My Thoughts on DnD, and the next Edition (Long, rambly)

[glass]

I'd like to see (a) greater odds of critical hits, and (b) alternatives to multiplying damage. Instead of taking the damage multiple, for instance, you could take a "free" disarm attempt, or bull rush, etc.

Ken Hood's Grim 'n' Gritty system has an interesting take on this. If you roll a threat, you choose the effect you want from the crit, and the trickier one have a penalty on the confirmation roll. The choices include bypassing armour (G 'n' G also uses damage reducing armour, they call it soak).


glass.

 

[rangerjohn]

Notice, here, that RJ jumped in on something I said, and linked to his own thread in House Rules... What I originally said was this:

Exept I don't have a thread in House Rules. That was another poster that ansewered you, that I responded to. Actually, what you have posted here is basically what I said. You have simply fleshed it out.

 

[buzz]

Note that (while I said this will never happen in 4e, or even 5e), while a first level Mage might have Magic Missile at 50%, he would be able to use it as often as he wanted (as long as he was able to see, move, speak, and had his material components - there's your added benefit), and would never lose it because he failed his casting.

If you're saying that casters would basically be able to cast the spells they know as much as they want becasue it's balanced by having them make a check of sorts to see if a given casting was successfull... I'm all for it.

I'd be ditching the %, though and just use level or Spellcraft checks, with the DC determined by some reasonable number + spell level. Metamagic feats would allow you to add their effects in exchange for a higher casting DC. Then, in lieu of concentration checks, attacks or circumstances that disrupt casting would just up the DC.

This is basically how The Psychic's Handbook works, and why it rawks so hard.

Anyway, this wouldn't be very D&D (hence it never happening), but it would be pretty nifty.

 

[Steverooo]

Exept I don't have a thread in House Rules. That was another poster that ansewered you, that I responded to. Actually, what you have posted here is basically what I said. You have simply fleshed it out.

Sorry. Fixed, above.

 

[Steverooo]

I'd be ditching the %, though and just use level or Spellcraft checks, with the DC determined by some reasonable number + spell level. Metamagic feats would allow you to add their effects in exchange for a higher casting DC. Then, in lieu of concentration checks, attacks or circumstances that disrupt casting would just up the DC.

This is basically how The Psychic's Handbook works, and why it rawks so hard.

Anyway, this wouldn't be very D&D (hence it never happening), but it would be pretty nifty.

If you hate percentiles, for some odd reason, I guess you could use: 1D20 + Caster Level - Spell Level against a DC:20. On a roll of natural 20 (confirmed as a weapon's critical is), the spell does added damage (2D4+2 for Magic Missile, etc.), or has an increase in range, duration, area of effect, number of opponents affected, etc., if the spell does no damage.

Again, the entire spell list would have to be reworked, in order for this system to apply. Too many spells do FAR better damage than a two-handed sword! ;-p