[NABAIS] Commonly shared gripes about D&D

[Frosty]

I've found that many of the gripes people have with this game are commonly shared by many. In this thread you can submit such gripes so we can list them. If someone submits a gripe with which you don't agree don't contest it. It's just a submission anyway. Later we might vote on the submissions. Okay? Who knows we might even run a thread on D&D's merits.

So you could have a gripe with any of the following:

A spell
A feat
A skill
A class
A class feature
A race
A racial ability
A familiar
A picture
A quote
A monster
Whatever

To submit a gripe you must swear that you love the D&D-game and that you acknowledge the playfulness of this thread.

Here we go!

(NABAIS=Not as bad as it sounds)

 

[BiggusGeekus]

Gripe #1
All the permenant spells: continual flame, wall of stone, wall of iron, etc.

Why I don't like them: They make designing a core rules fantasy world that is as plausible as possible difficult. The mining industry would be undercut and every thorpe would have perma-light. Let's underscore that: permenant as in, forever.

Why its no big deal: From an adventure/module perspective no one cares. Also, from a reading-about-the-game-world perspective .... no one cares.

Gripe #2
Scry.

Why I don't like it: by the time you can cast teleport, you can basically zap yourself anywhere. Why trudge through a big dungeon when you can skip to the end? I know that some people are putting in rules about Gorgon's blood being used to stop scrying. But then is everyone going to have Gorgon's blood lying around? Are there going to be Gorgon farms?

Why its no big deal: Again, the party doesn't seem to care if I have the castle of every bad guy surrounded by an anti-scry ward. Also, people seem content with the notion of Gorgon's blood being an amazing commdity but no one expolits it execept the bad guys.


... oh and in keeping with the rules of the thread: I love D&D. I fell asleep last night reading the Monster Manual in bed. Yes, I'm a big geek.

 

[Weeble]

Scrying: a non-trained skill. uh, what? That magically deginerate half-orc barbarian can scry?

Intimidation: Charisma? Why not a choice of what ability? This would be the "method" that a character Intimidates by.

 

[heirodule]

Intimidation: Charisma? Why not a choice of what ability? This would be the "method" that a character Intimidates by.

I hear this all the time, but it makes sense.

You know Lenny from "of mice and men"? Big tough guy with lots of strength right? But he had not much "strength of personality" and would be at a disadvantage intimidating somebody compared to someown with equal strength but a high charisma.

You can have a nebbishy persoanlity (low cha) with big muscles.

Paul

 

[The Furious Puffin]

I mean, I love D&D and all, but......

Gripe #1

The Incantrix? I mean? WHAT!

This critter can single handly demolish the ENTIRE WORLD! and NO-ONE at all can stop him!

Why? Persistant Time Stop!

Gripe #2

Ring of blinking. This item is so amazingly good for rogues, its not funny. Why doesn't every single rogue who can afford it have one?!

 

[Weeble]

I hear this all the time, but it makes sense.

You know Lenny from "of mice and men"? Big tough guy with lots of strength right? But he had not much "strength of personality" and would be at a disadvantage intimidating somebody compared to someown with equal strength but a high charisma.

You can have a nebbishy persoanlity (low cha) with big muscles.

Paul

you could have a highly intellegent brute with bulging muscles who is the rudest, low-charisma having a-whole too.

 

[Breakstone]

And no one would like him or do what he says.

Remember, Intimidation is making people do what you want, not just scaring them.

 

[Bonedagger]

.... [deleted]

 

[Breakstone]

Anyway, my gripe(s):

Gnomes just seem kind of confusing. At one moment, they're forest people, at another they're beardless dwarves, and at yet another moment they're magic tinker-ers with a great armada of robotic machinery.

Higher level play can get very difficult for a DM.

CR's and ECL's are all messed up.

 

[Limper]

To many classes.... they got so close to making it a classless system or at the very least cutting it down to 3 Casters/Skill-Guy/Fightin Guy.


Vancian Magic System!

Cardboard cut out PC races!

Lame to non-existent PC background options!

Alignment (actions should determine it.... not the other way around)

WAAAAY to dependent on magic items!

Balanced in such a way as to make parties without one of each class difficult to work with.

CR! Neat idea..... who ever did them was on crack.

Flavorless magic items!

To many Damage Spells!

They made SOOOOO many changes why not finish what they started.

I'll post more when I think of em..... 3e is better than GURPS.... but it is not better than sliced bread.