The "Complexity Dial" - how would it look?

[Wiseblood]

How about simple characters? Complex environment?

The base system would be loose, a somewhat skeletal version of 3e-4e.

The environment is where the complexity is added. The most frequently showcased environmental complication is Armor vs. Weapon Type.

The Ideal situation for me would be an annual update or expansion for environment. With WotC focusing on adventures settings and gadgetry (APPS) and toys to enhance the play experience. The constant expansion of rules/monsters/spells/powers just kind of irritates me since some players want all 31 flavors while others would rather play vanilla. Environmental complexity would allow for depth and novelty while hopefully minimizing character creation times and audits.

This may create ye olde table and chart extravaganza but that is not a certainty. I would also like to point out that older systems (with their abundant tables) did get played back in the day before APPS and SRD's which would inprove their ease of use.

This would also allow characters from different campaigns/groups/origins to remain compatible.

 

[Stormonu]

Personally, I hope that the system will go back to a Basic/Advanced structure. Perhaps selling the Basic system as a boxed set and the advanced features being hardback/splatbook tack-ons.

For example, the base game would have the traditional races and classes. Race would modify ability scores and give you a simple racial ability or two. Classes would determine how quickly you advance at combat ability, skills and spells. Combat resolution would be throw d20 + attack modifiers vs. AC, deal damage (or some sort of stunt). Skills would be ability checks. "You want to swim across the river? Sound like that's a Strength check - roll d20 + ability modifier." Even spells could be generalized into d20 + spell modifiers vs. Defense, and a general list of what can be done (damage, charm, stun, heal, illusion, item/monster creation, etc.).

Then, have an add-on book of advanced options for each part of the game.

• Advanced Races - more races and complex tricks for each race.
• Advanced Classes - utilizing powers and other tricks unique to each class.
• Advanced Skills - expanding the skill system out into individual skills and tricks and powers associated with those skills.
• Advanced Combat - adding tactical movement and advanced stunts.
• Advanced Spells - options to create individual spell effects instead of the prepackaged ones we're used to.

And so on.

It actually sounds very Rolemasterish [Arms Law, Spell Law, Campaign Law]* (or perhaps GURPSish) to me.

* Which oddly enough, back in the 80's these books were designed to be expansions for D&D before they became their own system.

 

[Frostmarrow]

I'm not convinced the basic game should use the abilitiy scores as a basis for everything. Ability scores are in my view advanced. They don't add a lot to D&D but are nice to have around for comparative use. It's often interesting to see which character is the strongest or whether your character is smarter than average joe or not. However, such comparisons aren't necessary when you are playing a one off or if you, like me have compared enough stats to last a life time.

I think skills are far more basic. It's important to know if you can swim or pick locks. Even in the basic game. So a basic character should look like this:

Fighter 1, athletics, wilderness survival.

An advance character could look like this:

Fighter 1, Str 18 (+4), Dex 16 (+3) ... and so on.

In fact I think D&D should introduce Role along side Class and Race as basic building blocks of a character. There are a few basic roles that need to be available. Such as Sage (knowledge skills), Athlete (sport skills), Barbarian (wilderness skills), Craftsman (mechanical skills) and even others.

With this setup you could create a sagely fighter or a barbarian fighter and have them be vastly different outside of combat but still be trusty old defenders in combat.

In the advanced game you could open up Role or Class like boxes and rearrange stuff inside. Maybe adding Swim to the standard array of knowledge skills associated with the Sage. Or adding a striker power in lieu of a defender power.

If you like even more complexity, feel free to roll stats too.

That's my approach.