E6: The Game Inside D&D (new revision)

[Ry]

Thinking about the upcoming campaign reminded me of this:

In my campaign, and in all the playtesting, I don't use the alignment rules. At the same time, no one used alignment-impossible class combos (but this was not my determination). Good, Evil, Law, and Chaos are subtypes and that determines who gets splorked by aligned damage.

 

[joela]

Alignment a non-issue?

In my campaign, and in all the playtesting, I don't use the alignment rules. At the same time, no one used alignment-impossible class combos (but this was not my determination). Good, Evil, Law, and Chaos are subtypes and that determines who gets splorked by aligned damage.

So one didn't need to be LG to be a paladin or NG to be a ranger?

 

[Ry]

I wrote it as "Alignment is not used. You should replace any character design focused on alignment with one focused on other elements of your character, such as your history, personal beliefs, affiliations, and so on."

The players were fair with it.

 

[Hisik]

The E6 answer to that is that at 6th level d20 exhibits excellent balance between the classes and between different builds (this isn't just my opinion, see threads / polls about it in the D&D rules forum). Also, with the gestalt approach to feats, everyone can eventually pick up other classes' abilities.

For more detail, check out the discussion of the fighter issue in the old E6 thread.

On this fighter topic, previously they were able to display their combat aptitude through the sheer number of feats they possessed, but with every class gaining bonus feats at 6th, the fighter has lost his "shtick".

Have you considered using your CONVICTION alternate rules as a possible fix? Allow fighters to display their combat aptitude through the number of conviction points they possess.

I would recomend having a fighter gain an additional conviction point at both 5th and 6th level. This brings them to 7 and then 8 points daily, and encourages someone to follow the fighter class to its conclussion at 6th level. I understand how this could be seen as unfavorable as it uses an alternate rule system and I also realize that your intent is to keep the core E6 to as few changes as possible (generally feats only). However this is a simple change, and could just be added to the conviction rules as an alternate, alternate rule.

Food for thought.
Hisik

 

[Ry]

I think that would be very viable - kind of like having a fighters-only feat that gives 2 Conviction.

The reason I wouldn't put that in the rules is I don't want there to be any kind of necessary connection between the drama rules and E6. E6 can work w/o the drama rules, and the drama rules can work w/o E6.

 

[Hisik]

Yah, makes sense.

And because I forgot to mention it earlier, thanks for posting your idea for E6 Rycanada, I'm finding it a perfect match to a lower powered campaign I have done a bunch of work on in the past. I really can't get over how much I like it.

Simple things for simple minds...

Hisik

 

[DogBackward]

So, what's wrong with just allowing to Fighter to continue gaining more feats than everybody else? Like I said, it keeps them viable without having to go through random additions. Full-class Fighters get 1 feat every 3000xp instead of 5000xp... there, still a reason to take Fighter 6.

 

[Hisik]

So, what's wrong with just allowing to Fighter to continue gaining more feats than everybody else? Like I said, it keeps them viable without having to go through random additions. Full-class Fighters get 1 feat every 3000xp instead of 5000xp... there, still a reason to take Fighter 6.

Well, I guess I would say that previously fighters had more feats then everyone else, and now everyone else has that same advantage, but I'm not sure that giving fighters more again is necessarily balanced.

I can agree that random additions are not what we're trying to acomplish here (which was why I pointed that out as I posted my thoughts about using a conviction bonus). That said, granting fighters feats at different xp amounts strikes me as fairly random as well. The idea that all classes gain a new feat every 5000xp is the strength (and core) of this idea. I would think that a better way of addressing a fighter deficiency would be achieved during the 6 class levels they progress through, not after (thus after 6th level every class follows the same rules).

In any case, I agree that no change is better then too many. Personally I'll be skipping the gestalt addendums and raise dead/restoration feats, and just stick to the basics.

With Conviction!
Hisik

 

[Sqwonk]

So, what's wrong with just allowing to Fighter to continue gaining more feats than everybody else? Like I said, it keeps them viable without having to go through random additions. Full-class Fighters get 1 feat every 3000xp instead of 5000xp... there, still a reason to take Fighter 6.

The fighter would be getting a new feat almost every other session in my group. That is a little too quick. The players need time to play with their "new toy" before they get another one. I would probably change 5,000 exp to maybe 10,000

 

[Ry]

E6 play is over a long period: The fighter will have 5 feats to other characters' 3 if the prices were to change like that. THe fighter would have 25 when the others had 15. By my estimate, that's a difference in CR of at least 1.5, and probably more like 2. That goes too far to fix a problem that I think is pretty minor to begin with.