Level Up (A5E) [+] What features should a "Advanced 5E" have?

[Horwath]

Divorcing feats from ASIs as a common resource pool.

Having "flavor" and "combat" feats as a separate category.

I.E.
flavor feat at levels: 1,4,7,10,13,16,19
combat feats at levels: 2,5,8,11,14,17,20
+1 ASI at levels: 3,6,9,12,15,18


4E healing surges instead of HD for short rest healing


Make short rest...SHORT. 5 to 15 minutes max.


maybe reducing 6 abilities to 4.

Strength: melee and thrown attack&damage, HPs, fortitude saves, armor requirements,

Dexterity: finesse and ranged attack&damage, AC, initiative, reflex saves

Willpower: magic attack/damage/DCs, will saves

Cunning: most current int/wis/cha skills, bonus skills/tools/languages, initiative,

 

[Horwath]

Variable/tiered Proficiency Bonus, not one bonus to rule them all, and in the homogeny bind them.

I think it's a tad lame that a 1st level fighter and a 1st level wizard both have the same attack bonus with proficient weapons.

it's a good system, if you add different amount of str/dex, HPs, fighting styles, you have enough of a difference in weapon combat.

 

[Azzy]

Things I'd like to see off the top of my head:

• More customization and choice as characters advance through levels
• Stuff to spend money on
• A bit more nuance to advantage, but not too much (it's a great mechanic, and I much prefer it to a plethora of micro bonuses)
• An easy super-simple "deadliness" switch which makes it really simple to play a cinematic or a gritty game; very simple switch
• Martial maneuvers
• I think I'd do something with species, but I'm not sure what yet

All of these are great ideas. I'd also add:

• More options for tactical combat. While it's not something that I personally care about, it's something that's been brought up time and again and deserves being addressed for those that want it.
• Range bands and other TotM-enhancing elements (like Haldrik's post, or SARN-FU).
• Abstracted mass combat (like BECMI's Warmachine rules).
• Domain rules (again, like in BECMI).
• Codified skill challenge rules (like 4e).
• A more detailed skill system with more skills and a built-in way to gain/improve skills/languages/tools as you level (like AD&D's NWP). It needs to keep the standard skill roll mechanic of 5e and fit with 5e's bounded accuray, however.
• More weapons, armor, equipment (especially those of different cultures where weapon equivalency doesn't work).
• If you really want to go nuts, a more detailed Player's Option: Skills and Powers-style class and race customization that allows you you to modify or build classes. I'm sure that isn't a realistic request, though.
• More tools for the exploration and social pillars.
• AD&D-style multiclassing/4e gestalt classes.
• Leveling past 20th level up to 30th level (like in 2e and 4e).
• More detailed magic item creation and magic item economy.
• Rules for hirelings and henchmen.
• Non-magic item crafting.
• Better morale rules.
• Anything else that helps emulate an earlier edition's styles of play better.

Of course these would need to be a-la-carte (especially as some of them serve contradictory purposes).

I wish you the best of luck on this project, Morrus. It looks like it could easily get out of hand.

 

[Helldritch]

Some of the preceding suggestions are good but I think that 5ed adv can already be there.

Make a book with Ravnica's approach for guilds and apply it to Harpers, Zenths, etc... Make it so that a DM can adapt it easily to his own campaign.

Take the Acquisition inc approach to business role but make it non silly and more serious. Some if the ideas in that book are simply mind busting in terms of RP.

Take the Theros piety system and adapt it to the official pantheons of our different supported campaign settings. While at it, the heroic destiny system could be a bit expanded and applied to all campaigns too.

In fact, a lot of the additional rules found in various books could be reunited into that book of AD&D. The naval rules from Ghosts of Saltmarsh for examples were great.

Some of the UA stuff has been well received. They should be incorporated in that book too. Namely some of the feats, some subclasses etc...

Other things I would like to see.
Hunter's mark and Hex are no longer spells but class features. Usable once per class level + relevant stat bonuses or at will. Making these spells was detrimental to the classes.

Remove concentrations on some spells with upcast. High risk, high reward. This would add an interesting twist to some spells. It would not change a lot of things since casters have few spell slots. But it would add an interesting option for them.

More rituals. I feel that ritual casting is a bit lacking. Some spells, especially summoning types, should have the ritual tag. A few more divination spells should also have that tag. For the additional rituals, a casting cost in costly components should be added but players would have a nice money sink.

Call back the Long sword as a bastard sword (1d8/1d10) and make the long sword a finesse weapon so that elves are finally justified in their Long sword proficiency. That was utter BS.

Clarify some rules that were/are way too badly written that could and can be interpreted almost in any way you like... namely the hidding rules. Your invisible but not hidden????

In a sense, adding the Sage Advice column would not be such a bad idea come to think of it.

 

[Nebulous]

Stealth and hiding clarified. And just fix the skill system, it is far too simple in 5e. I miss characters actually putting points into something and visibly improving.

I would also scrap the current XP system and make XP useful, as a resource somehow.

 

[Minigiant]

Make a book with Ravnica's approach for guilds and apply it to Harpers, Zenths, etc... Make it so that a DM can adapt it easily to his own campaign

That's a good one.
They really should create a bunch of fantasy organizations of different types to snag: warrior guild, gangs of thieves, leagues of assassins, circles of spellcasters. Maybe a random table or two.

 

[Charlaquin]

I’d like a better weapons table. Weapons with multiple damage types, and enough properties to make weapons meaningfully stand out from one another. Also, preferably bows that benefit from Strength somehow.

 

[Jeff Albertson]

it's a good system, if you add different amount of str/dex, HPs, fighting styles, you have enough of a difference in weapon combat.

Yes, I have had much fun tinkering with the system; I now have a tiered Proficiency Bonus system, ability scores cap at 18, only Str adds to damage, grappling/shoving is removed from skills/expertise, monster proficiency bonus is not based on CR, adjusted weapons table, ability score bonuses for race are reduced, class grants a boost too, amongst many other variants.[/QUOTE]

 

[Retreater]

I love the idea. I've purposefully not read the preceding 4 pages of comments so I can post my own thoughts. If there's any repetition, just consider my statement a +1 vote.

Modularity: I would like modular rules. Allow DMs to put in what they think will enhance their games, and leave out other things. (Depending on the feel of the campaign, some rules will work for some campaigns but not others.)
Tactical movement: More interrupts, reactions, AoO. Make positioning important. (But whatever you do, don't use the 3.x/PF model of diagonal movement counts differently. That's just a headache.)
Combat Maneuvers That Matter: Disarming, Tripping, Grappling, etc. The action economy is set up so that picking up a dropped weapon or standing from prone doesn't really impact an enemy's action. Grappling just restrains an enemy, and if it isn't planning on moving, it has zero impact on the combat.
Broader access to healing in combat: Basically healing surges that can be directed by the character wanting the healing - not the cleric/druid/bard who has to be the sole healer.
Improved monsters: Give them more recharge abilities, auras, reactions to make them more interesting and flavorful.
Stuff to spend gold on: A magic item economy, training to get small benefits (or one-time use skills)
More feats to improve customization
"5 ft shift"
Optional rule for AC as Damage Reduction
Psionics/other sources of magic

 

[Mercurius]

Without having read the thread, I think WotC could address a lot of the social-cultural issues with an "advanced" book, without overly inciting controversies.

Take, for instance, racial adjustments. An advanced book could offer alternate rules for a more customizable approach. Keep the default as is, because it works for the majority of folks and is relatively straightforward, but add alternate rules.

Similarly with alignment and other sub-systems. Offer guidance and options on alternate approaches, but keep the default as is.

And of course psionics, non-Vancian magic, etc. Basically a toolbox for customizing the game in ways that differ from the core, while still resting on the 5E chassis. This might include more explicit complexity dialing, tactical combat, and so on. Stuff that's already around, but could be explicated further.

And this: an alternate pathway beyond 20th level: 21st-30th, maybe beyond. Rules for immortal play. How to transition from "superhero" to demigod.

I'd also like to see guidance for more structural customization: how to build a new class or race?

In all of this, "advanced D&D" should be--in my opinion--a toolbox of customizations, not a separate or inseparable set of rules that you either use wholesale or not. It should be add-ons, which you can take piecemeal from. Of course most folks will use it that way regardless of intention, but it should be designed with that approach in mind. This allows for future products to remain cohesive; that is, not splitting the game into two versions, but still one version that can be approached in a variety of ways.