What NON-OBVIOUS stuff would you like to see in Revised?

[dcollins]

My hope and expection is that the revision has mostly low-level revisions and corrections, not wholesale rule rewrites like some folks are suggesting.

My top wish list includes the following:
- Some usual stuff like ranger feat pre-loading, haste, and polymorph.
- Rename "attacks of opportunity" with a term that is less unwieldly. My suggestion is "openings".
- Streamline the action system -- matching d20 Modern is fine. Get rid of partial actions, and just have "standard", "move", and "full" actions.
- Clarify magic creation, in particular: (a) that "caster level" is a minimum for creators, and (b) that PCs don't get to design their own "new items" by default. (My heart goes out to DMs bullied by players on this last issue, since it breaks the whole item-creation feat and slotted-item balancing system.) Introduce more detail for variants on the level of "spell research" including research times, costs, etc.
- I guess I'll also mention that I wish they would yank creatures with fractions-of-a-hit-die, and just use Constitution penalties instead.
- Oh, and fix dragons' CR (and preferably sizes, but that won't happen).

www.superdan.net/dndmisc/terminology_changes.html
www.superdan.net/dndmisc/fractional_hit_dice.html
www.superdan.net/dndmisc/dragons_are_too_small.html
www.superdan.net/dndfaq2.html

 

[Oni]

Here is another thing I think would be nice.


*In regards to spell descriptors create a catagory of them called energy descriptors, have it include positive, negative, sonic, acid, cold, fire, and electricity. Create a sub-catagory called elemental descriptors, it would include only acid, cold, fire, and electricity.
. -Change Resist Elements, Endure Elements, Protection from elements to Resist energy et c., have them be able to block also negative and positive energy (if your feeling real uppity have energy drain, or undead ability drain equal to a certain amount of damage, like say 10 or 15 (those would be my recommendations, then resist could stop ability drain, and protection energy drain for a while). If you were to include something like like Energy Immunity from T&B make it Elemental immunity and only able to stop the elemental subgroup.
. -Replace spells that do a specific type elemental damage with a spell type. For instance replace Fireball or Lightning bolt, with Elemental Ball, or Elemental Bolt. Upon gaining the spell the caster chooses one element type from the elemental subgroup and forever after that is the energy type the spell produces. ex. a sorcere gains sixth level and chooses Elemental Ball, he picks the cold descriptor and now the spell does cold damage. He could later pick Elemental ball again and choose a different descriptor as a different spell. Sonic is not available as it is not an Elemental descriptor.
. -If Energy Substitution is included, change it to Elemental Substitution. Make a seperate feat called Energy Substitution, it does the same thing as Elemental Substitution but also includes the negative, positive, and sonic descriptors in addition to the elemental descriptors however it takes up a slot one level higher than the spell to use.

 

[Ace]

Does anyone else think that sling bullets are outrageously heavy? Try having your halfling rogue carry enough to be useful without popping into medium encumbrance.

Recent research I've been doing happened across the heaviest sling bullets in the real world being 185g, with the average more like 100g or a quarter pound. For those without the rules handy, sling bullets are listed at a half pound a piece.

John

Slings also should do more than 1d4 damage. I have seen them used and they are powerfull weapons

JMO but a sling should be a martial weapon 1d6/x2 blunt strength adds. It could 1d4 with stones instead of clay or lead pellets

 

[Xarlen]

I like those ideas, to an extent, Oni, but the negative/positive protection would make draining undead really not dangerous at all.

And, the only other thing is that making itable to do Positive or Negative energy is really dangerous. Positive energy does twice as much damage to Undead, and Negative heals them.

 

[Mouseferatu]

(My heart goes out to DMs bullied by players on this last issue, since it breaks the whole item-creation feat and slotted-item balancing system.)

Are you saying PCs shouldn't be able to create new magic items? If so, I can't agree with you. I've had some of my players come up with some really nifty ideas. And if any of them come up with something I don't like, well, part of the DM's job is to know when to say no. (Or at least when to say "That's too powerful for the standard cost, so I'm upping it by a factor of 30." Accomplishes the same thing as saying "No," basically. )

 

[Numion]

Re: Wishes...

Give Elves back their bonus to INT, explain trancing (are they aware?), give them back +1 with all swords and bows, explain why a chaotic race prefers Wizardry to Sorcery, give them back their 1e ability to cast in armor (which other races couldn't), give them back their 90% resistance to Sleep & Charm. (This won't happen, for backwards compatibility).

At what ECL?

 

[Endur]

I think

1) PHB: Allow strength versions for all other missile weapons besides bows. A Strength crossbow shouldn't require any more strength (just be more expensive than usual).

2) PHB: For crossbows, instead of making loading a move-equivalent action, only allow a crossbow to be fired during a full attack. That way, a crossbow wielder can shoot multiple times if he has multiple attacks, but he'll never be able to move and fire, which is more realistic (and closer to how other games model crossbows). He also wouldn't be able to fire during a partial action, which simulates the fact that his weapon isn't loaded and takes a little while longer to ready.


3) PHB Spells: Don't let Greater Magic Weapon affect 50 arrows. Let the spell only affect one arrow. Otherwise, the double stacking of enhancement bonuses for bow and arrows gets to be really high in games where the party is 8th level and above.

4) DMG Encounters: Effects of Rain (DMG needs sample weather rules for rain, fog, lightning storms, etc.).

5) DMG Prestige Classes: A character should only be able to join one prestige class. None of this stuff where a character takes one level in ten different prestige classes to get all the front loaded benefits.

6) DMG Magic Items: Bag of Tricks is way underpriced. Try comparing the prices of the Bag of Tricks, the figurines of Wonderous Power, and the Horn of Valhalla.

7)DMG Magic Items: The Hammer of Thunderbolts needs a higher DC for its slay giants ability. Fort save DC 16 is something just about every Giant can make unless they roll a 1.

8)MM: The CR increase for advancing Monster's Hit Dice in the Monster Manual needs to be changed. Currently, doubling the hit dice of a monster adds two to the CR. If you double the hit dice of a monster, you should majorly increase the CR, perhaps doubling the CR.

Also, many of the templates that add +1 or +2 need to add much more for higher hit dice creatures, the way the Fiendish template increases its CR increase based on creature hit dice.

Good examples of messed up CRs: fully advanced half fiend Athach (28 hit dice).

Fiendish Troll: Fire resistance, SR, DR. What more could you ask for in a CR 6 monster.

Basic MM creatures with CRs that are too low: Troll, Ettin, all Dragons, most templates, etc.


I also agree with all of the suggestions below.

I

1. Good and bad saves should follow the d20 Modern save progressions (I've had a lot of trouble with chacters taking multiple classes and getting through-the-roof saves).
2. Tumble checks should be opposed by reflex saves (as the optional rule in Song and Silence). Bluff (when used in combat to make the opponent flat-footed) should be opposed by Will saves. Casting Defensively should be opposed by something, possible an Attack Roll.
3. If you take a 5' step away from someone and do something that invokes an attack of opportunity (such as fire an arrow or cast a spell), you should still invoke, just as if you'd moved farther than five feet and done the same thing. This solves both the "Dancing Crossbowman" problem, and makes casting spellin in melee actually dangerous (when combined with an opposed Concentration check).
4. You should only ever get one extra partial action per turn. If you have a Monk's Belt, Haste, and Battletide (from Defenders of the Faith), you still should only get one extra partial action.
5. Druids should gain the physical (but not mental) buff spells (Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, and Endurance). Druids should also be able to use bows.
6. Just for flavor, I'd like to see Endurance get an animal name. Maybe Ox's Endurance.
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[Mouseferatu]

8)MM: The CR increase for advancing Monster's Hit Dice in the Monster Manual needs to be changed. Currently, doubling the hit dice of a monster adds two to the CR. If you double the hit dice of a monster, you should majorly increase the CR, perhaps doubling the CR.

Can't even begin to agree with you there. It just doesn't work that way; upping a creature's hit points, BAB, etc. can make the creature more challenging, but not that much more.

Frankly, the current CR system over-emphasizes hit points to begin with (which is why the CR on the mountain giant in MM2 is so ridiculous; even WotC staff have commented on this). The truth is, a mind flayer with 100 hit points is tougher than one with 50 hit points, but it's not twice as tough, because most of its abilities haven't substantially changed.

 

[Endur]

CR problems

Well, you are over-looking something. Upping a creature's hit dice can also up the DC of their special ability saves (if based on hit dice), can increase their size (including strength, con and other abilities), and can have other effects.

Take a look at the Spell Weaver in MM2: ten hit dice, cr 10 creature. If you follow the MM theory, increase to 30 hit dice, CR becomes 14. CR 14 is pretty low for a level 32 Sorceror who has eight-sided hit dice, SR, immunity to mind-affecting spells, and the ability to cast up to six spells in a round.

CRs for creatures with lots of hit dice are hard to assign. Take the Mountain Giant, for instance, with CR 26 in the MM2. Go ahead and build a party of epic fighters (level 26). If they can't fly, the Mountain Giant will probably kill them. On the other hand, a party of Epic Wizards will probably be hasted, flying, improved invisible and crush the giant. Unless of course the Giant wins initiative and steps on the Wizard. In that case, the Wizard better hope he had contingency up or its time to ask the Cleric for another resurrection.

Tom

Can't even begin to agree with you there. It just doesn't work that way; upping a creature's hit points, BAB, etc. can make the creature more challenging, but not that much more.

Frankly, the current CR system over-emphasizes hit points to begin with (which is why the CR on the mountain giant in MM2 is so ridiculous; even WotC staff have commented on this). The truth is, a mind flayer with 100 hit points is tougher than one with 50 hit points, but it's not twice as tough, because most of its abilities haven't substantially changed.

 

[Victim]

Can't even begin to agree with you there. It just doesn't work that way; upping a creature's hit points, BAB, etc. can make the creature more challenging, but not that much more.

Frankly, the current CR system over-emphasizes hit points to begin with (which is why the CR on the mountain giant in MM2 is so ridiculous; even WotC staff have commented on this). The truth is, a mind flayer with 100 hit points is tougher than one with 50 hit points, but it's not twice as tough, because most of its abilities haven't substantially changed.

No it doesn't. That's why high CR outsiders have CR 17 or higher. The CR system is overvalueing their many special abilities. While many powerful outsiders seemed designed for melee because they have lots of attacks or a vorpal weapon, they have wizard HP. And many of their powers will be ineffective in combat. Demons have Darkness, but can't see in it like devils. And most of them don't have Blindfight by default. I'd probably double the HD of powerful outsiders and keep the same CR.

While, at the high end, the mountain giant CR seems far too high, in many cases, the melee killing machine monsters often seem to have CRs too low to adequately reflect their damage dealing abilities. In many cases, increasing the HD of creature by a large amount will create a creature that's almost unkillable by normal means for characters of its level.