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Message: <blockquote data-quote="HephaistosFnord" data-source="post: 9340623" data-attributes="member: 7045283">I'll try, but a certain lack of confidence is holding me back:- I started by noticing that 5E had too many subsystems with overlapping structure and capability - for example, "Saving Throw Proficiencies" and "Skill Proficiencies"; "Tool/Weapon/Language Proficiencies", and so on.- Then I got mad that whenever I tried to talk about how basic system design could be improved in "homebrew" Discord channels, no one cared, and all ppl really wanted to talk about was 5E build-optimization.- I realized how much I hate build-optimization as a metagame, and how much it's ruined almost every table I've tried to play at.- So I decided to create a system where character creation was too straightforward to do build-optimization.- I noticed that this involved removing level-up decisions altogether, which felt sad and boring, so I brought back "skill points". - I noticed that "bounded accuracy" + "proficiency die" + "skill points" led to a REALLY INTERESTING design opportunity- so I linked class power dice to proficiency dice, bringing back a little bit of build-optimization, but completely different than modern 3E/4E/5E style optimization.- this intrigued me, so I decided to see what else I could simplify down to "fewer systems".- I noticed that 5E emphasized combat so much that exploration was basically just a breeze-through-to-the-encounter thing now, so I started looking at OSR-style exploration, and how various other OSR-clones did it.- This brought me to Lamentations of the Flame Princess, which felt brilliant in its skill system - so I decided to adapt it whole-cloth, modifying it only by integrating it into my proficiency-die-skill-point system.- once I'd done all that, I noticed that I had what felt like a complete game, so I fleshed it out with some meta-setting stuff (like "flavorful" purely vancian casting), and called it a day.- and here we are!</blockquote>

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