D&D 4th Ed?

[KaosDevice]

RPG.NET has a pretty interesting article on what a 4th edition of D&D could be like. Some fun ideas, you can find it here:

http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/brave12apr05.html

 

[Flyspeck23]

Some neat ideas, but overall I'm not convinced.

Feats now cover everything from race to hit points to saving throws. Saving throws are based on all six ability scores, which isn't streamlining but will make characters with a variety of ability scores more fun to play.

Why?
And while we're at it: rolling 2d10 instead of 1d20 ain't streamlining either.

Magic items provide unique and varied abilities rather than simply boosting existing class abilities (attack bonus, saves, skill checks etc.).

Again, that's not streamlining.

Weapons and base attack bonus are now skills.

Weapons are skills? Huh?

 

[der_kluge]

Interesting. Sounds like HARP to me, with some silliness thrown in for good measure, like alignment.

I think 4th edition needs to finally squash some sacred cows before I take it seriously. But I think his take is a step in the right direction.

 

[Mercule]

Blech. If that's not an April Fool's article, please keep te author away from any game I play.

The only sentence that actually appealed to me was to get rid of "Fire and Forget" magic. And I'd want something workable in its place. Otherwise, it was all drek.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Dramatic 20? *flush* Seems like wishful thinking by someone who can't stand that other people play D&D as a game of tactics and strategy to steal treasure from monsters, not character driven stories, and intends to make it as far as possible from the "game", and closer to a "let's pretend" ideal.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Three letter word describing his take on 4th ed.

Meh.

Not one of his ideas convinced me.

The Auld Grump

 

[WayneLigon]

Weapons are skills? Huh?

Sounds like it means every weapon class would be a seperate skill, like it is in GURPS; ie, no more BAB. You could be fantastically good with a bow but not know one end of melee weapon from another.

The saves idea sounds like a variant Monte Cook mentioned once; something like basing saves on other characteristics based on what was actually going on. A hypnotic potion would be a Will save based on Con, for instance. If I'm remembering that correctly.

 

[Aust Diamondew]

It doesn't even sound like D&D anymore.