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Message: <blockquote data-quote="doctorhook" data-source="post: 5708356" data-attributes="member: 58401">Keep these things:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Clearly defined roles for classes!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dedicated slots for Utility powers! (Heroes of Neverwinter reminded me what it was like to have to choose between an attack and a utility; hardly anyone ever chooses the utility.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Condensed skill list! (It's concise and free of redundancies.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">4E's default pantheon! (20 deities with minimal overlap, lameness, and unpronounceability. Let's save the mess that is Gygax' pantheon for Greyhawk, shall we? That thing scares off new people.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">World-axis cosmology! (Elemental Chaos, Astral Sea, Feywild, and Shadowfell; it's got room for all of the old stuff, but removes the need for explanation of what happens on a given plane without necessitating tears of boredom.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Nentir Vale-esque default setting! (It's small enough to fit into almost any campaign, and it's loaded with plot hooks and tie-ins. Small region + tons of ongoing support = a rich and versatile setting for a first campaign.)</li> </ul>Change these things:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Add dedicated Utility feat slots! (This way people will actually choose feats like Linguist, Skill Focus, and Ritual Caster on their own.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">No more feat tax! (Fix the math instead!)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Add powers selected from pools based on power source! (E.g.: Wizards would share almost all their powers with the Arcane power pool, while Warlocks would select some of their powers from that pool and gain the rest specifically from their pact.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Stop adding new concepts that just creep the numbers up! (Backgrounds increased everyone's favorite skills by +2; wtf, dudes? Who thought it was a good idea to eff with the math after the fact??) </li> </ul>Build on these developments:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Essentials: Multiple power sources for classes that need them! (Rangers are Martial and Primal in Essentials, for example. Sorcerers could be Arcane and Elemental, for another. Also, different subclasses needn't share the exact same power sources, as long as they have one in common.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Essentials: Unified and distinct mechanics per power source! (Martial powers should modify basic attacks. Arcane powers should affect all creatures in their AoE, while Divine powers should be ally-friendly. Lots more examples.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Essentials: Simpler class design! (Too many options makes a class that much more difficult to balance. Essentials gave 4E classes an appropriate amount of choice without being crippling. Mages choose their spell school and Warpriests choose their domain; model future classes on this, but with an improved selection of schools and domains.)</li> </ul>Please note that this list is not even close to comprehensive!</blockquote>

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