D&D 4E Three Moves to Fix/Change 4E

[Hof]

OK I'll take a shot at this. As I think most overpowered/broken optimization exercises stem from unexpected rules mixes, all interactions between different rules sections are removed. Say through these three things:

1) All powers a character has are determined by their class/path/destiny, race and theme. Basic attacks no longer exist and charge is not a combat option. Even opportunity attacks are gone. Instead each character which thematically needs one of the lost attack options can take an appropriately designed power tied to their aforementioned class, race or theme. For any "why can't I do this" situation, the DM is encouraged to use the improvised action section in the DMG.

2) feats are gone. Instead characters get specialisation points regularly - let's say the same progression as feats are now. (Yes I'm just changing names to keep the ideas separate.) Each power has at least one specialisation option which is enabled by allocating a specialisation point to it. As other game rules are forbidden to interact with the specifics of a power, designers can more accurately determine balance for powers and their specialisations. Also characters can choose to truly specialise in their favorite tactic, diversify and spread their improvements, create consistently strong at-will or truly impressive daily's - etc.

3) Magic items add options in the form of new powers only. They have no effect on the attack or damage modifiers of powers other than their own, so the enhancement and item bonuses are gone, necessitating the 'Re-do the combat math' as well.


I had lots of other ideas just writing this - most of which are not really thought through or even truly usable in 4E. But as I've used up the three things let's just leave it for now.

 

[mudlock]

2. simplified condition ending and condition tracking. All non-save conditions end at the end of the victim's turn (when they would normally roll a save).

While perhaps *something* should be done, this makes all "until end of your next turn" powers useless from the point of view of the character using it, unless they use an action point.

Maybe go the other way; change the "save ends" powers so they also end on the power-users turn, not the targets. Hmm. Could you just change the definition of "save ends" from "save ends now, at end of target's turn" to "save ends at the end of your next turn"? Then all "save ends" powers last AT LEAST as long as all "until end of your next turn powers," which cleans up another sticky point in the rules.

 

[GameDoc]

1) Make race matter. Your race should grant you something new and unique at regular intervals as you level up (maybe every third or fourth level). And do it WITHOUT having to take a feat. If you want to play up human diversity, let them take a bonus feat they qualify for where non-humans get a new or enhanced racial feature.

2) Make it easier to access all powers from the same source (others have said this). For example, perhpas a feat called "Versatile Arcanist" that would allow arcane classes to take powers of the same type and level from another arcane class. Likewise, you could have Versatile Martialist, Versatile Primalist, Versatile Shadwo, Versatile Psionicist, and Versative Divinist feats. I wouldn't require a one feat per one power swap. Perhaps that you can swap one power of each type).

You could also (or alternately) go the route of "Versatile Striker", "Versatile Defender" etc. and let characters take powers from other sources as long as they belong to a class of the same role and they were trained in a key skill, such as arcana for arcane, religion for divine, athletics for martial, nature for primal, and so on.

I think these would be preferable to the current hybrid and mutli-class options which seam to be feat heavy to maintain.

3) Math fixes/feat tax elimination Already covered in previous posts.