Mezuka
Hero
I had the same problem. Tried Fantasy AGE but it was too action hero for my taste. Shadow of the Demon Lord has a really nice path system my players like. They feel the options are better than those in FAGE.I am broadly frustrated with 5E in general, but what I found when doing a session of OD&D was players unhappy with very stripped down characters. I want a not-D&D because I want to find an alternative that still silupports the dungeon fantasy playstyle with the associated expectations and baggage of some D&D variant.
At level 1 you choose a Novice path (magician, priest, rogue, warrior). Then at level 3, you take an Expert path which opens up the Paladin for warriors, the Cleric for a priest, just to name a few. Later you take a Master path to further specialize. Players get something at every level. There are only 10 levels, which is something I really like.
The characters only do 2 actions per turn, with one possible Triggered action. The action economy is much simpler, which is something that irks me in 5e.
You can add more path and race options with The Companion Books 1 & 2.
I don't like the setting of SotDL. I ignore it and use Greyhawk instead. My game is already grimdark, so it works.
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