D&D 3E/3.5 Which mechanics from 4e have you imported into your 3e game?

[Gaiden]

Movement

One thing that I really like about 4E is the increased emphasis on movement. In partitcular the introduction of sliding, pushing, and pulling and its relative commonness makes battles more dynamic.

In 3.X, movement is a hassle. It detracts from taking full round actions for full round attacks (or whatever else). In 4E, a move action is built into each player's turn no matter what standard action s/he decides to take. Also, by adding in scout-like movement dependent bonuses (e.g. warlock's shadow walk), players are incentivized to move often. Finally, pushing, pulling, sliding and teleporting introduces variability into creature positions such that 4E battles are more dynamic. Micro-battlefield control thus is no longer limited to spellcasters (clerics, druids, and mages) like it was in 3.X. Back-converting this architecture to 3.X is something I am keenly interested in.

However, I haven't figured out precisely how to do it. There are already ways to make bullrushing (or pushing) more 4E like. Feats exist to allow a bullrush after an attack (i.e. deal damage and get a push effect), to deal damage as part of a bullrush, and to not have to move when you make a bullrush. Also, there are feats that give movement-dependent bonuses. The 4E element that is most lacking is sliding. Feats seem like the reasonable means to introduce this into 3.X. Perhaps a feat that allows you to slide a target 1 square after a successful hit and then a second feat that allows you to increase the sliding to 3 squares...? Using an opposed roll like as with bull rush would seem to be the easiest mechanism. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

 

[Voadam]

I've got one game I'm running where I incorporated a little 4e and PF.

Healing surges and second wind came in. This means cure magic does more each time but can run out and do nothing.

Increased hp for level 1, I gave a flat +10 hp for some basic staying power.

I've given an option for 4e class abilities and powers to be taken as 3e feats subject to DM review and approval but nobody has taken me up on it.

Rangers and rogues as strikers. I made favored enemy a nonrestricted bonus on ranger damage. Sneak attack works against all monster types except oozes. One PC choose to be a ranger.

I like 4e monster roles and monster philosophy (a few signature powers but not a lot of clutter) but have not done much with incorporating it.

 

[davout1805]

Not yet implemented but planned:

Modified version of skill challenges.
I like how 4E monsters, even goblins and hobgoblins, have some interesting abilities.
I plan to look into combining Codex Martialis and some of the movement (push, pull, slide).

 

[Sempronius]

My group didn't take anything from 4e itself, though a few very similar things were done due to the influence of SAGA. Mostly, what we expected 4e to be like, when told that SAGA was used as a testing ground for ideas... We pretty much made it Star Wars... IN FANTASY (ok, bad trope invocation...).
So, yeah, like others: Perception, one skill, Stealth, one skill... Static saves... Sorry, defences, the like.

 

[wargear]

Haven't taken anything across per se, however, I can assure you that any future spellcasting character I play will very quickly build an item (Craft Wondrous Item, 3rd level) that will allow them to cast one or more signature spells once per round. Magic Missile, Cure Light Wounds, whatever.

Sod the bloody crossbow, my mage will never waste a round of combat due to BAB again...

 

[concerro]

hit points

We tried this before 4E, but now have decided to keep the idea of extra hit points for 1st level characters. Dying from one hit is not fun even if it does take me 15 minutes or less to make another character.

 

[Celebrim]

Thinigs I'm thinking about...

1) Cure spells heal an amount dependent on the HD of the target rather than the HD of the caster.
2) Bonus hit points at 1st level (but based on size, not class).
3) Removal of the Profession skill

 

[timbannock]

However, I haven't figured out precisely how to do it. There are already ways to make bullrushing (or pushing) more 4E like. Feats exist to allow a bullrush after an attack (i.e. deal damage and get a push effect), to deal damage as part of a bullrush, and to not have to move when you make a bullrush. Also, there are feats that give movement-dependent bonuses. The 4E element that is most lacking is sliding. Feats seem like the reasonable means to introduce this into 3.X. Perhaps a feat that allows you to slide a target 1 square after a successful hit and then a second feat that allows you to increase the sliding to 3 squares...? Using an opposed roll like as with bull rush would seem to be the easiest mechanism. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Some suggestions:

- Knockback Attack Feat: choose an weapon or spell or something of the sort; it causes up to a 1d4-square slide (the attacker may choose to use any amount up to the d4 roll, so if he rolls a 3, he could do a 1-square slide, 2-square slide, OR a 3-square slide). Not sure if you'd just apply this to "all melee attacks," "all ranged" or "all spells" or if you'd want to get more granular, but that sounds like you're headed for heartbreak with more and more exceptions, weapon groups, blah blah blah.

- Alternatively, have the feat allow you to choose to reduce the damage dealt and trade that for knockback. For every 5 points of damage you shave off the final result, you can slide the opponent 1-square, up to a maximum number of squares equal to X. X could be whatever you deem reasonable: 1, 2, 3, or whatever.

- Sliding as an add-on: No feats, no powers, you just slide an opponent 1 square for every full multiple of their Con score you deal in HP on any attack. If they've got a 10 Con, and you deal 20 damage, you can slide up to 2 squares.

- Fold the Bull Rush maneuver into any charging attack. Any time you charge and attack, your attack also acts as a Bull Rush maneuver. You might still keep the real Bull Rush maneuver in for those people who might benefit from those rules, as an option called the "Dedicated Bull Rush" or something (because maybe they have stats that allow them to have greater effect with a real bull rush as opposed to just folding the Bull Rush into a standard attack roll).

- The Short List of Sliding Powers: pick out a short list of weapons, spells, and other abilities that -- in your mind -- should have Slide as an added condition. Maybe this means all hammer attacks, all Force spells, etc. These spells give up to a d4 squares slide in addition to their normal effects.

- The AoO Trade-off: Instead of taking an AoO on an enemy, your next attack on that enemy on your normal turn allows you to attach a 1d4-square slide in addition to any damage you deal. If you have combat reflexes, you'll be sliding tons of people around!

None of those seem elegant to me, but I've kind of moved on from 3e...

Some additional thoughts:
- Make Slides provoke AoOs. There's so many ways to get OUT of taking AoOs in 3e that if you make forced movement provoke, you'll get more mileage out of Combat Reflexes, Flanking, and other stuff that happens a lot. Also Reach gets better.

- Think about the auto-Reflex save feature of 4e when you consider Sliding someone off a cliff or something.

- Realize that increasing movement in 3e decreases the possibilities of carrying out full-attack actions. This can make the fights more dynamic (a good thing), but characters built to full attack (like pretty much every Fighter, Paladin and Ranger ever) are going to feel shafted if they have to give up the full-attack in order to chase down the villains they are swatting about all over the place. This kind of movment is very much not a part of the 3e rules set, and I'm not sure how much it could affect higher-level play because of that, so watch out!