50-cent piece) and 5 common bill types, and we seem to be able to function just fine...figuring out a 5-coin system should be pretty easy.

And, I have no problem at all with the general tone being based on medieval Europe/Britain.

Lanefan

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'd like more flavour built in - odd currency systems are a fine place for this - with a strong caveat right in the RAW saying clearly that flavour items like this can be changed to suit. Having 5 coin types c.p. s.p. e.p. g.p. p.p. isn't even an odd system...

How about 8?

5 Iron Drabs to a Brass Bit.
10 Bits to a Bronze Zee.
5 Zees to a Copper Common.
4 Commons to a Silver Noble.
5 Nobles to an Electrum Lucky.
10 Luckies to a Gold Orb.
1 Orb and 1 Lucky to a Platinum Plate...

-Hyp.

 

[Maine-iac!]

I didn't make it through all of these posts, but I'm a carpenter and 15 lbs is nothing...

Weights for weapons and equipment are way over the top. Those need to be brought down to reasonable levels. No way in hell someone could wield a 15 lb. weapon.

Edit: I type like a git.

 

[Nifft]

"They're after me Electrum Luckies!"

5 Pink Hearts to a Yellow Moon.
10 Moons to an Orange Star.
5 Stars to a Green Clover.
4 Clovers to a Blue Diamond.
5 Diamonds to an Purple Horseshoe.
10 Shoes to a Red Balloon.
1 Loon and 1 Shoe to a Rainbow.

Magically delicious!

Cheers, -- N

 

[Hypersmurf]

"They're after me Electrum Luckies!"

Magically delicious!

It's bizarre the leaps and connections a mind can make, isn't it?

-Hyp.

 

[VirgilCaine]

I didn't make it through all of these posts, but I'm a carpenter and 15 lbs is nothing...

Do you routinely wear say, 50 pounds of armor on your body and walk around for three hours?
No? Then what were you saying?