How would you do classes and powers?

[Najo]

So, pretend your a game designer on a variant D&D design team and you are given the following assignment:

We are building the basic class and powers part of the engine. Here are the guidelines:

1. Class features and powers should have 4e ease of use.
2. Exploits, prayers and spells should feel different from each other (like in 3.5).
3. Hybrid the 4e attack powers into the Star Wars style talent tree model.

What would the class features and powers of a fighter, cleric, rogue or wizard be like following these guidelines?

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Could you give a brief summary of SWSE style utility talents for those that haven't played?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

So, pretend your a game designer on a 5th edition design team and you are given the following assignment:

We are building the basic class and powers part of the engine. Here are the guidelines:

1. Class features and powers should have 4e ease of use.
2. Exploits, prayers and spells should feel different from each other (like 3.5).
3. Keep some 4e attack powers while adding in SWSE style utility talents.

What would the class features and powers of a fighter, cleric, rogue or wizard be like following these guidelines?

I probably wouldn't do much with these guidelines.

I liked Talents, but ultimiately, they are just "class specific feats". I don't see a benefit in distinguishing them, aside from adding some (more) feats with a class prerequisite.

 

[Najo]

Could you give a brief summary of SWSE style utility talents for those that haven't played?

SWSE (Star Wars Saga Edition) style talents work like this:

They are class features grouped into talent trees specific to their class. These replace the static class features of 3.5. When character's gain a class talent from leveling, you choose a talent from one of that class's talent trees. Each talent is a very focused feat style power and the more powerful ones have prerequisites of the lesser talents in the tree. They use prequisites instead of minimum level requirement.

The talents give the class its focus, but allow for customization and more of a utility power sort of feel, but are taken more freely than the utility powers in 4e. The talent trees are something many of the fans of SWSE praise about it.