So I was thinking today. What restrictions in the game could we remove because they aren't really adding anything but instead just restricting choice for no good reason.
Take for example class skills. Why not open up every character to picking any skills. What harm does that do? It certainty helps with character concept.
Take for example saving throws. Why can't a player just choose 1 major (dex, con, wis) and 1 minor (str, int, cha) to be proficient in? What does that hurt? It certainly can help with character concept IMO.
Thoughts?
I'll forego the general discussion and just address these:
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What restrictions in the game could we remove because they aren't really adding anything but instead just restricting choice for no good reason."
"Good reason" is entirely subjective of course. What might be a great reason to one player is complete and useless nonsense to another.
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Take for example class skills. Why not open up every character to picking any skills. What harm does that do? It certainty helps with character concept."
Now, this is just my take of course. Class skills are selected because they represent the skills accessible to the character in the course of acquiring the rest of their features associated with their class. Background skills are separate because they represent the skills learned earlier in life. Usually, if a particular skill is desired, choosing an appropriate background will grant it. I've yet to encounter a class/background combination that didn't lend itself to a particular character concept.
Given how 5E is not an
a-la-carte system, I personally have no issue with the system as is. Would it hurt anything? Well, not much at all really except for Bards. One of their unique features is that they can choose any skill. It is a minor there, but there you go.
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Take for example saving throws. Why can't a player just choose 1 major (dex, con, wis) and 1 minor (str, int, cha) to be proficient in? What does that hurt? It certainly can help with character concept IMO."
The same idea holds for saving throws with the class granting the features. The only strange thing about saves is some classes have saves which will follow their strengths (such as a Barbarian--likely high STR and CON--gaining proficiency in STR & CON saves) while others might only have one (such as Monk--likely high DEX and WIS, but STR & DEX saves). Personally, I like having proficiency in saves where my abilities aren't as likely to be high, to balance things out.
The choice of one strong save and one weak one is fine, of course, and I don't think it would hurt much of anything. We have toyed with the idea at our table, but found 90% of the time the choices would just have been the default anyway. One option I thought about was offering a strong save and two weak saves
or two strong saves.
Other than the aforementioned Bard and have any skills, the options you purpose wouldn't hurt much of anything IMO. I agree with many that much of the skill choices would likely be the same as a skill list or background
anyway but allowing it should be fine.