Inspiration from Lego video games?

[JPL]

So me and the kids got a X Box One and Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 from Santa, and it occurs to me that a little bit of this gaming style would be a nice addition to D&D. Specifically . . .

1. Puzzles / problem solving. Beat the traps and overcome the obstacles through player ingenuity, not mere brute force or ability checks.

2. Building stuff. Maybe this translates into almost a medieval MacGyver kinda thing . . . characters take the available raw materials and jury-rig some kind of tool or contraption to deal with the problem at hand.

Much of this would be for the DM to implement, but I feel like there's a rogue archetype in there somewhere, something that would need a high Intelligence to pull off.

 

[Yunru]

You mean your characters don't do that?

 

[JPL]

I mean that I'd be interested in a playing style that emphasized those sorts of things, and in some character options to provide expertise in those areas.

 

[Umbran]

Except, of course, that the Lego games are mostly complete railroads, with no *player* ingenuity involved.

Also, allowing players to pull off arbitrary stunts with MacGuyvering is apt to be difficult to balance with characters who cannot do such. The basic alternative is for it to become, "You can spend X time and Y resources to generate Advantage on a check" or the like, which will rub out much of the ingenuity involved.

D&D doesn't have a great innate mechanic for what you're looking for, but you might want to look at Skill Challenges from 4e as a guideline.

 

[Satyrn]

So me and the kids got a X Box One and Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 from Santa, and it occurs to me that a little bit of this gaming style would be a nice addition to D&D. Specifically . . .

1. Puzzles / problem solving. Beat the traps and overcome the obstacles through player ingenuity, not mere brute force or ability checks

Yeah, this is exactly what I aim for with puzzles and traps. Although I don't remember there being any real ingenuity involved in the Lego games; it's just a matter of having unlocked the right character.

And just like with the Lego games, I use them to access those extra bonuses, like the red bricks or mail boxes ( the newest Lego game I've played was the original Indiana Jones one), not as barriers to the plot or railroad.

 

[JPL]

I'm tentatively thinking of this rogue archetype as "Troubleshooter" . . . a rogue who uses cleverness to overcome obstacles. Tied to high Intelligence, MacGyvering, general non-combat problem solving.

Might just allow use of the Creation spell at higher levels, as their MacGyvering skills become semi-magical.