What would you like to see brought back from older editions?

[Reynard]

WHY?

I can't answer for Korgoth, but the reason to make gold = XP is that it propomotes exploration. It is no diferent than using "story awards" to try and promote a more narrative playstyle. if it exists as an option, it means that the designers are willing to admit that there are multiple ways to play D&D "righT" and they are all equally valid.

As to demi human class/level limits: I can do without level limits, but making it clear that in a particular game it is perfectly reasonable for dwarves not to be able to be wizards, for example, will go a long way toward reminding people that "options" does not mean "evrything must be in every campaign". If they would have done this with 3E -- for example, lettinga legacy setting like FR keep class-race restrictions to maintain the setting's integrity from previous editions -- as the options bloat occurred it would have been easier for some DMs (me!) to restrict new options.

 

[Mouseferatu]

- XP for gold, at least as a detailed campaign option
- HD limits for high level characters
- Morale
...
- Class and Level limits for demihumans
...
- Training.

*shudder*

I'd rather the rules specify that each player must deliberately use their character sheet to give themselves a paper cut at the beginning of each session, thus sanctifying the character for play, than go back to any of these.

Okay, maybe not quite. But close.

 

[WhatGravitas]

- Secondary Skills (i.e. backgrounds)

That's good, and I like it. And more defined clerics, i.e. more than simple domains.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Kwalish Kid]

A shield on character sheet like in 1st edition.

You know, that's not a bad idea. One thing that was missed in a lot of that "1st edition feel" was the visual aspect of the game as played. That old orange character sheet with the shield really is visually interesting and has a visual character different from later sheets.

Wow. Thinking of that sheet sent my mind back more than anything in this thread.

 

[JVisgaitis]

I haven't opened those books in years. Things that I remember liking, different racial abilities for the various subraces. The cavalier. Gray elves. The sense of wonder I had about the game back then. Now, I'm just so jaded on the whole D&D experience.

 

[WyzardWhately]

Here's another one...And this might be fixed just on the grounds that it's now much easier to have encounters with numerous low-level bad guys. In the older editions, your character started to feel like kind of a badass when you hit higher levels. For some reason, in 3.x, I never got that feeling as much. Maybe it was because of scaling encounters or something, but until the REALLY high levels, I just never got as much of a "we are the baddest people in this whole city" vibe. Well, that and the table in the DMG saying there were Wizards of around 20th level in every major city.

So. PC specialness kicking in around the high end of Heroic, for my money.

 

[Korgoth]

I can't answer for Korgoth, but the reason to make gold = XP is that it propomotes exploration. It is no diferent than using "story awards" to try and promote a more narrative playstyle.

Exactly. I think XP for gold is one of the best mechanics of D&D. The game is about "tomb robbing", about mounting an 'archaeological' expedition from when archaeology meant "land piracy on behalf of Western civilization". When you're in the dungeon, you're not trying to "clear the level"; you're trying to get the Blue Pearl.

I'm all about XP for gold.

Now, Demihuman class and level limits are less of an issue for me. But I do like them: it's a convenient way of mechanically representing why humans are the dominant species. If Elves live for 800 years... then I guess they should have literally dozens and dozens of 30th level wizards. Man should live in their shadow. Same with Dwarves... and if there are no restrictions on classes, then the Dwarf fighter is just a meaningless stereotype. But if you have these limitations, it's a way of explaining that there's something about the determinacy of these species that restricts them: since, on a literary level they're archetypes anyway, why should they be as versatile as man?

Another nice thing about the class and level limitations is that they are easier to remove or ignore than they are to retroactively add back in. There's no reason, in 1E AD&D, that I can't allow a Dwarf to be a ranger or a bard. But it's harder in C&C, a game that's very close to 1E, because Dwarves are already balanced against Humans in the allocation of Prime stats.

Overall, I could take or leave the class and level limits, but I do like them. XP for gold is the one I'm far more interested in.

 

[psionotic]

I would love to see some of the RP side of character creation (traits, backgrounds, etc) in the core rules (yes, I know its hard to do with page count limits, but to me this stuff is incredibly useful)

Yes please on the castle, land, vassal management, they are all good.

Titles are fun, but they seem pretty setting/world specific to me, maybe have slight (or even major) alterations in each campaign setting.

A more interesting Summon Monster/Animal system, where you can get lots of smaller creatures (more than 1d4+1) or mixed summonings of different kinds of creatures with one cast (not sure the latter ever existed, but still...!)

More wilderness, city, and social/political adventuring!

Monks and Druids.



And please continue to eliminate / never bring back the following:
Misogyny
Arbitrary 'demi-human' level limits
XP for gold
Medieval Europe as sole influence
70's rainbow-colored pointy wizard hat aesthetic
Tolkien-ness (don't get me wrong, I love me some Tolkien, but if I want middle-earth I'll play MERP)

 

[Paraxis]

One of the guys I game with still draws a shield around his AC and a heart around his Hit Points he has done it for every character he has ever played in D&D, he wins cool points from me whenever I see his sheet. It brings back a bunch of good memories.

I would love for the feeling of discovery again thats what I liked most about the good ole' days. I had the PHB and was told in no uncertain terms that the DMG and MM were off limits, that was so much fun......when I started DM'ing though a couple years later (still back in 1E and Basic) nothing was mysterius to me anymore....but alas I am the primary person who runs games for my group and I want to run games for my son. Maybe I can recapture some of that feeling though him as he will only have access to the players handbook for a long time hopefullyl.

Mechanic wise, I liked moral rules, wild talent psionic random rolls, the old charts for making an artifact, the original Bard, and fireballs and lighting bolts that would fill up entire sections of dungeons or bounce off walls.

 

[Wormwood]

I've always liked 'XP for gold' as a system, but would it work in a system where you could purchase/make magic items with gold?