D&D General You are given the reigns: what do you do?

[Reynard]

I've seen retro-clones & alternate approaches for every edition of D&D, except for OD&D. So that's what I would do. I'd relaunch OD&D as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. Not just a re-release of what's already there, but a deep dive into the game and procedures and implied worldbuilding that actually is a fascinating dive into not just the history but the implicit assumptions around the game that never made it into the rules (e.g. the use of the Outdoor Survival boardgame from Avalon Hill).

Just FYI, Swords and Wizardry is the OD&D retro-clone.

 

[Quickleaf]

Just FYI, Swords and Wizardry is the OD&D retro-clone.

Oooo, ok I never played that one. Is Mythmere Games Matt Finch's company? I should check that out, thanks Reynard.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

4e for sure.

Things I’d change before publishing:

• Neither PHB nor Essentials style purely in that you’d have powers for most powerful stuff, but not every level would be “gain a level” or “gain a feat”, but instead every X levels would be more class features.
  • Basically a hybrid of all the stuff they tried during 4e
• Multiclassing would be expanded to include multiclass themes that make you could as both classes, and the MC feats would open up power swapping, rather than needing special feats just for that
• The HP and damage math would curve less steeply, even compared to late 4e
• Accuracy math would have a slower progression than 1/2 level. Possibly 5e BA math, but with more gaining of new proficiencies as you level
• Powers would be more variable and fewer in number, meaning your roll would determine how powerful an effect you get, like force powers in Star Wars saga edition
• In general apply the lessons of SWSE as well as those of 4e
• Work very hard to present skills such that people don’t perceive the game as being all about combat, without having to make skill use all about using powers.
  • Possibly make powers only a combat resource, while out of combat lives in class features and skills and rituals and practices. Maybe.

• The entire team would be diverse, and tasked with putting thier own experiences and POV into their work on the game
• Present the 4e Forgotten Realms as a branching timeline, with way less dead gods and other needless blowing up of stuff, but very much with a “the world’s heroes don’t win this one” catastrophe in the recent past
  • Hire Erik De Bie and other people who wrote great FR books in that era as consultants and writers
• Rules can live in a Rules Compendium book like in Essentials, and then a player options book, and a book with DM advice and tools and monsters and the means to build more
• PHB 12 classes plus Assassin, Avenger, Warden, Warlord (renamed), Shaman (renamed), and Swordmage
• Nentir Vale setting Guide
• Digital tools
• Let the team decide the rest

 

[Zardnaar]

Kicker there it has to make money. Otherwise I woukd just make 5 reprints or update 5 products to 5E.

Official retroclone or something like that or a Fighter al evolution of 3.5.

So AD&D 3E or a fixed 3.5 eg with 4E or 5E engine.

Something like that.

I don't think any will make money outside of OSR type release. Market basically doesn't exist anymore. OP stated goal is to make money after all. Would you invest in your own product?

First step find out what people want. Do a survey go from there.

Two adventures. Independent Sasserine type adventure not linked to Savage Tide AP.

Maybe be FRCS type book.

3 core books reprints or evolve an edition.

Starter set. Sasserine.
3 core books.
FRCS

Baldurs Gate tie in maybe.

 

[Reynard]

I bet you could break records with a 5e Savage Tides collection.

 

[Minigiant]

• Neither PHB nor Essentials style purely in that you’d have powers for most powerful stuff, but not every level would be “gain a level” or “gain a feat”, but instead every X levels would be more class features.
  • Basically a hybrid of all the stuff they tried during 4e
• Multiclassing would be expanded to include multiclass themes that make you could as both classes, and the MC feats would open up power swapping, rather than needing special feats just for that
• The HP and damage math would curve less steeply, even compared to late 4e
• Accuracy math would have a slower progression than 1/2 level. Possibly 5e BA math, but with more gaining of new proficiencies as you level
• Powers would be more variable and fewer in number, meaning your roll would determine how powerful an effect you get, like force powers in Star Wars saga edition
• In general apply the lessons of SWSE as well as those of 4e
• Work very hard to present skills such that people don’t perceive the game as being all about combat, without having to make skill use all about using powers.
  • Possibly make powers only a combat resource, while out of combat lives in class features and skills and rituals and practices. Maybe.

Lotta stuff I'd do too.

Like I said, I'd let classes of the same power source share powers and trim the powers drastically. If a rogue takes a feat for great swords and takes some raw damage 3W STR based martial power, so be it. They just don't get sneak attack damage on it. If the fighter wants to take a beast companion and Beast powers techniques.. So be it.

To combat sameyness feels, each power source would get their own mechanics. Martial techniques would get Reliable and Signature to let them spam their daily powers. Arcane would get Metamagic to spend action points to alter their spells. Divine prayers could be sacrificed for Channel Divinity or tithe healing surges to restore daily prayers.

Might do as you said and cut Utility powers and emphasize rituals and practice in the PHB and DMG with their own chapter right after powers.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

4e for sure.

Things I’d change before publishing:

• Neither PHB nor Essentials style purely in that you’d have powers for most powerful stuff, but not every level would be “gain a level” or “gain a feat”, but instead every X levels would be more class features.
  • Basically a hybrid of all the stuff they tried during 4e
• Multiclassing would be expanded to include multiclass themes that make you could as both classes, and the MC feats would open up power swapping, rather than needing special feats just for that
• The HP and damage math would curve less steeply, even compared to late 4e
• Accuracy math would have a slower progression than 1/2 level. Possibly 5e BA math, but with more gaining of new proficiencies as you level
• Powers would be more variable and fewer in number, meaning your roll would determine how powerful an effect you get, like force powers in Star Wars saga edition
• In general apply the lessons of SWSE as well as those of 4e
• Work very hard to present skills such that people don’t perceive the game as being all about combat, without having to make skill use all about using powers.
  • Possibly make powers only a combat resource, while out of combat lives in class features and skills and rituals and practices. Maybe.

• The entire team would be diverse, and tasked with putting thier own experiences and POV into their work on the game
• Present the 4e Forgotten Realms as a branching timeline, with way less dead gods and other needless blowing up of stuff, but very much with a “the world’s heroes don’t win this one” catastrophe in the recent past
  • Hire Erik De Bie and other people who wrote great FR books in that era as consultants and writers
• Rules can live in a Rules Compendium book like in Essentials, and then a player options book, and a book with DM advice and tools and monsters and the means to build more
• PHB 12 classes plus Assassin, Avenger, Warden, Warlord (renamed), Shaman (renamed), and Swordmage
• Nentir Vale setting Guide
• Digital tools
• Let the team decide the rest

Forgot to add Artficer, Psion, and some other odds and ends.

Artificer would be more item based and more “create a zone/creature/wall/etc” for the powers.

Pain I wouldn’t touch. Let someone who likes paionics do that one.

A big design goal would be that the player can choose features to basically treat the class as a package of options to build a class from. What I mean is, the Rogue could be the classic phb rogue, essentials thief, or a martial controller that trades SA dice for control effects against multiple enemies.
The Paladin would be able to be built like the phb version, cavalier, or blackguard.

Or a fine tuned mix of those things. To that end I’d probably replace some feat levels with class feature levels.

Damage would be less out of whack by way of not having untyped damage bonuses at all, and most damage bonuses apply once per turn.

Assassin would be very close to its original form with options to choose poisons in place of normal dailies, executioner at-wills or original at-wills, etc. Shrouds would be easier to stack up, especially if you sneak up and ambush the enemy, and their powers would ride along on basic attacks and be more about movement and control and locking down the target and stopping its allies from helping it while you do a murder.

I’d also redesign the bard to be more about song and story and lorekeeping than about being versatile and minstrel-y.

 

[Zardnaar]

I bet you could break records with a 5e Savage Tides collection.

Well a lvl 1-5 deluxe Sasserine starter set would be the idea incorporating the players guide, there is no honor and the Dragon material.

That of BG tie in that's not DiA.

 

[Pedantic]

3E.

I'd keep all the trade dress and presentation. Underlying mechanics like BAB, F/R/W saves, and skill ranks would stay.

The system would keep the "Lego block" style multiclassing, and lean into it. 8-12 base classes, that all go to 10. Dozens of Prestige classes would be in the PHB, and the assumption is that almost all characters will multiclass.

A unified spells/powers known table across all classes. This would be the holding place for all class selectable abilities: wizard spells, warlock invocations, bard songs, martial feats and maneuvers, would all go in here. Some passive, some at-will, some on cooldowns or X/day abilities.

Class levels give some fixed features, advance BAB, Hit Die, and saves, and unlock new selectable option for powers/spells known. No feats by level, no ability progression except by explicit class feature or selected power.

A DMG with lots of standard guidance, unlockable PrCs, rules for making your own PrCs, and an in-depth magic item creation/treasure system. Wealth-by-level, and clear guidance that treasure into magic items is the expected secondary axis of progression.

Monster Manual with simple monster/NPC creation rules, but ones that parallel PC creation. Monsters have a Type (Giant, Dragon, Outsider), which corresponds to "class". One HD = one level, with corresponding increases in BAB/Saves. Each Type has a menu of selectable abilities. Every ability costs from 1 to X levels of progression. A 10th level Giant, for example, picks 10 points of Giant abilities.

Also has a "Non-combatant/Template" class, that gains levels but no Hit Die, and has its own ability menu. Allows for the 3 HP baker with 18 ranks in Profession: Baker.

After that, re-release the 3e FR book, lightly update to 1400-whatever DR, gloss over the last century. Make FR the core of the future releases. A few supplements a year, half gazetteer of a new area, half crunch associated (even loosely) with the region.

I was essentially going to post exactly this, though I would have opted for 4-level long classes with explicit tiers, requiring each one be completed in full before taking the next instead of a unified progression system.

 

[kigmatzomat]

1. Bring back the 3e concept of Ex/Su/Sp. It actually makes a lot of their 5.5e monster designs feasible (like a Vecna with no spells!). Spell-like (Sp) powers can be counterspelled/dispelled, MageSlayer is triggered, paladin "Aura of Warding" applies, etc. Supernatural (Su) are affected by Magic Resistance/Immunity, Antimagic, etc. (Did you know natural telepathy in 5e doesn't work in antimagic?) And (Ex)traordinary ignore all magic resistances/antimagic/disenchantment/etc.

2. Buff fighters. All of them. All fighters get Maneuvers and Superiority dice. Non-battlemasters get the same 4/5/6 superiority dice progression but theirs go d6/d8/d10 and their maneuver progression is 3/4/5/6.
Battlemasters get the 4/5/6 dice and add 2x Prof Bonus dice to their pool. Their die progression is d8/d10/2d6. They know 5/8/11/14 maneuvers. A Battlemaster at 3rd can pick a new skill/tool to be Proficient or gain Expertise in any skill/tool they already are Proficient. At 7th Know Your Enemy means any Maneuvers used against that target have their Save DC increased by +2. A Battlemaster can only have (proficiency bonus) Known Enemies at a time.

3. I should do something with Ranger. I might possibly delete it and tell people to either be a Fighter if they want to be a dervish of death, or a Rogue to be a skilled sniper in the grass, or maybe a Bard for a sylvan-caster-expert-in-armor.

4. Rogue might need a smidgen. I'm thinking a fighting style.

5. Accept that if people find stuff, they will sell stuff. Come up with a wealth scale for the game using Bifcoin. How many gp to the Bifcoin? Ask the gm. Low magic, 1 bifcoin might be 1,000gp. High magic it might be 50gp. Might be a log scale in really low magic games.
Need to be sure to scale pricing on combat gear by effectiveness, take a second look to balance magic that has non-combat encounter implications and a third for "you know, that does destroy economies and the accepted social fabric...."
If I chicken out on entering a wealth scale in the phb, there should be 3 different ones in the dmg for "gritty survivalism", "I shall buy a farm when I retire and in the meantime I'll have a nice wine", and "Jeeves, I need my Tuesday +2 sword"

6. Book wise, less snark and actually describe things or provide pictures. (I know what a glaive looks like, but I'm weird) an actual grid showing squares affected by a few common spell AoEs would be nice.

5. I would include some of the 4e setting bits as the flavor text of examples.