What the World needs: E6 in Book Format

- no reference of later levels in spells, item creation, skill DCs and so on

But monsters are allowed to exceed 6th level. That Titan can fling 9th level spells, TYVM.

- a spell selection that adds some later spells that are iconic while toning them down in power and that gets rid of low level spells that don´t make much sense in a E6 game.

Unnecessary - just use the Epic spell creation rules.

E6 should be a supplement to D20, not a game on its own.
 

log in or register to remove this ad


If no one else has taken the task, I'd totally be up for writing an "official" E6RPG. ;)

Putting it to print however is outside my financial ability.
How quickly can I do it? I'm not sure

Is it even legal for me to take someone elses idea an write an RPG based on it entirely?

New back-burner project: E6RPG
 

If no one else has taken the task, I'd totally be up for writing an "official" E6RPG. ;)

Putting it to print however is outside my financial ability.
How quickly can I do it? I'm not sure

Is it even legal for me to take someone elses idea an write an RPG based on it entirely?

New back-burner project: E6RPG


How about financing it with kickstarter and going for print on demand in the beginning?


E6 should be a supplement to D20, not a game on its own.

Why?
 

If y'all do this, you should do it as a set of core rules (the stuff that everyone agrees is core for E6), plus a bunch of variant house rules with discussion of the implications & complications each variant carries. Basically, like a PHB + Unearthed Arcana in a single tome.

Variants that need discussion:
- Magic items: where to cap?
- Spells: do higher level spells exist? Who can cast them?
- Monsters: what CRs exist? Can some monsters cast spells of level 4+?

I bet it would be a lot easier to start this up as a wiki. Web traffic could also give you an interest gauge.

Cheers, -- N
 

Agree with Nifft. I think it makes sense to start with an online offering, sort of an E6 version of d20srd.org. A print version could follow that based on how that community builds the game.

I actually posted a query about an E6 SRD this past weekend in the legacy forum, because I've been thinking about this, at least to the level of an online reference.

Fwiw, here's the most relevant section of my quick brainstorm last week on such a project. There's some top-level organizational questions up top, and buried in the mess is a very brief rundown on what needs to be done, per section of the SRD. Keeping in mind I'm looking at this as as a small-scale, online fan project, not as a professional production. If nothing else, it kind of shows the scale of the project in the eyes of this random schmuck on teh int3rwebz. (Sorry it's ugly, formatting went kaput):[sblock]E6 CORE SRD (by section)

Goal:
- What exactly is to be included in final product(s)? Basics? Options? (which ones? & who decides?) Extraneous info?
- What is final format of products?
- Is the point to have an online static reference webpage, akin to d20srd.org? If so, should it be structured the same way? Linked to it?
-Or would a mutable be better? For ex, a wiki (good for multi-person projects) or twiki (so whole wiki can be referenced offline);
- Downloadable version? what form(s): pdf, rtf, html, etc?
- would a book-like PDF/printable version be of interest? What format (PF style one huge book? WotC style 3 big books? B/X style 2 small Basic books, then 2 small more Advanced books?)
- Is a super basic, super simple thing (approx like, eg, my "phase 0/1" below) the goal, or is there interest in something more involved and slick (eg, like "phase 2" or beyond)?
- multiple products: any/all of the above?

Coordination:
- Forum: Wiki? ENWorld thread/sub-forum? google/yahoo group
- Doing it: Wiki? development branches & change tracking, etc? Mad coding skillz, if its a static webpage? Backend database? Ripping off code from other sources (talk to Jans Carton of d20srd.org?)
- Hosting: Where? Domain name(s)? Free or pay?
- Who: How are decisions made? Who's the editor, and how does work get delegated? Who does what?

A possible approach in phases:

phase 0: "Rough draft E6" - This is basically just the SRD rtfs from WotC converted to html; and index page to link it together; and everything that looks vaguley beyond E6 chopped out, plus the "official" stuff inserted where appropriate. There will be little thought to creating this, and it wil likely be rife with errors and inconsistency. It's basically the first draft, but it's also something that, once done, will have a fair bit of utility.

phase 1: "Core E6" - This contains material from the WotC's SRD rtfs and Ry Stoughton's original document only. It is the most conservative interpration of E6.
- Organization: should this include everything, or should it be even more stripped-down, sort of like a Basic Set? (ie, smaller spell, monster, magic item selection, simplified skills, etc)
- include E6 overview (plus links to Ry Stoughton's doc)
- add E6 "necessary feats" (eg, "Wondrous Rings", "Restoration", etc)
- Chop base class info above 6th level; and PrCs unattainable after 6th
- Chop spells above 3rd (or 2nd or 1st, depending upon class)
- Drop hazards, traps, and monsters above CR(?), and those with spell-likes above 3rd level
- Drop magic items of greater than CL6th
- Drop feats unnatainable at 6th level; move some feats over to "Monstrous Feats" section for those monsters that need them but PCs can't use
- possibly include UA gestalt rules (since "gestalt" is mentioned as a playstyle in Ry's docs)
- include official errata, if they exist.

phase 2: "More Advanced options" - This includes the rest of the OGC from WotC (making it more or less an E6 version of d20srd.org), as well as popular E6 concepts (eg, capstone feats and prestige feats).
- Organization possibilities:
- as "appendices": CorE6 + Other sections (similar to d20srd.org); or
- or "integrated": phase 2 material merged into the phase 1 material (eg, variant Barbarians presented under the Barbarian" section under "Classes", rather than in a separate "UA" section; and general feats from Divine merged into the "Feats" section, rather than in a separate "Divine" section; etc); or
- something else?
- items from Divine
- items from Epic
- items from Psionic
- items from UA
- "Advanced" E6 concepts - This needs some debate, as this stuff is not "official" E6 (ie, not in Ry's original docs), so a baseline of "most popular" needs to be found before inclusion.
- capstone feats?
- prestige feats (feat chains, feat trees, etc)?
- add OGC versions of select non-SRD iconic monsters? (eg, yuan-ti, mindflayer, etc)
- (TBD) Other stuff? Reintro select higher-level spells as E6 feats? Or just discuss this as possibility? Hawk UA "Incantations" as solution to higher level magics?

SPECIFICS:

Characters

* Basics and Ability Scores - bonus spells by level table to include only to 3rd level
* Description - no change
* Character Races - no change
* Basic Character Classes I - (Bbn-Mnk)
-cut advancement tables to 6th level, and cut corresponding ability/feature descriptions;
- cut spell tables (bard, cleric, druid) to top out at 3rd level spells;
- cut druid animal companion table back to 6th level.
* Basic Character Classes II (Pal-Wiz, and multi-classing rules)
- cut advancement tables to 6th level, and cut corresponding ability/feature descriptions;
- cut spell tables (sorc, wiz) to top out at 3rd level spells;
- cut spell tables (paladin, ranger) to top out at 1st level spells;
- cut paladin mount, sor/wiz familiar, and ranger animal companion table back to 6th level.
* NPC Classes
- cut advancement tables to 6th level, and cut corresponding ability/feature descriptions;
- cut spell tables (Adp) to top out at 2nd level spells;
* Prestige Classes - only include ones possible to achieve before or at 6th character level. Typically this means at best prereqs of:
- 3rd level spell casting ability
- +5 BAB
- 8 skill ranks
i believe the SRD PrCs that are available in CORE6 are: arcane trickster, assassin, dragon disciple, duelist, horizon walker (what about other PrCs either via featchains, or by lessening entry reqs to ones a 6th char level can handle?)
* Epic Levels - N/A to E6 deprecate. (?)
* Skills I - no change
* Skills II - no change
* Feats - chop ones with prereqs beyond 6th (character) level, eg:
- character level beyond 6th
- 3rd level spell-casting ability
- +6 BAB
- 9 skill ranks
- unattainable feat prereq. (though some will move over to section for "Monstrous Feats", as required for included monsters)
- (phase 1?) also include select General feats from Psionics, Divine and Epic WotC OGC material (see d20srd.org)
* Special Abilities and Conditions - no change

Exploration and Combat

* Carrying, Movement, and Exploration - no change
* Combat I (Basics) - no change
* Combat II (Movement, Modifiers, and Special Actions) - no change
* Planes - no change
* Traps - remove traps that reference spells beyond 3rd or CLs beyond 8th.(this is arbitrary)
* Treasure - change tables:
- "treasure values per encounter", cut back to 10th level (arbitrary)
- "treaure", cut back to 10th level (arbitrary)
* Wilderness, Weather, and Environment - no change

Equipment and Items

* Equipment - no change
* Special Materials - no change
* Magic Items I (Basics and Creation) -
- sections on "Rods" and "Staffs" go away because feat is too high level;
- replace "Rings" reference to "Forge RIng" with Ry Stoughton's "Wondrous Rings" feat.
* Magic Items II (Armor and Weapons) -
- remove items wth CL greater than 6th or spells greater than 3rd
* Magic Items III (Potions, Rings, and Rods) -
- drop "Rods" section;
- replace "Rings" with Ry Stoughton's "Wondrous Rings" feat;
- remove items wth CL greater than 6th or spells greater than 3rd
* Magic Items IV (Scrolls, Staffs, and Wands) -
- drop "Staffs" section;
- remove items wth CL greater than 6th or spells greater than 3rd
* Magic Items V (Wondrous Items) - remove items wth CL greater than 6th or spells greater than 3rd
* Magic Items VI (Intelligent, Cursed, and Artifacts) - remove items wth CL greater than 6th or spells greater than 3rd ((?) and 6th for artifacts?)

Magic and Spells

* Magic Overview - no change
* Spell List I -
- chop Bard spell list beyond 2nd level spells
- chop Cleric list beyond 3rd level spells; and chop domain lists beyond 3rd
* Spell List II -
- chop Druid, Sorc, Wiz lists beyond 3rd level spell
- chop Pal and Rgr spell lists beyond 1st level spells
* Spells A-Z - For all Spells A-Z, excise references to any full-caster classes (Clr, Drd, Sor/Wiz) for which the spell exceeds 3rd level; for Brd class, 2nd level; and for Pal and Rgr, 1st level. A couple will remain to cover E6 "necessary feats", ((?)but those are relocated to Feats section).

Monsters
Drop all monsters above CR12(?), and only keep select ones from CR9-12. Pay especial attention to spell-like abilities (ie avoid ones mimicking spells above 4th level), high SR, and other abilities that are hard/impossible to counter with 3rd level or lesser magic. However, keep iconics and mythics, and explicitly mention advancing monsters, as per rules below.
* Monsters Intro-A
* Monsters B-C
* Monsters D-De
* Monsters Di-Do
* Monsters Dr-Dw
* Monsters E-F
* Monsters G
* Monsters H-I
* Monsters K-L
* Monsters M-N
* Monsters O-R
* Monsters S
* Monsters T-Z
* Monsters: Animals
* Monsters: Vermin
* Types, Subtypes, and Abilities - no change
* Monster Feats - (?)move certain ones to character Feats section; chop spell-likes metmagics 4th level; also include "non-epic general feats" from Epic Feats Index (Epic Feats Index :: d20srd.org)
* Improving Monsters - no change
* Monsters as Races - no change

Phase 2: Variant Rules (UA, etc)
Races
- environmental and elemental racial variants
- racial paragon classes (to 3rd level)
- gestalts (? even in phase1, since gestalting is a mentioned playstyle in Ry's docs)
- (likely not "Bloodlines", as they are oddly balanced at low levels)
Classes - include all sections, but cut back to 6 char levels where appropriate, especially gestalts.
Building Characters - all sections?; except maybe "Spelltouched Feats"as they are high-level spells mostly.
Adventuring - TBD
Magic - TBD (likely keep "Incantations")
Campaigns - TBD
Divine, Epic, Psionics (TBD) [/sblock]My note's go on and on, but what's outlined in the spoiler block I think is the minimum consideration required in stripping the d20 SRD down to E6. Might be way off base, but it's a start. ;)
 
Last edited:

I've been working on learning to build websites for just over a month now and have the basics down. I've also been designing my own RPG from the ground up for 2 weeks, and its been going good. The goal of these 2 things was to have a website with my RPG as its main focus available (for free even) to the public.
Adding an E6RPG variant as a whole different RPG system wouldn't be that hard per se, just time consuming
[MENTION=75712]the_orc_within[/MENTION] If you're willing to share your well thought out notes, I'm actually interested in this project now.
 

Great notes, the_orc_within, you have put lots of thought into this.

Agree with Nifft. I think it makes sense to start with an online offering, sort of an E6 version of d20srd.org. A print version could follow that based on how that community builds the game.


I´m starting to see that this might be the best way to go. However, I´d absolutely wish for a nice and clean pdf of the whole E6 srd to print out and have at the table.
 

@Lord Xtheth, what scant relevant notes I have are in the spoiler block above (I'll try to go in and make them a bit neater at some point today, or else send on my own slightly prettier version). They contain what I imagine is the minimum needed to make an E6 anlalog to d20srd.org. In my mind, the key is getting this most minimal "core" E6 defined and in a nice format ("phase 1" in my notes); at that point, it's a lot easier to tweak for further development, as well as for individuals' games & projects.

I've got notes for other longerterm things (adding 3pp info, hourserules support, OGLized versions of popular WotC material, print versions, etc), but they're just ideas and not fleshed out yet, since there's no "core" to work off yet!

In any event, I started a thread a few days ago in Legacy, "Is there an E6 SRD" with a little more of what I've been pondering, as well some interest expressed by a couple others.

We can take the discussion down there, or keep it up here (maybe fork it). I think this might be a hijack of this Sir Robilar's thread, though?!
 
Last edited:

I´m starting to see that this might be the best way to go. However, I´d absolutely wish for a nice and clean pdf of the whole E6 srd to print out and have at the table.
Yeah, me too. Someone upthread mentioned a "reader's digest" version, which I think was the perfect description! I envision something like the Basic players' and DM's books or something.

I suspect it's doable, if monsters are really pared down. Non level-specific rules might have to be simplified a bit too... but at that point, it starts deviating a fair bit from the original SRD, and becomes less 3.5e-like. Again, it starts becoming its own thing. That's totally cool, imho, it's just a little further out on the horizon. We just need that fundamental "core" bit first.

Fwiw, I know html-izing WotC's original rtfs is really simple to do with most any text editor. I've got at least one such html-ized full SRD on my hard drive, although I think stripping the rtfs then converting to html might be easier than converting then stripping. Either way, that resulting "E6 rough-draft" document, plus a front page index, would be an ugly but serviceable starting point.

So at this point, I'll just ask point blank: Shall we get this going?
 

Remove ads

Top