D&D General What Would You Base A non-OGL 5e-alike Game On? (+)

[Composer99]

Have they made a statement saying that?

Here's a post from a thread here on ENWorld about PF2 and the OGL. As far as I can tell, these remarks predate the current kerfuffle by some time.

Note that Paizo would have to actually draft their own license to make this work, which they might be reluctant to do while this is all going down.

 

[mamba]

I'm kind of with @Clint_L in thinking I'm not looking for another D&D that is not D&D because we do not like them. Pathfinder did that and what percentage did they bring over compared to what stayed and converted to 4e?

quite a few actually, certainly more than all the other games combined.

I certainly want the level of complexity 5e has, maybe slightly less, going story heavy like PbtA is not for me, sorry @Clint_L

What is better than the D20 mechanic? Maybe a 2d10 system to get more average numbers. Add a d10 when you have advantage and take one away with disadvantage. Do the same with skill checks.

going back and forth on whether I like 2d10 better than 1d20, Probably still 1d20 for simplicity

Hit points. As abstract as they are, I'm not sure a system with flesh wounds and actual bleeding wounds would be better if you need to track more. Maybe an armor system that lets you negate damage to keep HP simple.

same

Races and classes are likely most core and keeping the feel of the LotR base from older editions would be good.

agreed, 3pp can provide others, I would focus on the core 4 to 6

I could be swayed with a leveling system change. People play to gain more power and like the 'sweet spot' of mid levels, so something that only goes to 10-12 might keep people in the 3-7 range longer if those XP needs are spread out.

I'd level slower and reign in the high end powers, so if the new level 20 is the current level 15 in power, that is an improvement

Oh, and full theatre-of-the-mind support, similar to 13th Age. Maybe spellpoints, not a fan of vancian really

 

[mamba]

Have they made a statement saying that?

essentially, they said they might have to make a few tweaks but otherwise think the OGL is optional at this point

 

[aco175]

I might like a system that allows you to take powers from other classes to build your PC. Not multiclassing, but something that lets you take an ability at a cost.

Maybe my thief wants to be beefier and wants the fighters power that crits on 19-20. As a thief I may have to pay 2x my points I get from leveling, but a mage that wants the same thing may have to pay 3x the points. I know there are other point-buy classes in other games, but something to let you add some things at a cost might be interesting.

 

[DMZ2112]

I'm not sure if this is a cop out, but I think that if there are 100 replies to this thread, you will get 100 different and possibly incompatible ideas.

In my opinion, that is what makes D&D and its 3PP diaspora great. It's not the best designed game, and never has been, but that has never stopped a large number of fans with substantially diverse TTRPG interests from playing it successfully and joyfully throughout the years, and deriving innumerable stories about some very different topics from it. None of us want the same things from it, and yet more of us stick around than not.

With the exception of a few niche generic systems, nearly every other RPG is concept- or setting-locked to a degree that requires some technical conversion to adapt to other playstyles. You can get surprisingly far with RAW D&D just by reskinning things.

If I knew how to recreate that in a vacuum, I wouldn't explain it here, I'd publish it.

I guess if I had one concrete request, it would be to reintroduce a bell curve to the core mechanic. In early D&D, the bell curve was baked into ability score generation -- you rolled 3d6, in order, and if you got an 18 in Strength, that was a 1 in 216 chance and you'd already beaten the odds, so you picked Fighter and every Strength check you made during the game with a simple, flat 1d20 was 90% successful on average, and that was okay.

Because your character got crushed by a falling slab at 3rd level, and you rolled your next character and got a 3 Dexterity and smug condolences from your fellow players. The wheel of fortune turns!

Ever since the move to linear ability score modifiers, the game has gotten very swingy. Can't argue with the simplicity, but the die has a linear 20-point spread; in D&D5, your character sheet doesn't become more relevant to success than that doom until about, what, 8th level, with some focused development? Probably closer to 10th or 11th, right at the end of the sweet spot.

 

[Zardnaar]

Probably a 2d6 system against DCs or a single digit 1-12 system and you assign a dice to each ability score and roll that + modifiers vs a target number.

Think I like 2d6 better but at least the other one makes d12's great.

 

[mamba]

I'm not sure if this is a cop out, but I think that if there are 100 replies to this thread, you will get 100 different and possibly incompatible ideas.

that is a given, but there will also be preferences

I guess if I had one concrete request, it would be to reintroduce a bell curve to the core mechanic. In early D&D, the bell curve was baked into ability score generation -- you rolled 3d6

that is still the case in 5e too (minus the fixed slot the value goes in), so not sure what you want to gain back. Is it just to assign the rolls in order ? You can houserule that, in the official I would let the players choose

 

[Composer99]

I think if this is to be a 5e look-alike then it needs to look as much like 5e as can be managed.

The nice thing about the 5e chassis is that if you strip out the magic system and classes it's a very barebones system that can be tweaked in many ways - witness what Cubicle 7 has done with some of its 5e games, or witness the Spheres combat and magic systems.

Having a 5e look-alike that's easy to mod gives a stable, familiar base that can be adapted to fit different needs and tastes.

 

[TerraDave]

Here's a post from a thread here on ENWorld about PF2 and the OGL. As far as I can tell, these remarks predate the current kerfuffle by some time.

Note that Paizo would have to actually draft their own license to make this work, which they might be reluctant to do while this is all going down.

Its hard to find the actual original quote...but OK, if true, and Paizo moves to a new license, then the floodgates could reopen. Big ifs.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Oh, another one:

The 3 pillars XP from the old UA must be built in! Now that was a simple not hand-wavy xp system.