JamesonCourage
Adventurer
Yes.
Not to me.
It's because when I play D&D, I want to model D&D. I don't want generic fiction where I can fit whatever I want in. I expect Good and Chaos and Evil and Law all to be real forces. I expect LG-Paladins, and L-Monks. I expect conveniently color-coated dragons (and sometimes giants).
D&D is a particular genre. It's the arbitrary-kitchen-sink-style game, with classes and alignment and a host of other baggage. When I want that type of game, I want D&D (and I'll be picking up my old 3.5 campaign for a small arc, after over a year away).
My own game is very, very different from D&D, but to be fair, it did start out as a modification. It's classless, which means everything has a point cost (save for equipment, though purchasing starting money/status does have a cost). It has no alignment, or assumed setting (planes, gods, demon/devil/angel divide, etc.).
It's all about player options for character concepts. If you have a concept, the system will probably handle it. Yes, there are restrictions, especially since magic in my system (new magic system) is much different, and much more "reigned in" than 3.5.
Now, why didn't I just play D&D and say "no alignment restrictions?" Because I felt it was bad at modeling most things besides D&D. Long distance teleports, scrying, and the like all contributed to problems with other fantasy genres in most moderate-to-low-powered books (things like Wheel of Time and the Riftwar Saga being higher-powered), and my system needed to handle either.
So, now I could line by line get rid of spells, feats, abilities, and the like. I could try to fix multiclassing. I could try to fix pre-reqs. I could keep houseruling on making the system more gritty, so a level 5 isn't nearly immune to level 1's. Or, I could make my own system. And, I did.
I just copy and pasted a lot, then modified (greatly changed) basically everything:
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- Classless: I made everything classless, which lets things scale much easier when you decide to invest in something new (which is 3.X's multiclassing). Everything had a point cost, and you got points through leveling up, and you could spend them every session for incremental gain, rather than jumps at "level-up" time.
- Attribute Checks: Attribute checks are 1d6+attribute, rather than 1d20. This is the big exception to the "roll a d20+modifier to resolve" rule. DCs were set up as a guideline for those abilities.
- Character Creation: I made the default rolling for stats, or choose an array (you can choose after rolling) to set a minimum threshold. I also set up character traits/flaws/complications as base, but you don't need to take any.
- Character Advancement: Again, everything costs points, but you still have a hit die (basically level). Certain DCs scale based on hit die, and many abilities are capped at hit die +1 (such as base attack, defense bonus, etc.), so it is important to track. Additionally, I added "background" charts, so you can roll to look at events that have affected you during the leveling process (if you make a high level character).
- Skills: I combined some skills into one, changed and/or added uses to all of them, completely revised a couple from scratch, and added eight new skills.
- Feats: I completely revised pre-req's (now they're much easier to get), added brand new feats, adjusted feats to my system, and the like. Also, you can use a skill to get "virtual" combat feats, and so those were specified by being broken into different feat groups (melee combat, protective, etc.).
- Special Abilities: I created a system (well, multiple) for making up special abilities. You can use or give rerolls, get check bonuses, deal extra damage, inflict status effects, use spell-like abilities, and the like here.
- Traits: You can buy traits inherent to the character, such as blindsense, damage reduction, or telepathy. I have rules on improving many of them, and how they work here. They use ranks, like skills do, to determine effectiveness (though some don't have an associated attribute modifier).
- Magic: Magic was completely removed, and a new system added. You can use different "threads" of magic (20 of them, in fact), which are kind of like schools, and combine them by adding up the effect. A level 1 spell gets you up to 19 "strands", and by adding the effect up, you can use anything at 19 or less. A level 2 gets you up to 29 strands, a level 3 up to 39 strands, etc. You can combine threads, get Specialization or Lost levels of threads for more powerful effects, and even overchannel so you can use magic at will.
- Equipment: Everything gives you something, and I completely stripped away the "economy" of D&D. Prices are based on complexity, size, and quality, of which there are five grades (poor, regular, masterwork, masterpiece, and mastercraft), with each grade above regular granting additional features. Formulas for creating objects are here (weapons, armor, misc. objects, structures/vehicles, and inventions), as well as examples of features you can add.
- Combat: I changed how melee attacking works (opposed my ACvM [armor class vs. melee]) so you can potentially hit your attacker, which necessitated an "ACvR" (armor class vs range). I added a Hit Chart for combat to produce effects (you gain a bonus, he takes a penalty, you hit his arm, etc.) (4 pages). I made two HP pools (regular and temporary) to represent wounds and fatigue/skill (HP heals slowly, THP heals quickly). I divorced saves from automatically adding attributes (but also divorced attributes from spell save DCs). I changed rounds to 10 seconds each, and made more move actions into free actions. I simplified and revised combat maneuvers and unified them, added new options (exert effort, take hostage, knockout strike), and changed mechanics (two-weapon fighting doesn't give extra attacks). I added grappling maneuvers (1 page), pressure point attacks (1 page), riding maneuvers (2 pages), and a stance/maneuver system for warriors (11 pages). I added rules on fighting huge creatures (climbing them, harrying them, etc.) (1 page). I added rules on mass combat (8 pages), and a system for "zooming in" to deal with threats, and battle charts that might set it off mid-battle. Minor other changes (two-handing a weapon doesn't give Str+½, etc.). I reduced the rest of the rules (27 pages in 3.5) down to 12 pages.
- Adventuring: I added rules on running a business, running a territory, torture, magical land, and the like. Things like poison, disease, forced march, environmental dangers, etc. have all been revised.
- Running a Game: I added a 50 page chapter on how to run a game, for tips for my players if they ever want to take a swing at it. I even included quick NPC stats via a chart ("hit die 13, professionally skilled at attacking, he gets +13 on attacks") so they can run stuff on the fly easily, as well as rules to help judge success or failure, create events on the fly, etc.
- Misc.: Changed rules left and right (multiple attacks getting reduced down to two trailblazer-style, attacks/skill bonuses being cut in half to aid the 20 hit die spread with d20 mechanics, revised DCs, etc.).
In the end, it was much easier to make my own system than just "modify" D&D and be happy. And I felt like I wanted a better "generic fantasy" system, which D&D was nowhere close to giving me (way too many built-in assumptions). I wanted a system where we could play Wheel of Time or Song of Ice and Fire with very little house rules. Sorry for the very, very long description. Anyways, that's why I just opted to make my own system. As always, play what you like
