D&D 5E Trying to Flesh Out the 5E PHB: Not Easy!

[Tilenas]

Do you feel it would it be okay to have attribute modifiers as an optional rule for each race?

Yeah, it doesn't have to be core for me, although it's a pretty traditional thing and probably WILL be core.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if the game allowed for me to assign my own choices for attribute modifiers so that I choose to have negative modifiers as well as positive ones.

I would make this "option" (or modular system) applicable to all characters, or none. If each player gets to choose if their character has modifiers or not, we have min/maxing again.
I personally think that player involvement with ability scores should be over after, well, assigning ability scores. For me, humans are fine without modifiers: they're the base-line.

 

[mkill]

If you keep adding everything that people throw in here as some option, you end up with an unplayable mess that won't fit in 400 pages. Whoever is in charge of 5th edition needs to make some strong decisions, make cuts and stick to them, fan backlash be damned.

That said, you need to set some meta-rules. Do you want Linear fighters / quadratic wizards or equal power progression?

Will you use the power format?

First level: Dead by one hit or fairly tough?

Will there be implicit or explicit class roles? Will classes get paths to fill different roles?

Fort / Ref / Will as defense stat or roll?

And by the way... Is it really necessary to rename backstab / sneak attack yet again?

 

[Tortoise]

Just throwing a couple things out there.

Paladins - not really needed since the armored and armed clerics are for all intents and purposes already representing the militant arm of their religious order. Just open weapon choices up.

Gnomes - save for a later book, not the initial release, but include notes under the MM entry for how to use them as a PC.

I rejoined the old-schoolers last year and have been rediscovering that there is plenty within that basic set of mechanics to handle a lot we currently seem to look to in later editions for written rules to handle.

My blog, if anyone cares to have a look-see, has some house rules relevant to this discusssion The Dice Are A Lie: Lost Baronies of Lendore Isle - House Rules

Rituals - This is something I find interesting, though I feel needs to be better focused and aimed at interesting use in play. For example, shorten the times for most of them to rounds, not minutes, that way they can be used during a combat and risk interruption. Most Divination and major (not minor) summonings should be rituals.

 

[modeminitstring]

Combat

As far as combat goes, I would like to see options for tactical combat and for gridless combat.

 

[WheresMyD20]

they used to have a comeliness score in unearthed arcana(1rst edition) that was kinda cool. Cavaliers could improve all their abilities with each level as well. That was pretty radical in those days, still is today.

foolish_mortals

Actually, cavaliers could only improve their physical ability scores (str, dex, & con). Paladins (as a cavalier sub-class) could also improve their charisma.

The rate of gain was very slow, however. It took, on average, 9 levels to gain 1 point. In practice, the effect on play was pretty minimal.

 

[gyor]

I think your onto something.

I do think however the basic will be 1-20 with epic levels 21-40 optional.

I do believe there will be 4e classes in the core as well and power sources will be an option, because they do have fans as do roles. Again optional. Same with racial classes. I do believe the PHB with be split up into a PhB and a rules compendium freeing up room in the PHB for more classes and races and options.