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<blockquote data-quote="Doug McCrae" data-source="post: 3661670" data-attributes="member: 21169">Keep classes and levels, otherwise it isn't D&amp;D. Keep hit points and Vancian magic - they're simple and they work.Keep the d20 system. Keep the tactical options. Keep attacks of opportunity.Simplify the systems, keep tinkering with balance.High level play doesn't work, imo. The simplest solution would be to go back to the original system of ending the game at 'name level' - around 10th. The other solution would be a reworking of the power of spells, making raise dead, plane shift and other high power effects only available at 20th level or so.Physical combatants are more powerful than casters at low level, much weaker at high level. SR doesn't do its job of balancing this as self-buffers - clerics, druids and gishes - are unaffected. I'd like to see the game balanced at all levels 1-20 (or 1-10 if my above solution is adopted).The are still far too many subsystems. Turn undead is the most obvious but not the only one. Many spells have their own little subsystems. Go down the HERO/GURPS route with spells. A few effects coupled with modifiers. Fireball still exists, all the spells do, but their rules are unified.Unify, unify, unify rules. For example, why is the roll for forced march a straight CON check and not a save? Do away with stat checks, make em all saves. Apply this unification principle ruthlessly throughout. Prune, prune and prune again. Halve the size of the PHB. Don't worry too much about realism. D&amp;D isn't a simulation, it has to work as a game. Less rules but keep all the player and tactical options.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Doug McCrae, post: 3661670, member: 21169"] Keep classes and levels, otherwise it isn't D&D. Keep hit points and Vancian magic - they're simple and they work. Keep the d20 system. Keep the tactical options. Keep attacks of opportunity. Simplify the systems, keep tinkering with balance. High level play doesn't work, imo. The simplest solution would be to go back to the original system of ending the game at 'name level' - around 10th. The other solution would be a reworking of the power of spells, making raise dead, plane shift and other high power effects only available at 20th level or so. Physical combatants are more powerful than casters at low level, much weaker at high level. SR doesn't do its job of balancing this as self-buffers - clerics, druids and gishes - are unaffected. I'd like to see the game balanced at all levels 1-20 (or 1-10 if my above solution is adopted). The are still far too many subsystems. Turn undead is the most obvious but not the only one. Many spells have their own little subsystems. Go down the HERO/GURPS route with spells. A few effects coupled with modifiers. Fireball still exists, all the spells do, but their rules are unified. Unify, unify, unify rules. For example, why is the roll for forced march a straight CON check and not a save? Do away with stat checks, make em all saves. Apply this unification principle ruthlessly throughout. Prune, prune and prune again. Halve the size of the PHB. Don't worry too much about realism. D&D isn't a simulation, it has to work as a game. Less rules but keep all the player and tactical options. [/QUOTE]

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