hypathetical 5e from YOU...Forked Thread: Academic Studies Recent Edition Wars

[GMforPowergamers]

Forked from: Academic Studies Recent Edition Wars

If you were the recipient of such a license to make a hypothetical "5E D&D", what would your vision and design goals be?

Ok, this seams a fun game we can play...if YOU (in this case me) could what would you do??


me:
I would keep the basic 4e frame...
I would change at wills slightly...I would have them scale diffrently then they do now. I would break them down into what they are ment to do. Strikers getting more damge, controlers getting more effects...but not as a class as a whole, but as the at will in general:

Examples: Magic Missle scale to 2 missles at 11th level and 3 at 21st level...multi missles can hit same target
Scorching burst: Make enemies only at 11th and add Int mod ongoing (save ends) at 21st
(((obviusly playtest needed)
I would change PHB classes to 'break the mold' a little more. like PHB2 strikers don't all add d6's of damage

I would put more classes but at less levels into PHB...I would take each class from PHB I and a few from PHB2, I would add gnome and Deva from PHB2 to PHB1 set...but I would only do levels 1-20...I would then put out 6 months later Epic book I...and do levels 21-40 (yes 40 not 30) and have you 'meet your destiny' at 30 and 31-40 be as a god, as a _______ ... and have the gods stats range from mod 30's to mid 40's...

I would give every class that used melee attacks a power that could be used as a basic attack (No melee training feats)

when the epic book came out I would have epic destnies a little more balanced, every one gives +2 to atleast 1 stat...

I would prob break wizard down and re build it from the ground up for features and dailies...

I would build hybrid rules into the game from the start, but call that multi classing, then I would make the feats called dabbling...

I would introduce Power SOurce powers... Any Martial Character can take X...any Arcan character can take Y...

I would build Master Work weapons and Implments into the system

 

[Dice4Hire]

Why do people always want to talk about the new edition?

If I were to make 5E, I would wait for 3-4 years until 4E is more completed nad see how it develops

And I will.

 

[Shroomy]

Why do people always want to talk about the new edition?

If I were to make 5E, I would wait for 3-4 years until 4E is more completed nad see how it develops

And I will.

That's probably the best course of actions; I'm sure there's a lot of innovations to come. For example, I'm sure that if the developers could do it all over again, we wouldn't see any V-shaped classes in the game.

 

[Piratecat]

I would port over the rules from Clayorama.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Why do people always want to talk about the new edition? .

Ehh, it is a fun thought experiment, nothing more, nothing less in my eyes.

For myself, with my personal tastes and all well I'll divide it between content and delivery:

Delivery:

• A very simple, easy to use rulebook. Since entirely oriented around being for in-game ruling, it can have tabs sticking out, larger writing, etc. to make it completely oriented around fast checking.
• Much more DDI content and support. DDI becoming the main/equal partner in distributing new information. Less focus on PDFs and more on stuff like the Compendium but enhanced and such. Like say a interactive computer-based DM Screen, etc.
• Books for those who wish it. I imagine though if books and DDI content were to be divided more fluff would be book oriented.

Content:

• Primarily keep the majority of 4e working the way it does. Especially when it comes to things such as Monsters and NPCs.
• Heavier emphasis on the idea of story, pace, setting, etc. So the DMG for instance would spend more time on that and less on world-building.
• Have a heavier orientation toward making "drag and drop" content. With books/DDI material going off in various directions that can be layered ontop of core material.
• Delve deeper and deeper into Skill Challenges.
• Show more and different ways Powers can influence Skills and Skill Challenges. Also open up Powers (perhaps a combo system) so they work entwine with pg. 42, Stunts, Skill Challenges, etc.
• Rituals would have more variety and work beyond just magic. Have "Rituals" that are things like weapon training, or trap setting, etc.
• Sort of goes into the "drag and drop" but a wider focus of fantasy. So Psionics in core, Steampunk items abound, etc.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Mine would more closely resemble 3.X in general, culling the best ideas from the broad panoply of 3PP D20-based FRPG games that are out there...even if that meant licensing certain mechanics.

However, one thing I'd adopt from 4Ed for sure is the common-sense level structure of abilities. No more 3rd level wizards just getting their 2nd level spells. Class levels & Ability levels would be unified.

In addition, I'd work hard to re-level spells and powers. If you look at some of the various "optimized" spellcasters lists, you'd see many spells get singled out as "must haves"- MM, Sleep, Scorching Ray, etc.-and that, to me, says that they're probably overpowered for their level.

Psionics would be core.

Overall, I'd want to make the system as transparent and modular as possible.

I'd make sure that there was some kind of codified, playtested system in place for people to make their own spells & mechanics- be it M&M's system, or a variant of the Epic Rules' spellseeds or True20's modular system. And when I say "codified & playtested," I mean that this system would be able to build not only new stuff, but any spell or power in the PHB...even if the spells had to have their mechanics reworked a bit.

I'd try to do the same for classes, races & other mechanical subsystems as well.

(I know, to a certain extent, its probably what W&W- the FRPG version of M&M- will contain, and I'm OK with that.)

The initial release would probably be 2 books- a DMG/PHB and a Monster Manual of some kind. Everything after that would be optional, and built with the core rules in mind. Any errata would be available free online. Any rules changes would be published annually, but not free. Those changes would have to be playtested before publication.

 

[xechnao]

me:
I would keep the basic 4e frame...

I would not set my focus on people like you, that like 4e but I would try to keep my approach more open, trying to see through people that do not like it or at least are not convinced yet. I would try to make a game accessible to most people possible. Only if we settled to discuss on this kind of mind frame would I consider it worthwhile. At least this is what my instinct tells me right now.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I would not set my focus on people like you,

yea becuse 15+ years of roleplaying and buying thousands of dollors in books is bad...oh wait

that like 4e but I would try to keep my approach more open, trying to see through people that do not like it or at least are not convinced yet. I would try to make a game accessible to most people possible.

So you cut out one group for a diffrent group...

Only if we settled to discuss on this kind of mind frame would I consider it worthwhile. At least this is what my instinct tells me right now.

I choose 4e becuse I see each edtion as an improvment on the last...

 

[RefinedBean]

First of all, get rid of that pesky d20. We've had enough d20, it's time for something new. Something diceless, maybe like Amber's system.

Also, let's get rid of classes. Classes suck. Instead, steal 4E's power source idea and have that be the jumping off point for people to build their character. Differentiate them mechanically to the point where each power source feels distinct, but allow for each of the standard "roles" to be explored no matter what source one uses.

I'll let all this leak early on, to the point where people are sending me death-threats and telling me I've killed D&D.

At that point, I'll turtle up, allow no more leaks, and I'll just house-rule the crud out of 3.5, throwing in some elements of 4E, and release that as a new edition, maybe called D&D: Trailfinder or something.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Kids, kids, kids, kids, KIDS!

Its clear that 4Edphiles and 3.Xphiles are going to have radically different views about how they'd design 5Ed!

Can't we discuss this without getting personal and/or snippy?

Because even though you say this:

yea becuse 15+ years of roleplaying and buying thousands of dollors in books is bad...oh wait

there are people on the other side who could make the same complaint- like me: rping since 1977, spending $$$ on each edition of D&D up until 4Ed (my AD&D collection probably outweighs me, and my 3.X one definitely does), and owning core at least the books in 100 different RPGs at my peak. (And no, I'm not in the industry.)

And despite the bank I've dropped on D&D over the last 3 decades, 4Ed was absolutely not designed with me- or any of the guys I game with- in mind.

Any design decision is going to alienate some longtime fans.