Things that have bugged you since 1E

[Wippit Guud]

The fact that a domestic cat can kill a human with no class (pre-3.0) or a level 1 commoner (3.0+) 7 out of 10 times.

Can you just imagine how many childeren have been slaughtered by simply saying the phrase, "Here, kitty kitty kitty..."

 

[Tsyr]

Um Actually Tsyr I do have only one type of True Dragon (they come in various colours and sizes due to habitat, and I don't use Alignment) which breaths fire or gas and which can also spit acid.
I also have Mystic Dragons (Oriental Weather Spirits) and Sea Dragons (big winged eels that breath acidic vapour) - these are NOT True Dragons

and no we don't need subraces of dwarf, gnome or halfling.

As far as I'm concerned an evil subterranean race with spell resistance, dark vision and various spelllike abilities can be called Drow without having to be a type of elf. IMC I have a slightly built humanoid race that lives underwater it is NOT an Elf. And frankly if I'm going to include a race with wings then why does it have to be an elf? why not an entirely different race?

Winter Wolves and Worgs imc are as much wolves as a Manticores are Lions - it might have similarities it is not a subtype

Here is how I look at it:

A poodle, a chihuahua, a german shepard, a pit bull, a bull dog, a beagle, and a wolf are all canines. Yet they are vastly different animals. Likewise, a housecat, a cheetah, a lion, and a sabertooth tiger all all felines (Ok, one is a dead feline...), but are vastly different animals. If one were going to be realistic, they wouldn't all have the same stats (Heck, they don't... House Cat and Lion don't have the same stats, though all domesticated dogs, for some reason, do, in a lot of games).

For me, it's the same way with elves. They are all the same basic species, but with different variations.

As for your changes to Dragons... *shrug* Your choice, I suppose, and for the right game I would even agree with such choice. Heaven knows I've made some pretty wild changes to Dragons in some of my settings before. For a "generic" DnD setting, though... That's something else. My "Time of False Gods" setting was anything but standard DnD.

 

[Argus Decimus Mokira]

Hey

I'm gonna echo the sentiment about clerics. Amazing how every cleric of Lliira, Sune, and Eldath (and whatever peace-loving deities inhabit your world) train in the same heavy armor, weapons, and fighting style (read: hit points) as all the clerics of Bane, Tempus, Torm and Talos (again, sub in any war-mongerers).

My personal fix - the adept. Change around the spell list a bit, and give them ONE of the domains granted by whatever deity they worship instead of the silly familiar ... BLAMO! instant non-ass-kicking-for-the-Lord clergy. Plus it gives a mega-underused NPC class a reason to exist.

I also cannot stand the various and sundry subraces of humanoids. I'm not advocating having only ONE elf, ONE dwarf, etc, but the differences between wood and wild elves? Between rock and forest gnomes? Even urdunnir and shield dwarves (dunno what urdunnir are called outside the Realms, but shield dwarves are the basic PH dwarves). What's worse is now it's spreading to non-core PC races. I was sick to my stomach when I read of the grey orcs in Races of Faerun ... I mean, come on, orc subspecies? IMO the generic orc in the MM covered not only every orc subspecies, but also most crossbreeds (lest we stray into that 2ed nonsense of ogrillons, orogs, etc). Like I was having a good time wrestling with the three goblin subspecies ...

Sorry for the ranting
-Matt

 

[widderslainte]

The fact that a domestic cat can kill a human with no class (pre-3.0) or a level 1 commoner (3.0+) 7 out of 10 times.

Can you just imagine how many childeren have been slaughtered by simply saying the phrase, "Here, kitty kitty kitty..."

I'll lock you in a room unarmed with my cat, and we'll see who survives? Are you game?

 

[Tsyr]

Actualy, Forest Gnomes are a completely different thing than Rock Gnomes... It's not like Wild Elves and Wood Elves. Forest Gnomes are like living garden gnomes.

 

[Argus Decimus Mokira]

Actualy, Forest Gnomes are a completely different thing than Rock Gnomes... It's not like Wild Elves and Wood Elves. Forest Gnomes are like living garden gnomes.

Whatever ... you know what I mean. It still feels tacked on ... take a normal gnome, add some more spell-like abilities and an even bigger bonus to Hide, and make 'em ECL +1. Unnecessary, IMO - just say some gnomes live in the woods and hide out, add culture and spellcasting traditions to taste, mix well, serve warm.

Take Moon and Sun elves as another example ... one is smart and arrogant, the other arrogant and smart - change the one just enough from the other to justify any change in the first place.

Just IMO
-Matt

 

[Wippit Guud]

I'll lock you in a room unarmed with my cat, and we'll see who survives? Are you game?

Bring it. I'm pretty sure I won't be knocked unconscious (negative HP) after one swipe of his/her/its claws.

And who said anything about being unarmed. A commoner with a sword (well, we'll say spear to keep it a simple weapon) still dies 7/10 times.

 

[nharwell]

The double-duty role of hit points.

In D&D hit points try to simultaneously represent both physical toughness and the ability to avoid blows -- and they fail miserably, IMHO. D&D combat is sadly non-cinematic, really being little more than creatures pounding each other until one falls. Mutants and Masterminds shows that it is possible to have a D20 game that changes this. Heck, D20 Modern and Star Wars both keep hit points but manage to improve the system so that combat is more cinematic (and more "realistic" I suppose, if that matters) ...

 

[DMScott]

Here is how I look at it:

A poodle, a chihuahua, a german shepard, a pit bull, a bull dog, a beagle, and a wolf are all canines. Yet they are vastly different animals. Likewise, a housecat, a cheetah, a lion, and a sabertooth tiger all all felines (Ok, one is a dead feline...), but are vastly different animals. If one were going to be realistic, they wouldn't all have the same stats (Heck, they don't... House Cat and Lion don't have the same stats, though all domesticated dogs, for some reason, do, in a lot of games).

For me, it's the same way with elves. They are all the same basic species, but with different variations.

Well, you actually list critters of the same genus rather than species. To make a matching list of hominid-type species in D&D, you'd probably end up with something like Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Halflings, Gnomes, Goblins, and probably a few others. Humans, Elves, and Orcs are obviously very closely related since Humans can produce fertile offspring with both Elves and Orcs, the others are certainly close enough taxonomically speaking. There's no special reason why Elves should have a zillion distinct subraces but Humans or Dwarves or whatever shouldn't in the default setting, it's just tradition that gives elves lots of races with different stats.

 

[Tsyr]

Well, you actually list critters of the same genus rather than species. To make a matching list of hominid-type species in D&D, you'd probably end up with something like Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Halflings, Gnomes, Goblins, and probably a few others. Humans, Elves, and Orcs are obviously very closely related since Humans can produce fertile offspring with both Elves and Orcs, the others are certainly close enough taxonomically speaking. There's no special reason why Elves should have a zillion distinct subraces but Humans or Dwarves or whatever shouldn't in the default setting, it's just tradition that gives elves lots of races with different stats.

Now, careful with two things:

1) Don't assume that everything that is cross-fertile in DnD is in any way geneticly related... Dragons and Celestials/Fiends, for example, seem to be fertile with anything, and while orcs and elves are both fertile with humans, by default they aren't with each other.

Genetics in DnD is wacky.

2) Forgotten Realms is the huge subrace place... And it does have a lot of subraces for other races, they just don't get as much publicity. Greyhawk has them, but not to the same sickening extent FR does.