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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GM Lent" data-source="post: 9627869" data-attributes="member: 6798775">Basic: Level advancement that wasn't just based on combat. I realize the systeme was more specific than that, XP for treasure and all, but I think the real value is just conceptually decoupling (or pre-coupling?) level advancement from beating up monsters.2e: Kits. While clunky in application and hugely varying in quality and "power," I love the idea of having a more or less transparent overlay on a character that added unique and flavorful abilities, directions, and setbacks. Especially since kits could be applied to a bunch of different classes so they felt more like expanded options and less like a railroad.3e: Ascending AC. While I have real issues with the implementation of the d20 system, mostly because it totally same-ified all mechanics in the game and rendered ability scores (as opposed to ability modifiers) largely irrelevant, there's no doubt that switching to the more intuitive "higher-is-always-better" approach for AC made the game much easier to grok. I started playing D&D in a school for "gifted & talented" high schoolers in the mid-90s with 2e, and even there we had a couple of people who struggled with THAC0. Amusingly, one of those folks was also the most resistant to the change over to 3e, but so it goes/went.[SPOILER="Other 3e Thoughts"]If we were picking more than one I'd add in simplified saving throws, conditions, the alignemnt descriptions, and moving away from male-only pronouns in the text, too. There was a lot to like here.[/SPOILER]4e: All-in-one-place monstser stat blocks. I absolutely loved not having to flip through pages and/or different books just to use a monster's special abilities.5e: I'm gonna go with the Dis/Advantage mechanic. There's a lot to love about 5e, but ditching endless charts of modifiers for a simple alternative is my desert island feature.</blockquote>

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