D&D 4E What would you like 4E to look like.

[dcas]

I would like to see a 4e that was more-or-less backwards-compatible with all previous versions (1e, 2e, and yes, even 3e) so that aficionados of different versions can at least speak the same language to one another.

 

[Enforcer]

I'd like:

-much less reliance on magic items for a character, particularly non-spellcasters, to be effective.

-some skill consolidation, and more skill points for every class (2 skill points for Fighters, Clerics, Wizards, etc. is just awful).

-fractional BAB ala Unearthed Arcana (having a Rogue 1/Monk 1/Psion 1 or whatever should have more than +0...).

-psionics to be included in the core so that they can finally be accepted as such.

-the Vancian magic system to go away. Spell points or something akin to the Warlock is the way to go.

-class balance, please. This would mean that a Fighter 20 should be able to hold his own against a Wizard 20. If this means powering-down magic, then so be it.

-more class options. I want all sorts of toolkits and class options/paths.

 

[Lanefan]

I really don't understand the desire for the next edition of D&D (2nd, 4th, or 6th edition) to be a previous/earlier edition of D&D. I mean, if you want the earlier edition of the game, you've got it already -- If you want AD&D1, you've got AD&D1. If you want B/XD&D, you've got B/XD&D. Why the need to essentially just republish what you already have -- there's a bajillion previous-edition books out there, and you probably already have them.

For my part, because if the game goes back to being compatible with earlier editions, there'll be new material printed that's compatible with earlier editions. Simple as that.

As for the original question, are you talking about the visual style of 4e when asking what should it look like? If so, I'd really like to get away from dungeonpunk art; and it's be nice if they'd take out all the annoying backgrounds on the text pages of the various books...they just distract from reading the words.

Lanefan

 

[Korgoth]

What would I like it to look like? Well, as long as I'm dreaming:

http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/setscans/cyclopedia.html

.....

I'd like to see it go back to the roots. The things that made D&D great in the first place:

* strong archetypes/niches
* hit die progression stops at 9th level
* few but meaningful spells
* simplicity: no feats or skills
* demihuman level limits and class strictures (or race/class, ideally)

I'm not trying to spark an "edition war" on my very first post, but things are too complicated now. It's hard to do what should be simple. Combats take hours (one of my last 3.5 combats took all session for one fight... and the session ran long) and character sheets are huge.

Back in the days of good old Classic D&D, you didn't need separate classes for Rangers, Barbarians, etc. My Fighter is a woodsman, so he knows how to track and survive in the wild. Dave's Fighter was a mercenary, so he is streetwise and knows about contracts. Bill's Fighter is a knight, a young equestrian who knows etiquette and mounted combat. Three characters all called "Fighter" with 8 hit points and equivalent stats, but three totally different characters. You don't need a ton of feats and skills to have those differences!

Anyway, less is more. You'll never compete with World of Warcraft on WoW's home turf. If you want to compete, give people a rules-lite game that sparks their imagination. Leave the number-crunching for the computers.

 

[RFisher]

I'd like it to look like Kate Beckinsale, nude and coated in honey.

This is the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that is required to convince me that an industry for our hobby even deserves to still exist!

1E would be something to reach back to though. It was a quick system, and with a few tweeks here and there (maybe a new magic system) I could see this old pig fly.

The biggest problem with them going back to 1e is this: You can form a wide concensus that it should be tweaked rather than re-released vebatim. You can't get wide concensus on what specific tweaks should be made.

 

[stonehill_troll]

My wishes.

First that it be fun to play as a player and fun to run as a DM. Right now after 10-12th level its no fun to run IMO and I see it with other DMs I play with. Even as a player my interests wanes around 12th level. We tried epic, for me no thanks!

1. Keep it more or less core D&D D20 (classes, alignments, hit points, BAB, saves).

2. Feats need to be redone, low - mid- high feats, and feats that add options not power.

3. expand options not power to the classes' abilities.

4. Tone down spells, keep the wide selection of spells but reduce combat damage overall

5. You can keep Class kits/Prestige Classes/ or whatever they are called in 4th, but decide early on if they are power-ups classes or specialist classes and make sure that if it is a specialist that they actualy lose something due to specializing.

6. Magic items, - make them special - magical again. Right now magical items are just mundane gear all to soon, there is no "Wow" factor.
- get rid of named bonus, there is just one type of magical bonus for each effect and they don't ever stack.

7. Make divine and arcane have real rule/mechanic differences.

that's it for starters

 

[RFisher]

I'd like to see a D&D4e have explicit basic & advanced modes. Much like Gurps 3/e (haven't taken a close look at 4/e yet) had the basic & advanced combat chapters, but throughout--not just for combat. You should be able to start with the basic system & add-in/cherry-pick whatever bits you like from the advanced parts.

 

[Greg K]

-psionics to be included in the core so that they can finally be accepted as such.

Psionics will never get full acceptance from all players and DMs.

 

[Enforcer]

But the hope is there would be more acceptance, mostly from psionics detractors actually becoming familiar with the 4.0 rules before automatically deciding they hate it.

If you (or anyone else) wants to continue talking about psionics, I vote that person start a new thread, I don't want to threadjack here.

 

[Prime_Evil]

I'd love to see the game weighted back towards low to mid-level play....just like it was in both 1e and 2e. The experience progression should be tweaked to encourage this. The notion that characters should go up a level every 13 encounters is just plain wrong -- the number of encounters required to go up a level should gradually increase as the power level of the characters increases. This implies that the amount of experience required to level should increase exponentially, while the XP value of encounters should increase in a linear manner.

It's not that I hate high-level play. It's just that the flavour of mid-level games (levels 6-12) are where the flavour of D&D really shines.

I also second the thought that the overabundance of minor magical items should be curbed.