Recreating Basic D&D with the OGL - Feedback Requested

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Why do people bring up nostalga when someone wants to simplify the D20 system a little. If you keep the base mechanic but reduce the overhead, feats that have variable mods that will change from round to round in comabat incresing the workload, I think the game would be less work to run. As it is now it can be a chore to DM.

 

[Desdichado]

It can also not be a chore to DM if you don't think you have to prepare all that ahead of time. I can generate combat stats on the fly, applying a feat or two in the middle of combat as it occurs to me, if I feel I need to. Same with skill bonuses. What's the fuss? Granted, it does get harder as levels increase, but in general, I like D&D less and less as levels increase anyway.

Personally, I have no interest in seeing this myself, but I'm curious -- exactly why are you doing it? What is your goal? What are you trying to accomplish? I'm sure you'll make Flexor happy, but I imagine there's something beyond that you're hoping to do with this?

We could give you some more advice and/or comments if we knew what you were hoping to do.

Oh, and to the tangent -- character creation is always fun. Even in GURPS, Champions, Rolemaster, etc. Games that, IMO, weren't even fun to play. Still, making characters was always fun.

 

[Kilmore]

One small caveat... okay, it's a pretty big one. WotC is a hell of a lot more flexible with their game system with this OGL thing than anyone probably thought was possible. But I really don't think that they'd like to see someone else making a D20 Dungeons & Dragons, that being their little baby. You can't even put the D&D name on something. If it's just a little thing you're sharing, there shouldn't be a problem, but if you have grander plans, watch out!

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

In place of FEATS, each time a character's BAB would improve, rather than automatically increasing it, instead allow him to choose one of the following (each may be chosen multiple times):

• +1 To General BAB
• +2 To Ranged BAB
• +1 to AC
• +1 HD

These would allow a customization of each character's fighting style, but would be fixed--rather than variable from round to round--and would simulate such things as expertise, focus, toughness, farshot, etc.

Uh - wouldn't that totally screw up just about every character? You could have a 1 HD, 20th level fighter with a +40 ranged BAB? Or 10 HD and +10 BAB?

Or are you proposing those in addition to the normal BAB and HD progression?

 

[Thorvald Kviksverd]

Uh - wouldn't that totally screw up just about every character? You could have a 1 HD, 20th level fighter with a +40 ranged BAB? Or 10 HD and +10 BAB?

Or are you proposing those in addition to the normal BAB and HD progression?

A character would receive his normal HD, but wouldn't receive his normal BAB increase--though he could choose to spend his increase in that fashion.

Let's look at a couple of ways a 5th level Fighter could spend his advances...

Normal

• HD: 5
• BAC: 10
• Melee BAB: +5
• Melee Damage: +0
• Ranged BAB: +5

Swashbuckler

• HD: 5
• BAC: 12
• Melee BAB: +3
• Melee Damage: +0
• Ranged BAB: +3

Archer

• HD: 5
• BAC: 10
• Melee BAB: +0
• Melee Damage: +0
• Ranged BAB: +10

Berserker

• HD: 7
• BAC: 10
• Melee BAB: +0
• Melee Damage: +3
• Ranged BAB: +0

Ranger

• HD: 5
• BAC: 10
• Melee BAB: +3*
• Melee Damage: +0
• Ranged BAB: +7*

* 3 advances spent on general BAB (giving +3 for both melee and ranged) and 2 spent on ranged For an additional +2 each (resulting in +3 Melee and +7 Ranged).

You can spend all of the advances on one category, but you end up with an unbalanced character that has glaring weaknesses. It has worked pretty well in my Basic D&D campaign so far (though I don't allow the damage increase, as I have other combat mechanics to deal with that), but characters' combat skills do rise more slowly in basic.

You can see the thread where I initially hammered out this idea HERE at Dragonsfoot.

 

[mmadsen]

Is the goal to hark back to nostalgic ol' Basic D&D, or is it to simplify 3E?