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<blockquote data-quote="dougmander" data-source="post: 3324260" data-attributes="member: 14375">I've really enjoyed reading everyone's vision for 4e on this thread, and checking it against my own:1. Make the classes into the strong archetypes they're supposed to be, each playing a unique role in the party. A party of specialist adventurers working together to survive is the core story of D&amp;D, but the easy availabilty of feats in 3e works against this, muddying the distinctions between classes. Fixing this means replacing the elective feat system with ability trees linked to classes, with a few instances of redundancy (some classes might share certain abilities, like evasion, for example).2. Cut character creation time to 5 minutes by adopting a philosophy of &quot;adaptive radiation&quot;: all 1st level characters of a certain class start with the same stats, and diversify as they level up. You would choose your class first, and get a set of ability scores appropriate for the class, rather than rolling for them. For example, have all fighters begin with:10 hp, 10 Dex, 14 Str, 12 Con, 10 Int, 10 Wis, 10 Cha; one weapon focus; and either Power Attack (Melee ability tree), Dodge (Maneuver ability tree), or Point Blank Shot (Ranged ability tree).Instead of one ability boost every 4 levels, start PCs with lower stats and give them a boost every 2 levels.3. Get rid of assigning skill points. It's an enormous time sink for players and DMs alike. Make class skill checks dependent on class level + key ability modifier, with an option for getting a +2 bonus to two related skills in lieu of advancing one step on the talent tree. For cross-class skills, use a default of character level/3 + key ability modifer.4. Give level-based AC bonuses, to reduce the dependency on magic items (and associated number crunching) to boost AC.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="dougmander, post: 3324260, member: 14375"] I've really enjoyed reading everyone's vision for 4e on this thread, and checking it against my own: 1. Make the classes into the strong archetypes they're supposed to be, each playing a unique role in the party. [b]A party of specialist adventurers working together to survive[/b] is the core story of D&D, but the easy availabilty of feats in 3e works against this, muddying the distinctions between classes. Fixing this means replacing the elective feat system with ability trees linked to classes, with a few instances of redundancy (some classes might share certain abilities, like evasion, for example). 2. Cut character creation time to 5 minutes by adopting a philosophy of "adaptive radiation": all 1st level characters of a certain class start with the same stats, and diversify as they level up. You would choose your class first, and get a set of ability scores appropriate for the class, rather than rolling for them. For example, have all fighters begin with: 10 hp, 10 Dex, 14 Str, 12 Con, 10 Int, 10 Wis, 10 Cha; one weapon focus; and either Power Attack (Melee ability tree), Dodge (Maneuver ability tree), or Point Blank Shot (Ranged ability tree). Instead of one ability boost every 4 levels, start PCs with lower stats and give them a boost every 2 levels. 3. Get rid of assigning skill points. It's an enormous time sink for players and DMs alike. Make class skill checks dependent on class level + key ability modifier, with an option for getting a +2 bonus to two related skills in lieu of advancing one step on the talent tree. For cross-class skills, use a default of character level/3 + key ability modifer. 4. Give level-based AC bonuses, to reduce the dependency on magic items (and associated number crunching) to boost AC. [/QUOTE]

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