D&D 4E What Changes Do You Hope They Make To The 4E Rules?

[aboyd]

I'm tired of my group trying to deal with who can do what in a round. A standard action can be a move action, coupled with a move action, and 3 free actions. Or a full action and a 5-foot step. Or whatever. Blah.

I want action points. 1 point = roughly 1 second. So 6 APs a round. Convert full actions to 6 points. Standard to 4 points. Free to 1 point. A person could just add up to 6 points of action, and that's their turn.

Normal movement is 30' per round. Divide by 6, and you get 5' per AP. Various weapons could be +/- 1 to the AP. Low-level spells might be 1 AP less in cost for a high-level spellcaster. High level characters might squeeze in 7 or 8 APs per round. Whatever the case, a player's turn would be reduced to simple math, rather than gut feelings about whether a player could pull off 4 free actions and still do a standard (or full!!) action too.

 

[DarkKestral]

A really robust monster class - SWSE's beast class is a good start, but it's not enough for D&D purposes. Ideally, a monster class capable of making CR = hit dice.

I think that for 'tough' monsters, we should consider maybe having HD be not just 1d12 or something like that, but perhaps 2d8 or some other multiple. So a 2d8 Giant might be considered a 1 HD monster despite the apparent HD difference.

I love the idea of monster classes in general, and think that they should offer their own 'class abilities'.

 

[ArmoredSaint]

Armour as DR. I think this needs to be implemented more than anything. But I don't want to see it done like the optional rule presented in Unearthed Arcana; I'd like to see higher DRs for the armour types across the board.

 

[Szatany]

- inclusion of spellcasting and BAB into skills
- serious consolidation of skills
- talent trees
- less, but more customizable classes (via talent trees for example)
- better abilities/feats/etc but less of them
- higher bonuses and penalties but less of them

- simpler rules (grapple, counterspell, aoo in particular)
- no rolling for hit points per level
- slower progression of max rank in skill
- weaker spellcasting but easier to use (capped at 6th spell level pre epic, more uses per day)
- simplification, unification, and stacking of bonuses, damage reduction and energy resistances (get rid of bonus types, get rid of DR types, let it all stack)

- unification of saves, initiative, and AC
- armor granting DR
- shorter character blocks (cut them in half and I'm happy)
- no alignments, replace them with something else like personality traits or allegiances
- no iterative attacks

- move from feet to yards (or meters), that much granuality isn't necessary. Squares can be 2 by 2 yards and nothing bad will happen.
- I'm cool with 4 ability scores but that will never happen so no point in asking for it
- clearer rules for monster advancement, racial hit dies, LA, ECL, and all that mess
- simplification of creature types (giant should be humanoid subtype for example)
- explanation what exactly can elementals, undead, constructs and mindless creatures see, think, do, etc, change some rules for undead (i don't like how vampires have no Constitution score)

- simpler rules for encumbrance, counting all that stuff isn't fun
- simpler rules for gold and prices, counting all that stuff isn't fun
- less (many less) magic items but more flavorful and multifunctional
- rethink how magic items are categorized
- ditch schools of magic, descriptors can do their job
- ditch abilities, feats, etc that give crappy bonuses - either something is valuable or don't bother

- get rid of synergy bonuses or make them better but rarer
- simpler (yes it can be done, I did it) rules for turn undead and animal companions/familiars
- get rid of medium armors, light and heavy are enough
- get rid of armor and weapon proficiencies, a well designed game has no need for those penalizers
- design the game so I don't have to, at any point in time, roll more than 5 dice at once (save a situation when 8 creatures attack, of course), for example, make falling damage something like 1 per meter, up to 200.

- no negative hit points, when you have 0 hit points from now on you make Fortitude checks to stay alive
- add some new descriptors, most importantly Astral, Ethereal, Pain, Curse, Body-Affecting.
- simple mass combat rules

 

[Aloïsius]

* streamlined everything. removal of all non d20 mechanics.
* SWSE defense and track condition. And the skill system, too. It will really speed prep time.
* a reworked magic system. I guess you still need a vancian system so that d&D is still D&D, but with a tweak. Sorcerer should be entirely different (warlock-like ?)
* a more heroic health system : I want the rule to support "dramatic death and agony", when a diying character can't be saved from evisceration in 3 seconds with a mere heal check, but is still able to curse his murderer and/or reveal a dire secret to the PCs
* craft magic item should disappear. use skill ! You should not be able to forge a magic sword without beeing able to forge at all
* no more +x magic item. exemples : A magic wand allow you to cast fireball. A magic ring let you become invisible. A magic sword can drink the soulf of its victims or is sheated with cold flames. a magic armor protect you from fire or can make you etheral. A magic amulet protect you absolutely from disease or warn you of incoming ennemy. Only circumstancial object with a visible effect should have a +x bonus (elven cloak give you a +x to sneak). Magic should not be a pile of abstract bonus.
* more flaw and cost to use magic items : using magic should be dangerous and wonderful. Magic can corrupt the soul or the body, even if it gives great power.
* less economic non-sense. Adventurers past level 2 should still have to care about the price of the Inn. No more 1d6 x 1000 PO found on every random goblins. Dragons have treasures. Kobolds have raw meat, othyugs have ..... There is nothing heroic with having zillions of gold piece.
* A contrario, a first level character could be a very rich heir without throwing the balance of the game in the closet. Money can build boddygard, it can't buy personal power. No magic shop, and no GP for crafting a magic item. You can make a magic item by woving stellar light with spider silk, you don't do it by pilling gold pieces
* No more height litter of ink to copy a 0 level spell. Spellbook shoul either me really magic (think Harry Potter books) or no different from standard books.
* chase rules. Really
* only one feat for mounted combat : "mount" makes your horse gain ability (think Paladin mount) so that it does not die every encounter.
* feats should not allow you to perform things everybody should be able to do, it should allow you to do it better, and with better chances of success. I'm looking at you power attack, expertise...
* feats can however give you special ability, those that make the difference between a hero and a mundane. Stuff like special power (gift of the gods, bloodlines, curses...) or extraordinary ability.
* no prestige class >>> evolutive feats.
* spellcater level works like BAB, somewhat. A cleric 10/wizard 10 should be as powerfull a caster as a cleric 20.
* action point/destiny point whatever. But don't scale both their number and their power with level : there is no reason a 16th level character will be more heroic than a 1st level one. Samsage wounds Shelob, Boromir is killed by orcs. High level characters are more powerful, they are not more heroic
* elves do sleep. And they dream. But not like humans dreams. Make the non-human races more... nonhuman. Give them "strange" needs, forces and weakness that make them realy different to play. Not just "+2 dex, -2 con, lowlight vision".
* No more cats or able to kill a commoner. No more giants only slightly stronger than strong humans. Size str modifier should be doubled or something. This way, there is no need for additional size modifier to carrying capacity. A 15 feet tall troll should crush you in the ground if he hits you with a giant sized hammer. Make big creatures really dangerous.
* This would particularly works well with armor as DR. What can a human full plate do against a cloud giant mace ? DR 8 or what ever reflect this is the damage input of such a blow is in the 50... A giant (or great dragon, or kraken, or T-rex...) should never be treated like a goblin for high level characters.


edit : I agree with most of what Szatany said.

 

[humble minion]

- Address magic item dependency syndrome. Make a character more important than his equipment
- Make the ruleset less dungeon-centric and more broadly applicable to a wide variety of situations. Rolling combat ability into the skill system might be one way to do this, but a more flexible and less pedantic and fussily divided skill list would help no end too (why ARE Search and Spot two different skill after all?) More attention paid to social skills and conflicts.
- No rebalancing to per-encounter, for the above reasons. If abilities are defined in per-encounter terms, then those designed to be used outside of a combat encounter are bound to be either neglected or horribly underpowered, and setting vermisilitude suffers in the eyes of anyone who thinks about if all for more than three seconds.
- Hero points of some sort as core, or at least as an option in core. Not 3e action points though - they're too much like hard work. Something simpler, but that still gives the players a little more narrative control.
- Basic attention to be paid to how the in-game 'economy' works. Not looking for a textbook, but stuff like craft skills, magic item crafting, non-combat spells, and magic item prices need to be vaguely workable.
- Make counterspelling, mageduelling and the like more interesting, necessary, and practical options.
- Limit the importance of fighter-buffing (some sort of inherent supernatural ability/feat chain at higher levels would be an idea). Limit the layering of buffs, too.
- Design melee combat so that 'stand directly next to the enemy and full-attack until he falls over' is not the be-all and end-all. Reward mobility, cinematic actions and the like a bit more
- consider introducing a difference between 'tactical magic' and 'ritual magic'. The former could in fact be per-encounter and is generally only used to zap the ogre or equivalent, while the latter requires longer casting times, and possibly multiple participants, foci and other paraphenalia, True Names, and other plot-devicey stuff, but potentially has longer-lasting, more powerful, and more profound effects. Tactical magic would be the norm at lower levels, while ritual magic would be increasingly significant past about level 10.

 

[LostSoul]

A nice fun way of resolving social conflicts.

 

[Aloïsius]

- consider introducing a difference between 'tactical magic' and 'ritual magic'. The former could in fact be per-encounter and is generally only used to zap the ogre or equivalent, while the latter requires longer casting times, and possibly multiple participants, foci and other paraphenalia, True Names, and other plot-devicey stuff, but potentially has longer-lasting, more powerful, and more profound effects. Tactical magic would be the norm at lower levels, while ritual magic would be increasingly significant past about level 10.

Yup !
I can't understand why something like raise dead requires only one minute ! Same thing with many "earth shaking" spells. The more impressive, marvelous and incredible a spell is, the more you need time and ceremony to cast it.
Plus, it would help bridge the gap between spellcasters and non-spellcasters. A wizard can destroy an army with a single spell, but you need someone to hold said army while he is struggling with the magical forces of the universe/bargaining with demons/focusing raw power to cast the spell.

Think : cinematic.

 

[Bagpuss]

I can see it going Star Wars SAGA edition like for skills (pick trained skills and everything advances without the need for skill points), classes (Bonus feat or talent on alternate levels) and balance magic and abilities per encounter (like the Force, or Bo9S) everything backwards compatible (IE: Improve INT you gain another trained skill). If so I just hope they have learned from the mistakes of that editions complete lack of playtesting so we don't end up with a 4 page errata days after publication. Hopefully since it isn't due out until May and it's being announced now, they have let the cat out of the bag now because they are going to involved the RPGA in a wide "out of house" playtest, like they did for 3.0.

 

[BryonD]

* craft magic item should disappear. use skill ! You should not be able to forge a magic sword without beeing able to forge at all.

Um, you can not do this in 3E. Making a magic sword already requires that you have a sword, a masterwork sword at that. You, or someone else, must forge the sword first. Then you make enhance it.