D&D 3.x Here's What I Wish I Could Fix About 3E/4E

[MerricB]

Not only that, but the PHB2 has further refined starting packages.

Cheers!

 

[Sammael]

Funny thing is, if I were redesigning 3.x, I'd give characters even more options at 1st level: starting occupations (a la d20 Modern) and/or regional feats (a la FR, but more generic - i.e. mountain region, plains region, city region etc.) would become core.

I'd then make a bunch of starting packages (mountain explorer ranger, plains outrider paladin, urban merchant wizard, and so on) and fill 3-4 pages of the character creation chapter with them.

 

[JVisgaitis]

I definitely think character creation at first level should be easier. I've introduced a lot of new players to the game who lamented on early class choices. I even made early choices myself that I didn't like after a couple levels. I would definitely change this up in 4e.

 

[jmucchiello]

I think Black Moria's method is the best method. Even a rogue can be hard to get a handle on. Depending on the personality of the new player I might even push him toward Barbarian rather than Fighter. It's colorful and while getting use to the rage mechanics my be a slight hurdle. That hurdle is nothing compared to the plethora of feats decisions a fighter makes over his first 4 levels.

And now that I've contributed, here's my 0 level supplement plug.

 

[MerricB]

I definitely think character creation at first level should be easier. I've introduced a lot of new players to the game who lamented on early class choices. I even made early choices myself that I didn't like after a couple levels. I would definitely change this up in 4e.

See PHB2. The retraining rules are pure gold.

Cheers!

 

[der_kluge]

The number of decisions to make at 1st level should be very small.

Yea. Down with player options!! Screw 'em!


Wait... what the?!?


Why? Players have theoretically all the time in the world to make a 1st level character. It's decisions DURING the game that slow it down and complicate it.

 

[der_kluge]

I wish I could fix it so that people would stop speculating about 4th edition.

 

[MerricB]

I wish I could fix it so that people would stop speculating about 4th edition.

So, you're the one who caused EN World to crash!



Cheers!

 

[Michael Silverbane]

So, we've moved from predicting when 4e is coming out to already offering fixes for it??

Maybe we should just skip all this nonsense and go straight to 5e, then? I don't think I want to invest time and/or money into a system that is so broken it needs fixing even before it comes out.

As an on topic note... Someone (I don't recall who) was thinking about a supplement that would do exactly that as a sort of 'alternative basic set'. For an introductory set, if you culled the classes down to Fighter (I'd actually go with Barbarian), Rogue, Sorcerer and Cleric, cut out some of the feats and spells, and otherwise reduced the number of options presented, it'd be easier for new players to pick up the basics... Then you could (along with the retraining rules) add in whatever additional options you thought were appropriate as the players became more familiar with the options that they already had. Who was it that was talking about that? eyebeams, maybe?

Later
silver

 

[MerricB]

Maybe we should just skip all this nonsense and go straight to 5e, then? I don't think I want to invest time and/or money into a system that is so broken it needs fixing even before it comes out.

As an on topic note... Someone (I don't recall who) was thinking about a supplement that would do exactly that as a sort of 'alternative basic set'. For an introductory set, if you culled the classes down to Fighter (I'd actually go with Barbarian), Rogue, Sorcerer and Cleric, cut out some of the feats and spells, and otherwise reduced the number of options presented, it'd be easier for new players to pick up the basics... Then you could (along with the retraining rules) add in whatever additional options you thought were appropriate as the players became more familiar with the options that they already had. Who was it that was talking about that? eyebeams, maybe?

Well, that's what the current Basic set does. Fighter, Rogue, Sorcerer, Wizard - a limited number of skills and feats. It isn't 100% compatable due to how it handles skills, but it's close. I'll be very interested to see what the new Basic set does.

And, of course, the new Player's Kit has help for creating characters as well.

Cheers!