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

[Mercurius]

Let's say WotC is wanting to make a few adjustments to the 4E rule set in preparation for a Revised Player's Handbook due out in early 2012. They announce a competition at GenCon, asking for three "fixes" or changes to the 4E rule set that they will incorporate into the revised version. Congratulations, you are the winner! What were your three fixes?

(Don't worry too much about the scenario - the main thing I'm going for is three changes to the rules that you would make).

A few general guidelines: First of all, these fixes are to the rules themselves - they are not about presentation, art, or DDI in any form or fashion. They are changes to the rules themselves. Secondly, please pick three distinct fixes and three only. Why three? Well, I had to pick a number and it is as good as any.

All that aside, feel free to be creative and find clever ways to make as much possible change with three fixes. Changes can be large or small, far-reaching or local - you decide.

Have at it!

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

1) Math "fixes" / "feat taxes" - whatever you want to call them - are baked in and removed from the feat section. Entirely. Feat list will be massively updated - junk feats will be addressed by the following motto: it's improved or it gets removed.

2) Themes are a core part of character creation. Consequently, they will have to be massively expanded. This is also how multiclassing will work from here on out (with bare minimum feat cost to do it).

3) Builds of different classes will be restructured and redone. Class builds will belong to fewer base classes, but there will be just as many options. Class features will be more transparently selectable / swappable (again for little to no feat cost) between members of the same base class group, and for nominal cost outside of the base class group. For example, 'Fighter' will include Slayer, Knight, and Weaponmaster, plus revised versions of Brawler, Tempest, and Battlerager (and perhaps others), all done as E-style subclasses, but they are all fighters and can share feat support, and many powers, keeping bloat and duplication to a minimum.

I would also do a bunch of other stuff, like overhaul the ritual system to work better (and incidentally, match up with my houserules ), but you asked for only three things...

 

[Aulirophile]

Just three? I could use like... ~7.

1.) Fix the economy. Poor magic items removed, more variety for the options people actually want, actually implement the Common/Uncommon/Rare/Artifact system. I'd probably start out by making Inherent Bonuses a mandatory, always-on rule, and redesign from there.
2.) Scaling feats removed, proper scaling built-in, fixing all scaling issues properly (Defenses, Init, Attack, damage,skills, etc).
3.) Remove or upgrade all feats and powers that are so poor they should never be taken.

I like Nemesis's number 3 quite a lot.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

Just three? I could use like... ~7.

1.) Fix the economy. Poor magic items removed, more variety for the options people actually want, actually implement the Common/Uncommon/Rare/Artifact system. I'd probably start out by making Inherent Bonuses a mandatory, always-on rule, and redesign from there.
2.) Scaling feats removed, proper scaling built-in, fixing all scaling issues properly (Defenses, Init, Attack, damage,skills, etc).
3.) Remove or upgrade all feats and powers that are so poor they should never be taken.

I like Nemesis's number 3 quite a lot.

Likewise, I can get behind all your points. Your #2 and 3 were pretty much my #1, but you were more specific and accurate. To put things in CharOp terms, there should be no Red options, and very few Purple ones. Most options should be Black or better. The logical extension of that is that there should be no Gold ones either.

I really like your #1 and completely forgot that I wanted to include the bit about Inherent Bonuses becoming standard.

I'd have XP'd you, but I ran out for today - I've been giving it away like candy today. I'll try to remember to get you later in this thread, or I'll go back and hit this post tomorrow.

Cheers.

 

[Mengu]

My knee jerk changes would be...

1. Fix the math feats to incorporate as free (or other solutions will work too)
2. Make a free basic attack (or make two/choose one) for each class.
3. Give me a non-slotted magic item for +1 item bonus to damage per half tier.

(and bleeping let me pick free feats in CB, so I can hand out free superior weapon/implement, or hand out some free class feats if I want to.)

 

[Dausuul]

Hey, fun game. Okay, let's see. How can I squeeze the most out of my three changes?

FIX #1: For any power whose attack bonus includes a component of (ability score bonus + half level bonus + Expertise bonus if applicable + <special modifier>), where <special modifier> is either a tier-based modifier of +2/+4/+6 or a weapon/implement enhancement bonus:

The (ability score bonus + half level bonus + Expertise bonus if applicable + <special modifier>) component of the attack bonus shall be replaced with (level + 3).

Basically, I am stripping out ability modifiers, Expertise, and weapon/implement enhancement from your attack bonus, in one fell swoop. This makes chargen simpler; eliminates the kludge of having to incorporate a tier bonus for non-weapon, non-implement powers; allows for greater versatility in character design; and gets rid of the Expertise feat tax.

Sadly, I don't have room to apply a similar fix to defenses, but it would be on the agenda.

FIX #2: All game elements with both a level and a price attached (including magic items, treasure parcels, ritual component costs, et cetera) shall have their prices adjusted by the following formula: Divide by the price of a standard magic item of that level, then multiply by 1,000 gp x level.

The end result of this is that item prices are changed to 1,000 gp x item level, topping out at 30K for a 30th-level item; and everything else is scaled to match, including the standard treasure awards. No more hyperinflation as you level up! Of course, this creates a potential problem where low-level PCs save up their cash to buy top-end gear way ahead of schedule, which brings me to...

FIX #3: Your PC's ability to find magic items for purchase is limited by the contacts and acquaintances you have made over your adventures. If your DM allows purchasing magic items, you can buy only items of level less than or equal to your own. For every 10 points of Streetwise bonus you possess, you can buy items 1 level higher than this limit.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

I guess I could/should have mentioned Death To Ability Scores as a fix worth suggesting... covers a lot of ground, and I'm not even sure I would want to do it, but it does simplify things.

 

[igniz13]

There isn't much i'd need to do that couldn't be done with Errata or just new material, so nothng major for me. The Errata i'd prioritise

1) Hybrids get 4 skills
2) Reduced Casting time for many Rituals
3) Change the Class Compendium feats so they work better with Multiclassing.

 

[mudlock]

1. Remove feats, add utility power/feature slots at 1s, 4s, and 8s, that you can fill from class-based, race-based, and theme-based lists.

2. I like the "reorganize classes" idea; doesn't really change the game, just organizes it better (give more support to artificers, runepriests, and seekers by shoving them into bards, shamans, and rangers?)

3. Of course, math fix/feat tax (esp. since feats are gone Easy fix would be a +1 to all attacks and defences at 11th and 21st.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Well,

#1 Inherent bonuses and get the math stuff behind the scenes. No more magical plusses form magic items, no more always-useful combat mods form feats (situational is cool, go for those.

Let's get rid of the christmas tree effect and feats that are boring as dirt all at once.

#2 Themes for races.

#3 Themes for multiclassing. One feat to et the theme, and then power switch to your heart's content.