D&D General Weapons should break left and right

[AnotherGuy]

I meant game in the same cathegory Risk is a game - a board game. While RPGs are games, cannot claim they are the same as Risk or Root or Ticket to Ride. A lot of friends I have who are board game geeks and refuse to touch na rpg. Trying to claim D&D is the same as Risk is ridiculous to me. These are different things to me that have completely different design principles. Hell, in the board game sphere itself there are many different categories and D&D does not fit into any of them entierly.

Who said they had to fit in them entirely? Whatever that loaded term means...
Players decide a whole host of decisions at the table that are based sometimes primarily off game mechanics.

Engaging (Fighting), Resting, Reactions, Divine Smite (i.e. when natural 20's are rolled), Flanking, Focus Fire...etc

 

[Staffan]

I think @GobHag is proposing that each character would have two classes - one social, the other combat, mix and match - and that there'd be solid mechanics to support both (i.e. way more in-depth social mechanics than we have now).

Personally I'd likely never play this, but it's a very interesting thought exercise nonetheless.

I'm not opposed to the concept, but I'd make the split between combat and non-combat. So for example there could be a "guard" class for combat, which has great defense abilities, some taunt-like mechanic (either direct or consequence-based), moderate melee offense, and bad ranged offense and mobility. Combine this with, say, a Noble profession, and you get a "knight". Combine it with a Sage and you get a learned warrior-type. Combine it with a Criminal and you get an Enforcer.

 

[Horwath]

AEDU was great as a concept. 4e is arguably best designed edition insofar as it has clear focus and it's designed around specific style which it does well. 4e was ahead of it's time. 4e looks like evolved version of 5e, while 5e looks more like evolved version of 3.x. Execution of 4e was clumsy, book layout not so great ( PF2 is very 4ed-ish in design philosophy and mechanical structure).

3ed Bo9S is template for how good martial classes should be designed. 5e Battlemaster is sorry pale shadow, a nerfed and gimped version of Warblade.

problem with AEDU is that it was the same for all classes at certain level, Utility was actually good as you could mix and match at-will vs Encounter vs daily to your preference, but with AED you were stuck.

at some level you had IE: 3-3-3 for AED.
it would had been great if you could design it as:

1-4-4 or 2-5-2 or 4-5-0 or 2-1-6 or however you liked it.

in addition, maybe powers could have been all 3 of AED, kind of imitating 3.5e reserve feats.

IE: fireball:
Cantrip(At-will): 3d6 fire damage, 5ft radius
Encounter(short rest) recharge: 5d6, 15ft radius
Daily(Long rest) recharge: 8d6, 20ft radius

that is, if you use at-will fireball, you do not spend a spell slot, if you use it as 5d6, you get it back after short rest(or encounter) if you use it as 8d6, you get it back after Long rest.

as for Bo9S, that should have been default template for Fighters, Paladins, Monks and Rangers, maybe even Rogues.
Barbarian could stay as "Hulk smash" class.

 

[Remathilis]

If psionics are to be something that expands in scope as you level up as do spells then yes, the same problems will likely arise.

The only way they didn't was because (in 3e, where powers have levels akin to spells) was because they removed automatically scaling with caster level to something resembling 5es system, so you were constantly burning more points on powers to augment. But even then, the ability to spam small attacks or devote everything into a few big ones skews balance.

I'm used to psionic systems where you (by random chance) get what you get if anything and that's it forever; your psionic abilities are 99% locked in. I have a hard time seeing it as the basis for a full class..

Psionicists have been a class for 40 years...

 

[Bae'zel]

I like how Brancalonia (from Acheron games) handles weapon breakage.

The most common weapons, armor, gear and mounts for purchase are "shoddy" quality by default (roll a 1 and it breaks, malfunctions or otherwise becomes unusable until repaired).

However, the incentive to acquire "superior" gear drives adventuring. You can also "upgrade" your home base with a smith who can repair or even improve shoddy items. You can get an armory that eventually sets you up with better quality gear.

However, the game assumes a slightly comical, tongue-in-cheek vibe in general, so the idea of the protagonists' weapons failing them at dramatically appropriate moments is part of the charm.

In other words, I like how they handle item breakage but make it into a key part of the setting, with many ways (more than I listed) to overcome that issue but also make it a part of the setting's "character".

 

[Micah Sweet]

AND YET people demand psionics run on that exact system rather than slots...

Perhaps not everyone agrees with your assessment of spell point systems?

 

[LordBP]

If you want to do a Vancian magic system, but add in more flexibility, then you can pair combat and non-combat spells (DM would have to figure out the list) together in the spell slot and player can choose at the time of casting which spell they want to use.

For example, a level 1 Magic User would have a single slot, but they could memorize Sleep and Tenser's Floating Disc as the paired spells for their 1 spell slot. Once they cast either spell, that spell slot if no longer available until they re-memorize their spells.

 

[AlViking]

AEDU was great as a concept. 4e is arguably best designed edition insofar as it has clear focus and it's designed around specific style which it does well. 4e was ahead of it's time. 4e looks like evolved version of 5e, while 5e looks more like evolved version of 3.x. Execution of 4e was clumsy, book layout not so great ( PF2 is very 4ed-ish in design philosophy and mechanical structure).

3ed Bo9S is template for how good martial classes should be designed. 5e Battlemaster is sorry pale shadow, a nerfed and gimped version of Warblade.

All I can say is that I disagree, I hated AEDU for every class after a while. It's fine that you have your opinion of course but can we not bait the edition wars with statements like "This edition was the best EVAR!!!"? We all have our preferences.

 

[Maxperson]

Just need to make ritual caster feat more open.
have it give ability to write in EVERY ritual spell in the game,
max level for rituals is 1/2 your level(round up).

wizard get this for free with the spellbook feature.

then non-casters can take it and not be limited to 1st level spells.
Sure, it costs a feat, maybe add floating +1 ASI so it's not a such a big opportunity cost for martials. I'ts not like DC or attack are big things for rituals.
or maybe make it Origin feat without the ASI

I would much rather see every spell be given the ability to be ritually cast, but then cost 100gp per spell level of ritual supplies to do so. If the caster wants to spend 400gp and 10 minutes, he can ritually cast Fire Shield. For 200gp and 10 minutes, he can ritually cast Flaming Sphere.

 

[GobHag]

At a certain level this sounds fine but how does it advance to and beyond this point? Does the selection of unlimited-fire spells increase, or does the number of big-booms per day increase, or ?

I'm assuming you're using 'fire' to mean something more than just artillery, as the most effective (if boring!) casters IME focus more on utility spells than on damage.

I don't have a clear specific on the spell system--maybe it's Weird Wizard style where classes have access to specific schools of magic that they can mix and match within those selections, maybe each caster is a different school, maybe it's 4e/ICON style where they're just combat roles. I just detest vancians daily spell resources.

I assume that if you pick a fire caster you absolutely do want to be practically artillery. Poaching some spell/power from other spell list'(if you go by Weird Wizard or each caster is a different school) would still exists but nothing like 'I'm an illusionist, that means I can still fireball, Wall of Stone, sugure and Teleport if I want to' that vancian casters have.