D&D (2024) What do you want to see excised?

[glass]

A magic item price guide built around a formula (as in, the way both 3e and 4e did it) doesn't work, as it utterly ignores the usefulness piece leading to wild over-valuing and under-valuing of some items.

Both 3e and 4e item prices were supposed to be based purely on "usefulness". They were not terribly succesful in that, but that is hardly the same as "utterly ignor[ing]" it.

 

[Lanefan]

Both 3e and 4e item prices were supposed to be based purely on "usefulness". They were not terribly succesful in that,

Understatement of the year, that is.

but that is hardly the same as "utterly ignor[ing]" it.

When (in 3e) a wand of CLW and a wand of Expeditious Retreat cost the same, it's pretty safe to say usefulness wasn't even considered. I could easily dig up equally egregious 4e examples; but all you need to do there is look at how all the items of a given tier are priced exactly the same to know that the formula approach won out over actually looking at each item's (likely) degree of usefulness in adventuring and-or in the greater world.

 

[Lanefan]

True Strike should never have been in the PHB and instead Toll the Dead should have been there to give the Cleric and Bard more than 1 damaging cantrip.

True Strike is fixable, I think: make it that it targets the weapon, that the targeted weapon can only be used by the caster, and that that weapon's next swing or shot (which has to be taken in the following round or the effect is lost) will automatically hit (but never crit or smite or do anything else special). An auto-hit every other round doesn't seem like the end of the world.

If allowing it to target magic weapons might lead to too many broken things down the road, only allow it to target unenchanted weapons.

 

[Reynard]

There's a difference between us, I suppose, in that I largely don't give much of a fig about the mathematical balance. If the PCs get too powerful I can always up the opposition (in the long run, not the here-and-now of any given battle!), while if they get in over their heads* it's on them to find a way out. And if the game's that finely tuned that the presence or absence of some magic items will throw it out of whack, it's neither robust nor flexible enough for what I want.

* - by their own doing; if I run them into something over their heads by my own error I'll usually try to provide some sort of out-clause or getaway car, which it's then on them to not ignore...

If you don't care about balance then.why do.you need to systemetize magic item creation. Just say "yes" and carry on. Tight systems for item creation only make sense if one of your goals is balance.

 

[tetrasodium]

There's a difference between us, I suppose, in that I largely don't give much of a fig about the mathematical balance. If the PCs get too powerful I can always up the opposition (in the long run, not the here-and-now of any given battle!), while if they get in over their heads* it's on them to find a way out. And if the game's that finely tuned that the presence or absence of some magic items will throw it out of whack, it's neither robust nor flexible enough for what I want.

* - by their own doing; if I run them into something over their heads by my own error I'll usually try to provide some sort of out-clause or getaway car, which it's then on them to not ignore...

Unless it's changed I seem to remember you running a very 1e/2e based game, mathematical balance is less important when the system has the level of risk attrition & need present in those systems. In a game like 5e where PCs are almost immune to risk & practically opt out of need or attrition the math is a smidge more important

 

[Reynard]

The more I think about it, the more I would love to see subclasses excised. Classes are supposed to be archetypes. So let folks play archetypes and code some "subclass abilities" as just stuff you choose at whatever level.

 

[Lanefan]

If you don't care about balance then.why do.you need to systemetize magic item creation. Just say "yes" and carry on. Tight systems for item creation only make sense if one of your goals is balance.

I think you misunderstand me. I'm not coming at this from an item creation perspective, but from an item buy-sell-trade perspective. Buying or upgrading or commissioning items is the biggest money sink in my game, far outstripping training (which I also have). And items can break or be destroyed too, and thus need replacement or repair.

Creating items isn't something PCs often do, if ever.

 

[Emirikol]

Dump Ability scores. Just use the bonus number.

Ability scores: since everyone is just so special, it should go from 0-5 because negatives are no longer trendy. Chart referencing is just archaic at this point.

Get rid of darkvision. Wth is the point if EVERYONE can see always anyways?

Dump skills and just use saves. Have specializations if you want.

Dump all spells above 5th from the phb. Wth do we have character levels..and spell 'levels' that have nothing in common. Call em A,B,c, etc for all I care.

Dump all the variant spellcasters. Jeez how many do we we need? Maybe add some more less/no magic-crutch classes back in.

Dump the video game feel that we have everpresent nowadays.

Hair, eyes skin whatever wastes space on character sheets and especially on VTT character sheets. They dont matter and no longer belong in the game. Age as a number? Heh. Good one. Yea we TOTALLY use that..not.

Passive perception. Holy heck if I have to listen to another smug-ling' belch about how he 'won d&d' Im gonna hurl.


Money. Ooooh, who doesnt love that worthless part of the game?

 

[Emirikol]

One more thing: magic. This "gods as accountants" delineation from arcane is dumb. Magic is magic is magic. Thats it no divine. No primordial.
Less "gods" crap in the next game would be good too.

 

[Remathilis]

Dump Ability scores. Just use the bonus number.

Ability scores: since everyone is just so special, it should go from 0-5 because negatives are no longer trendy. Chart referencing is just archaic at this point.

Get rid of darkvision. Wth is the point if EVERYONE can see always anyways?

Dump skills and just use saves. Have specializations if you want.

Dump all spells above 5th from the phb. Wth do we have character levels..and spell 'levels' that have nothing in common. Call em A,B,c, etc for all I care.

Dump all the variant spellcasters. Jeez how many do we we need? Maybe add some more less/no magic-crutch classes back in.

Dump the video game feel that we have everpresent nowadays.

Hair, eyes skin whatever wastes space on character sheets and especially on VTT character sheets. They dont matter and no longer belong in the game. Age as a number? Heh. Good one. Yea we TOTALLY use that..not.

Passive perception. Holy heck if I have to listen to another smug-ling' belch about how he 'won d&d' Im gonna hurl.


Money. Ooooh, who doesnt love that worthless part of the game?

Dump dungeons: the idea of giant underground buildings full of monsters and treasure is so 1980's video game. The game has moved on to collaborative storytelling, it's time to quit pretending to be a bad Gauntlet simulator.

Dump dragons: they are absolutely overdone in modern media. I mean, HBO has a new series about dragons and I'm like "yawn". Maybe they should try to focus on new monsters. Like mind flayers.