D&D 5E (2024) How I would do 6E.

[Horwath]

i'd hope in 6e your species would be approximately as mechanically impactful as your subclass is in 5e

I think that can be made with Racial feats.

So if you want to be Dwarfy MacDwarf and be the dwarfiest dwarf that ever dwarfed, take 2 dwarf feats.

species/racial abilities should be one or one and a half feat worth as base level. Tops. and to be mostly universal in application.
For all types of characters.

IE: +HP per level, +speed, teleport, healing, extra skills or tools is universal

bonuses to spellcasting or attacking or stealth is not.

 

[CreamCloud0]

I firmly believe players want to play the characters they build. IMO if they did not want spells they would not play characters with them.

- Note - I think you mean correlation does not mean causation.

players build with the tools that are offered to them, the fact that your options to create a pure martial in 5e are extremely limited and restrictive is not an endorsement of spellcasting, i would make alot more pure martials if the system let me create more than the same handful over and over again, but the fact that most of my characters have had spells does not mean they were my preferred mechanic, just they were the only option if i wanted my character to be anything different.

 

[AnotherGuy]

I would introduce MANY rules but the below are by far the most crucial (IMO).

1. HD cap based on SIZE
Tiny (1HD), Small (3HD), Medium (4HD), Large (10HD), Huge (20HD), Gargantuan (20HD+)

Constitution modifier reflects additional HD not hit points
Other factors modifying HD - Feat (Toughness), Tiers, Story (Reward), Magical Item

2. Tying the expenditure of HD to Exhaustion Track to the Rest Mechanic
HD may be spent for power/ability use according to a table.
Once out of HD one can use Exhaustion Levels to use powers/abilities.

3. Short Rest, Travel Rest and Long Rest
Short Rest - same
Travel Rest - 8 hours (recover 1/2 HD)
Long Rest - 24-hour period