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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GM Dave" data-source="post: 5874532" data-attributes="member: 6687992">I find 'creativity' comes when you are given guidelines.I found 4e myself to be difficult to work with when it came to trying to do something like go outside of a class or design a new power that fit within the framework.  When I first got the game books there were calls by the players that wanted things that were not in the game yet or to push the boundaries.Comparatively, I've made a few 'monster' classes for 3e/PF and would be comfortable with making a hodge podge class that covered most player wants or desires.I do agree with the poster that Essentials has made class design simpler in 4e and would allow for someone to make a 1-10 level class progression for a new idea in a reasonable amount of time.I like how 4e has made monsters simpler to work and has many versions of similar monsters.I do think that a more component assembly approach to monster design would help with creativity.  For example the rust monsters touch is an interesting mechanic.  Having it loaded only on the rust monster limits its usage to things where players know what a rust monster is supposed to look like or loses something of the surprise horror when it first first happens.I mentioned in the Flora and Fauna thread that it would be an interesting mechanic to have on a plant or to possibly have some humanoids that have adapted the plant to use in their weapons.There are dozens of mechanics like cones or lines of dragon breath that could be adapted to other things (monsters, traps, hazards) and given a slight recolouring of material expelled.  Walking in a sewer may subject people to explosive discharges of sewer waste with the potential to hit like a dragon breath but does subdual style damage.  A plant might have a large bulb or fruit that explodes when disturbed like a small fireball (or possibly several fireball if a chain reaction occurs).The undead touch might drain energy but the floor of a crypt with undead imprisoned below it might have a similar effect to any that walk the tile floor.I was also taking this idea recently to magical items.It would be an improvement on magical item design to separate the container from the magical properties.The magical container still needs to be designed and of a specific 'size' to hold the magical energies that are but into the container.The magical energies are a separate design and may be transferred from one container to another.This allows players to gain some sort of effect and carry it much more easily with them or put into a form they can more easily use.If you find a sword of fire and prefer a hammer of fire then the property of the fire can be transferred from the sword container to the hammer container.If you have say a necklace and like the idea of a necklace more than a cloak you can choose the same 'neck' magical property to be in the necklace.  You just transfer the property from one container the other.A more valuable container can hold bigger properties or more smaller properties.  The hammer of fire might be limited to holding that one fire property but the legendary dwarven hammer of Aleric might be able to hold five small properties or one large and one medium property.This type of design option allows for flexibility from the players and the GM which encourages creativity.</blockquote>

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