First: this is not a seeking advice thread. it is a discussion thread. i don't actually plan on creating classless D&D, and you probably don't either. But that doesn't mean we can muse and theorycraft on the subject.
Second: I know some people think it is impossible to do and/or that classes are fundamental to D&D. I appreciate that. But this isn't the thread to come in and argue that point.
Okay, with that out of the way, I am asking you to put your designer hat on and roleplay a little. You have been contracted by WotC to make D&D 6.pi and the single immutable mandate is "no classes." Levels remain. You have to still allow for all the fun character options that have historically be a part of D&D, up to and including 5.5.b.delta. How do you do it? What is your design philosophy?
The first thing I would do is Feat-ify everything that I reasonably could and make Feats the basic unit of structure in the system. While I would try to avoid overdoing Feat chains, some would logically have to exist (you can't have, say, improved evasion without having evasion first). Trap feats would of course have to go, and I think (not sure) I would have increasing magical capability based on continuing to devote feats into one's "caster level" -- although I would certainly readjust how "caster level" and access to more powerful magic works. i might even be inclined to get rid of different levels of spells entirely and fold similar spells into high level castings of some core spell (fire bolt ->fireball->meteor swarm like that).
How would you build a classless D&D?
Second: I know some people think it is impossible to do and/or that classes are fundamental to D&D. I appreciate that. But this isn't the thread to come in and argue that point.
Okay, with that out of the way, I am asking you to put your designer hat on and roleplay a little. You have been contracted by WotC to make D&D 6.pi and the single immutable mandate is "no classes." Levels remain. You have to still allow for all the fun character options that have historically be a part of D&D, up to and including 5.5.b.delta. How do you do it? What is your design philosophy?
The first thing I would do is Feat-ify everything that I reasonably could and make Feats the basic unit of structure in the system. While I would try to avoid overdoing Feat chains, some would logically have to exist (you can't have, say, improved evasion without having evasion first). Trap feats would of course have to go, and I think (not sure) I would have increasing magical capability based on continuing to devote feats into one's "caster level" -- although I would certainly readjust how "caster level" and access to more powerful magic works. i might even be inclined to get rid of different levels of spells entirely and fold similar spells into high level castings of some core spell (fire bolt ->fireball->meteor swarm like that).
How would you build a classless D&D?