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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jaeger" data-source="post: 8900806" data-attributes="member: 27996">I'd do this to D&D… Roll 4d6 drop lowest for a 3-18 range to get the modifier at character creation. Use the modifier Only for the rest of the game.I like systems where the players have to make relevant choices for their characters. This is something I’d like to see D&D fully embrace. And I believe that it can be done while still being easier for newbies to learn than current 5e.Actions:Remove bonus action, everything uses an Action, Free Action or Reaction. You can’t use more than one free action per round. Dual wielding – use your Reaction. Lots of stuff that were bonus action dependent they can now just do with ‘activating’ or if it is a physical extra action – they now need to spend their reaction for it.I like the idea of universal ranges:All weapon and spell distances to roughly 5 (melee), 10 (reach), 30 (move, throw), 60 Missile, etc…Monster more like 4e stat blocks - no having to look up spells or abilities, it’s all in the stat block.Ditch inspiration. Roll it into Hit Dice. Now the PC’s have to make risk / reward choices to get advantage on a roll now vs. having HD to heal later. One meta mechanic only please…Ditch skills. Go with Barbarians of Lemuria style Backgrounds/Careers as Skills. 4-5 per PC.Proficiency is now a type of skill specialization that give adv/disadv. It is now separate from Trained Abilities like: Weapon, Armor, and Language training.BAB for Melee and Missile attacks makes a comeback.An encumbrance system that matters – A simple, straightforward, slot-based system that has the PC’s make real choices on what they can actually carry. Bulk and weight of an item are factored into the ENC value now. These are reflected on the character sheets.Saying “track encumbrance” and the player askes: “Ok, what is the best way to do that?” The response: “Here is a blank sheet of paper, you sort it…” Is the reason why Enc is complete handwavium for most D&D players. Treat them as the subsystems they are, and have the rule referenced on a player facing character sheet that lets them easily engage with the systems of the game.Spell level and Character level are now synced. Ditch cantrips known – they are now extra spell slots. And a spell slot is a spell slot – no “level” spell slots. You spend spell slots to cast your spells: lvl 1 spell = 1 spell slot to cast. Lvl 3 spell = 3 spell slots to cast, etc… Yes. The entire spell lists would need to be reorganized and rethought from the ground up. But it would be far more straightforward for newbies.Distinct types of spell lists: Mage (Trad Blast and cast), Drudic (Nature stuff), Sorcery (Summoning things), Miracles (Cleric powers). The classes primarily learn and focus on the spells of their class, but make an in-game way to learn a few spells from others.A robust and straightforward downtime mechanic, with an easy reference sheet, i.e. blades n the dark. “Wasting time” healing up goes away. There are things like trained abilities, Crafting, and learning new spells that can only be done through downtime. Make engaging in down time actions very desirable for players to reference in play. No more handwavium.Bring back the dungeon and wilderness exploration timings from B/X. Import a form of the journey rules from AiME for standard A to B non-exploration travel. Any class ability or spell that gives PC’s a “skip” button on these things is excommunicated from the rules! Did I mention straightforward reference sheets for the PC’s and GM’s?Feats are gone. Subclasses are gone. Multiclass gone.Class Abilities: IMHO one of the more iffy parts of the game. It adds complexity but you make no meaningful choices for character progression after 3rd level. Added complexity with less PC choices is not good design IMHO.I think that this can be smoothed out without going to the total featapalooza direction that PF2 has gone in.At level one you get around 3 Starting Class abilities. Roughly every three levels you get to choose an new General class ability from around 20 different options.PCs will end up with 3ish starting + 7 General abilities on a 1-20 level spread. With this system player’s have actual choices when they level up. Yet they never get to be so many that you need a spreadsheet just to keep track. This also makes it possible for there to be several PC's of the same class in a party and still have them feel different in play. And yes, character abilities will need to be re-made from the ground up for each class.Between new class abilities, Career/skill points, ASI, and new proficiencies - There are plenty of things to pass out over 20 levels for players to always get something as you level up.In the wailing and gnashing of teeth category:Now we are to the one adjustment I’d make that many D&D fans would have serious issues with…Now that I have made HD the game meta mechanic – we can ease up on the built-in meta mechanic that is HP bloat.The ‘sweet spot’ for most D&D games seems to be lvls 4-10. I’d simply tune for that sweet spot for 20 levels of play.Stop all HP progression at lvl 6. All other level increases occur as normal. So the characters get more powerful, yet still retain a certain vulnerability to threats.I’d also narrow the range of HD for the classes: d8, Casters and Bards, d10 Fighters, Rogues and Clerics, and d12 for BarabriansThis flattens the math making it things far more streamlined as the designers no longer have to deal with the scaling issues that HP inflation has always brought to the game.These are the Cliff-Notes and I can expound on how they can work in play.And of course, I would have some rules for the PC’s to create traps for the bigger and tougher monsters in the MM.</blockquote>

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