Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="edemaitre" data-source="post: 3162534" data-attributes="member: 3372">Dungeons & Dragons 4e ideasI would also stick with the existing three books, although I might structure them differently.Player's Handbook 4e-AbilitiesI like 'em all, so I'd keep Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha. I'd try to streamline figured stats or various adjustments (lifting, dodging, health/fatigue, etc.).-RacesI'd keep the core races (Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Halfling, and human) but ditch the Half-Elf and Half-Orc in favor of a 0-level-adjustment humanoid race, say Hobgoblin.I'd add basic information on two subraces for each race (with a third to be in the DMG or MM).-Dwarf: Hill, Mountain (Duergar)-Elf: Sylvan/Wood, High/Gray (Drow)-Gnome: Forest, Rock (Tinker)-Halfling: Hairfoot (Hobbit-like) and Ghostwise (Kender-like) (and a more barbaric subtype)-human: no subraces, but maybe templates based on various historical cultures: European, Asian, African, etc. Such differences might be reflected in the names of classes, for example.I'd also add terrain-based backgrounds: urban, forest, mountain, etc.-Occupational ClassesI'd also include some background on wealth and social class.Base Classes 1-10 (and Advanced Classes, levels 10-20; prestige classes would be in the DMG):-Cleric (Druid, Paladin, Monk)-Fighter (Ranger, Barbarian, Gladiator)-Rogue (Bard, Thief-Acrobat, Swashbuckler)-Sorcerer (Wizard, Specialists including Illusionists)-Skills: I'd like to see more skills; point-buy system is fine. Consolidating skills, as in True20, such as Spot and Listen into Notice, is a good idea.-Feats: I'd like fewer or more streamlined feats.-Equipment: Expanded rules on animals/hirelings, fewer obvious stat-boosting magic items (which would be in the DMG, anyway). Tie equipment to skills, occupational classes. Weapons that are specific to races should be rare and optional (i.e. Elves may prefer longbows and Dwarves axes, but they don't need specific nonmagical models).-Combat: I'd streamline it. While not going as far as D20 "Mutants & Masterminds" 2nd Ed., reducing options such as Attacks of Opportunity and Grapple or moving them into advanced rules makes sense here.Dungeon Master's Guide-Aside from the usual advice to starting DMs on how to run a game, I'd like to see more world-building advice, options for higher-level characters, tables for quickly generating towns, encounters, terrain/dungeons, magical treasure, and NPCs. Prestige classes should be more customizable to campaign, say a Knight with ties to the rulers of a specific kingdom rather than to the default Greyhawk/Forgotten Realms setting.Rules on creating a pantheon, using the existing classical or D&D gods as examples, would be nice. Storytelling, plot creation, and challenging characters in the context of a campaign's history rather than with monsters or dungeons would also be helpful. Troubleshooting party conflicts might help beginners. Expanded weapon and optional combat rules could go here.Monster Manual-Simpler (and error-free) stat blocks. More examples of monstrous NPCs and PCs, expansion of encounters. Maybe move the treasure information into this book. I'd put random encounter tables by level and terrain here, rather than in the DMG. Rules for building or adapting monsters would also be nice. I have no problems with the existing types, but perhaps an appendix or index grouping them into lists would be helpful.Further books could expand on each of these, a la the Unearthed Arcana for DMs, PHBII for role-players, and of course, Fiend Folio or MMx... Of course, we'll have to wait and see what Wizards of the Coast comes up with! Happy gaming...</blockquote>

Verification