E6: The Game Inside D&D

[Ry]

Virtually every player, including myself, remembers their so-called "lower level" adventures against a party of orcs or other, similar, creature and how nail-biting it was to survive. I think E6 can maintain a similar feel in DnD w/o resorting to save-or-die spells or mega-damage

That's exactly the idea - mega damage and save-or-die don't make for more exciting encounters. When you're targeted with save-or-die, or hit for 1d20+500 damage, you're not nervous for longer than the time it takes to roll 1 die.

 

[Ry]

I've started a thread about the feats I think are the minimum required for E6. I put them separately because I'd like to have a discussion just about them.

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=200662

 

[Dragonblade275]

That sounds like a good exercise Rom. How many players do you have? I'd love to do something like, make up some E6 iconics and a short adventure to show off the system.

I'd LOVE to see that, Ry. I think that's something that's needed for E6.

 

[Aage]

This rules are great, I'm gonna try to get my people to try them, at E8 though...

Would be interesting to try and create the fellowship of the ring using these rules...

 

[Ioreck]

The only problem is that the fighter is even worse under this system - the one feature he has over others, mass amounts of feats, becomes worthless after a while. barbarians can overwhelm them, and a warblade would stll be a better choice (even without bonus damage and such).

If you just cutoff at level 6, then sure, a fighter would still rock - lots more feats. But granting them every 5k xp after is too much...

Why not grant them, and ability adjustments, as normal? hit a certain exp, gain a +1 to an ability, another get a feat, etc.

 

[wolfpunk]

If you look in the DMG for calculating experience, a CR 14 creature provides experience points for a 6-7th level party, this means that while extremely challenging it should be possible to win. Not too mention that assumes a party of four characters, but what about parties of 5 or more players.

It seems to me (and this is just opinion) that players that complain about monsters being too hard, just don't want their characters to die. It seems to me that a party that trusted their dm could have a blast.

I mean, when we play normal d&d we trust the dm to not put our 6th level characters up against challenges they have no chance against, why would playing E6 change that?

 

[Dragonblade275]

I agree, Wolfpunk. There's plenty of lattitude in the CR's available as enemies at 6th level. Especially with 6-8 characters.

 

[Dragonblade275]

The only problem is that the fighter is even worse under this system - the one feature he has over others, mass amounts of feats, becomes worthless after a while. barbarians can overwhelm them, and a warblade would stll be a better choice (even without bonus damage and such).

If you just cutoff at level 6, then sure, a fighter would still rock - lots more feats. But granting them every 5k xp after is too much...

I see your point, here, Ioreck. Eventually, the fighter is only ahead of SOME of the characters in terms of BAB or Fort Save. There has to be a way for fighters to improve ESPECIALLY if we're going to consider allowing casters to gain extra spell slots and/or improved caster level(s) via feats. More on this in the E6 Feats Thread.

 

[Ry]

Not to mention NPC help, disposeable items, etc.

 

[wolfpunk]

Idea for Fighters.

Starting at third level a fighter may choose to add half of her fighter levels rounded up to one the following: Dodge bonus to AC, Insight bonus to Attack Rolls, or an Insight Bonus to Damage Rolls. The fighter may choose when to apply the bonus during a fight, but may not change their choice during that encounter.


Of course, this was something I thought of when I was thinking of allowing fighters to advance to seventh level if it was their races favored class. That would give a +4 bonus which I thought was decent, a +3 bonus for fifth level would be good though I think.