What the World needs: E6 in Print--redone

[Dice4Hire]

Enworld has trouble with threads that end in the word print, so I redid this post. Hope I do not offend anyone.

Originally posted by Sir Robilar 5th January 2011 08:27 AM
What the World needs: E6 in Print

This goes out to OGL publishers and to fans of E6:

Following the forums on enworld, rpg net and Paizo lately there is a LOT of buzz about E6. Threads about it keep popping up and lots of gamers write that it is their favourite variant of D&D. E6 is, in my opinion, a great system that gives focus to what is cool about D&D while getting rid of the wuxia bloat of later levels.

So I´m wondering: Why hasn´t anyone published a version of E6? The answer is easy of course - E6 is so simple that no one needs a printed version. It is explained in a few sentences and is pretty much plug-and-play.

However, I still feel that a printed version could be fantastic. Imagine a nice and slim version of the player´s handbook with the following:

- all races and classes up to 6th level, maybe reorganising some of the class abilities so every class has their iconic abilities.
- no reference of later levels in spells, item creation, skill DCs and so on
- 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.
- a nice and meaty collection of Feats for the 6 + X levels.
- maybe a small bestiary including suitable critters and low level NPCs
- DM advice on running succesful E6 campaigns.

Honestly, I´d buy this in a heartbeat. Would also work with Pathfinder nicely, I think.

So... would anyone else be interested in this or am I completely insane?

 

[Alzrius]

(I'm cross-posting this from the other thread with the exact same title and original post.)

I've seen at least one pay-for-download supplement written for E6 so far, so there might be something to this.

That said, I think it's a great idea for someone to make a "professional" E6 Pathfinder book. But it'd certainly take some real work.

You certainly could just treat such a book as a mechanics-only supplement. As you said, it'd retool everything to being level 6, reworking the rules to accommodate the changes...but I don't think it'd be quite so cut-and-dried.

There are, at least to my mind, a lot of questions about what should be added, tweaked, or deleted in an E6 rulebook. Do you incorporate a lot of new low-power magic items (e.g. Super Genius Games' Loot 4 Less line of products)? What about introducing incantations for keeping some spell effects that are normally above 3rd level?

And the monsters...at what level do you stop introducing higher-CR monsters? Do you keep them to monsters of CR 6? Or do you go a few points higher to account for stronger PC parties?

That's without even getting into questions of campaign design. Should the book push a more Tolkien-esque feel for magic, where spellcasters are very rare? Should very high-CR monsters be kept in the game as background threats to create a "small fish in a very big pond" feel for players (e.g. "Swords are of no use here! Fly you fools!")? Does it include rules for making spell-less variants of paladins, rangers, and bards?

E6 is a great idea, and I personally love it, but I think that it means different things to different people, and making a full game supplement out of the book would be tricky if it wanted to keep the "underground" popularity the idea is enjoying now.

 

[Wiseblood]

A Readers Digest sized rulebook would get my attention. I have the Pathfinder core rulebook and I'm afraid when I'm reading while laying down that it will fall on me. Trapping me for hours or perhaps even killing me outright.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Mods, go ahead and close this one. The other post got fixed.