Core concept or rule that just bugs you beyond your ability to put up with it?

[Berandor]

Maybe one more thing I didn't notice already mentioned is Poisons. I don't understand why this category caused a major fantasy drain from the author, and ALL poisons must always have an immediate effect followed by a secondary effect 1 minute later. Never having effects with long or very long terms means a huge list of story opportunities to be missed

Read Poisoncraft. Really. It's a great book!

Poisoncraft.

Poisoncraft.

O.k., I'll shut up now.

poisoncraft

 

[Storm Raven]

Maybe one more thing I didn't notice already mentioned is Poisons. I don't understand why this category caused a major fantasy drain from the author, and ALL poisons must always have an immediate effect followed by a secondary effect 1 minute later. Never having effects with long or very long terms means a huge list of story opportunities to be missed

It seems to me that a poison designed to have long term consequences is best handled as a plot device rather than a game mechanic.

 

[Insight]

Level Adjustments bug me, as currently written, because Effective Character Level isn't. It doesn't take into account the differing levels of synergy between monster abilities and class abilities - an ogre wizard is not as "effective" as an ogre fighter, even though his increased physical prowess does give him an advantage over other wizards. Level Adjustments should scale according to such considerations.

Not to mention the fact that a lot of 'monster' abilities or weaknesses scale differently for PCs. A good example is the Vampire template. Some of the Vampire's weaknesses are far worse for a PC to have than for an NPC that the players are going to run across once or twice in situations that probably favor the NPC anyway. How many Vampires are the PCs going to run into during the day? None. But how often are PCs doing things during the day? Most of the time. So, this is the sort of thing that would be far more of a problem for a PC with the Vampire template than an NPC with the same template.

 

[mmadsen]

It seems to me that a poison designed to have long term consequences is best handled as a plot device rather than a game mechanic.

The two aren't mutually exclusive...

 

[edbonny]

The 8 Hour Rest Rule...

Who needs it? Simply make it so that a spellcaster can cast X amount of spells per day and must wait 24 hours before being able to refresh again. After 24 horus, consider yourself recharged as it pertains to spell preparation. I have played in games where PC sleep has been nigh impossible for 2 or more days and it just doesn't make sense that a spellcaster cannot even prepare a simple cantrip if he can't get that 8 hours rest. Some races don't even need to sleep (like warforged).

- Ed

 

[Narfellus]

I dislike favored class as well. Seems just another rule to bog things down. I REALLY don't like calculating Attacks of Opportunity for moving into and out of someone's reach. Man, that just put combat over the edge for me into tedious wargaming stuff i didn't like (nor did the others in my group). So in DnD we just keep it pretty minimal AoO's. Don't fire bows and spells next to enemies, don't run past them full tilt, stuff like that.

 

[Quasqueton]

I'm really surprised at some of the above posts. Some folks here are basically saying, "I hate D&D". Either D&D3 specifically, or D&D-any edition in general.

I mean, if armor class, hit points, "vancian" magic, the standard races, etc. all bothered me as much as the vision thing, I wouldn't play D&D at all. It makes no sense that you hate all that is D&D so much, yet continue to play D&D.

Quasqueton

 

[Arnwyn]

My pet peeves:

- Spot and Listen are cross-class skills for a bunch of classes. So a guard is a lousy guard?

- Escalation of attack bonuses compared to AC, which is virtually relegated to the 2e era.

Nothing, however, "bugs me to my soul", as the OP so melodramatically put it. It is only a game to me, after all.

 

[Narfellus]

Took a look at HARP. Looks pretty neat. Not hard to learn at all.

 

[Wombat]

I mean, if armor class, hit points, "vancian" magic, the standard races, etc. all bothered me as much as the vision thing, I wouldn't play D&D at all. It makes no sense that you hate all that is D&D so much, yet continue to play D&D.

In may case, it is simple convenience.

In my area, I put out flyers and internet notices that I was quite willing to run Ars Magica, Star Trek, Blue Planet, Agone, and a few other games (seperate notices for each). Even in the San Francisco region, I got nary a nibble.

Then I posted that I was willing to host D&D 3.0. I quite literally had a waiting list and a full table of six players.

D&D is far from my favourite game, but it is also far from my least favourite game. It is a decent game, but there are many aspects of it that I find less than enthralling.

Ultimately, though, I like to play rpgs. I have done so for nearly 30 years and have played in a couple dozen systems in my time. I plan to keep on gaming when they put me in the rest home. Heck, I'd like to be buried with my dice. Yeah, there are systems I'd prefer to run over D&D, but as long as I have gamers, I am having fun! I am quite willing to compromise a bit to have a continuing gaming life!