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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greg K" data-source="post: 4072717" data-attributes="member: 5038">I'd start by embracing the current OGL and d20 licenses and looking at third party rules supplements  I'd also draw from some of WOTC's existing products.  My big changes would be changing the class mechanics to be  talents/feats, replacing the current arcane magic with a skill/feat system (Elements of Magic), adding a skill/feat Psychic system (Psychic's Handbook, and a new magic item creation system (Artificer's Handbook) 1. Generala. Fewer Absolutes as per Sean K. Reynolds web articlesb. Slower Levelingc. No level drainingd. No XP cost for casting spells or creating items. XP would be soley for determing when a character levels.e. hexes replace squares bases for those using mapsf. Remove Great Wheel from Core (reintroduce it for a Greyhawk supplement)g. The only NPC classes would be commoner, craftsman, merchant, performer, professional, and scholar.  Adepts would be low level spellcasters of the appropriate class type or an NPC class with a feat to cast minor spells or wild talent to use psychic abillities.  Warriors would be low level fighters.   h. Quick NPC generation mechanics for the DM  (based on Spycraft or HeapThamaturgist d20 adapation).2. Races: a. keep the 3e racesb. Remove non-biological aspects from the races.c. add lizard mand. half (race) becomes a feat for humans that is only available at level 1.3. Introduce cultural packages for different environmennts that provide some bonus skill ranks  in skills(think Rolemaster or HARP adolescence) plus a regional feat or two and/or other abilities like heat tolerance, cold tolerance. or disease tolerance. The idea is that a cultural package could be added to any race either by the DM to develop cultures for their world or by players (if the DM approves).  This also allows for easy determination of abilities for a member of a race growing up in a culture different from the one that is standard for their race in a given campaign.  4. Introduce Backgrounds/professions. They would be similar to d20 occupations, but like some of the feats in AEG's Swashbuckling Adventures would grant a few additional class skills and ranks to split between them.  5. Classes-generala. classes would grant talents and bonus feats simliar to d20Modernb.remove automatic armor and weapon proficiencies from classes. They would become feat choicesc. a first level, a character recieves additional bonus feats based upon their class. These bonus feats need to be spent on a list of class feats or general feats.  These bonus feats would represent the characters initial period of training.  A character multiclassing into a new class does not receive these additional bonus feats just a single feat or talent .d. a character's initial class gives one time saving throw bonuses. e.  nerf the spellcasters so that they are balanced with other characters at higher level.f. take several existing class variants from UA and a few other sources and duplicate them to demonstrate how to recreate standard fantasy archetypes.6. New ClassesKnight: based upon Hong's Knight varint of the OA SamuraiMartial ArtistNoble: based on Green Ronin's Noble's HandbookPsychic: based on Green Ronin's Psychic's HandbookShaman: based on Green Ronin's Shaman's HandbookWarrior Mage: based on AEG's Myrmidon from MercenariesWitch: based on Green Ronin's Witch's Handbook7. Hit Points: a. more hit points at first level  b. The amount is set or smaller increases (e.g. no con bonus after first level).  Luck and combat ability can be simulated with action points, class based defense, fighting defensively, and feats8.  action points.9.  Skillsa. minmum of 4+Int skill points per level b. Get rid of Use Ropec. add a few more knowledge skillsd. Change Knowledge (local) to Knowledge (Cultures).  e, introduce expanded skills from various products10.  Featsa. Remove Natural Spell and improved unarmed strikeb. add the Brawl, Combat MA and Defensive MA feat trees from d20 Modernc. add several of the divine featsd. add tactical featse. add weapon style featsf. add the wild cohort feat from the WOTC websiteg. add weapon group feats per Unearthed Arcana (but actually use the PO: Combat and Tactics weapon groups)h. grab various other feats from various productsi.  bard lore, rage, sneak attack, turn undead become feats (or possibly talents)11.Combata. add class defense bonuses.b. armor as drc.combat maneuvers per Book of Iron Might (Malhavoc)d. A damage track with penalties at 1/2 and 1/4 hit pointse. No negative hit points. Instead, use the death and dying rules from Unearthed Arcana.f. some feats become maneuvers. g. multiple attacks for classes would be available to fighter types only based on level in the class. Other classes would have to acquire via feats.12. Equipment:- no spiked chains, urgosh's, etc. in the core rules.- remove tanglefoot bags, sunrods, etc. from the core rules- remove halfling riding dog's from the core rules- add several types of armor like bone, cord, leather scale, etc.- add several weapons  including atatls, boomerangs, cutlass, bolas, garrotes, harpoons, staff-sling and various polearms13. Psionics: would be skill and feat and based off of the Psychic's Handbook (Green Ronin)14. Magic:  a. Arcane: base it off of Elements of Magic: Mythic Earth or Elements of Magic: Revised (Both from EN Publishing)b. Divine casters  would use spontaneous divine casting and spells would be called prayers.  Prayers would be more closely tied to the deity's domains.c. Introduce Ritual Magic (Relics and Rituals). d. Revise Domainse. ditch law chaos based spells, rope trick, f. teleporation, summon monsters, raise dead, resurrection, etc, become rituals g, change spells that have reduced or no effect because of target's level/hit die to staged effects based on the degree of the saving throw failure.  A natural 1 is no longer an automatic failrue.h. change save or die spells to damage spells or staged effects based on degree of the save failure.i. healing magic would not be positive energy, but from a deity15. Magic Itemsa. Get rid of the Christmas Tree effect.b. Get rid of  XP costsc. Item Creation. Probably use the Artificer's Handbook as a guide.15. Miscellaneousa. change turn undead to keep keep at bay or drive off rather than destroy. b. add chase mechanics based upon the Hot Pursuit books.</blockquote>

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