D&D (2024) YOU are in charge of the next PHB! What do you change?

[Sithlord]

Except for stealth, I agree with you (I think Bararians, Druids, Rangers should be able to have expertise in stealth). However, I think there are other skill proficiencies or tool proficiencies that certain other classes should be able to have expertise.

I think they should be skilled in stealth. Which should be badass good. I think expertise should be placing them on a near mystical level of skill. 5E has too many skilled pros failing checks and we get few skills and can’t really get them after first.

 

[ph0rk]

Because I’m old and I think the rogue should be untouchable with certain skills like stealth, detecting and finding traps, opening locks, climbing walls, deception, and a few other skills.

Ok, give them something that covers for poor stats in those areas but doesn’t surpass what proficiency+a 20 in that stat should do; like expertise but not applicable to skills with a high main stat.

Expertise with a high stat breaks bounded accuracy. It was a mistake.

 

[Parmandur]

I think they should be skilled in stealth. Which should be badass good. I think expertise should be placing them on a near mystical level of skill. 5E has too many skilled pros failing checks and we get few skills and can’t really get them after first.

Reliable Talent makes the Rogue near mystical: not being able to fail a DC 25 is astounding.

 

[Sithlord]

I think they should be skilled in stealth. Which should be badass good. I think expertise should be placing them on a near mystical level of skill.

Ok, give them something that covers for poor stats in those areas but doesn’t surpass what proficiency+a 20 in that stat should do; like expertise but not applicable to skills with a high main stat.

Expertise with a high stat breaks bounded accuracy. It was a mistake.

To each there own. I don’t see it a problem with skills. And it is needed in my opinion.

 

[ph0rk]

To each there own. I don’t see it a problem with skills. And it is needed in my opinion.

The problem is characters with access to expertise can become untouchable in more than just stealth.

Athletics and persuasion, in particular.

The only way to match them is to gain expertise. This is a huge design error.

If used to shore up skills with poor stats, it is less of an issue, but it is not necessarily used in that way.

 

[Sithlord]

The problem is characters with access to expertise can become untouchable in more than just stealth.

Athletics and persuasion, in particular.

The only way to match them is to gain expertise. This is a huge design error.

Hasn’t Hurt my game any. Practically made them better. Although I think many thins in Athletics should be strength saves. Ban them if it is destroying your game.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I think that's a worthwhile goal, and for DM tool or Monsters, easily achieved. However, to be able to do any really worthwhile (as in, worth the work and hassle of a new Edition) changes, there would have to be at least a minor level of disjuncture in player character options (though perhaps fixable with a conversion guide). That's why I hit on the idea of "modular compatibility": maybe you couldn't use the Horizon Walker Ranger with a 6E base Ranger, but bringing a 5E Ranger to a 6E game would work in play.

Looking at Tasha’s, I have no problem seeing updated versions of all the classes that just work better, without making them incompatible with the original 5e phb or other books.

For instance, a ranger that gets a Natural Explorer that has Deft Explorer folded in, Favored Enemy that makes Hunters Mark a freebie and adds another spell depending on favored enemy choice, and switches to prepared casting, would work fine with existing subclasses.

The wording of the bonus spells features would still work, at most needing a general rules in the phb Spellcasting section that notes that if a feature says that you learn a spell and that spell doesn’t count agains your spells known, it also doesn’t count against spells prepared, and vise versa.

Find a succinct way to say that, and that learning a spell means you can cast it with any spell a lot you have, just to smooth over any other issues.

if not giving subclasses at 1st level to all classes, I would also do class variants at Level 1 similar to Khaalis's Light Fighter Variant. I would do one variant for the bard to address the issue discussed in Mike Mearl's Happy Hour with the Valour Bard. I would do a Wilderness Rogue and, maybe, an Academic/Scholar Rogue variant for the Rogue.

Yeah that’s similar to what I’m on about, except I’d just add a feature slot to all classes at level 1, and say, “you gain either 1 skill, tool, weapon, or armor, proficiency of your choice, or a Variant Starting Feature from your class. Maybe weapons could be more than one, but you get the idea.

 

[Parmandur]

Looking at Tasha’s, I have no problem seeing updated versions of all the classes that just work better, without making them incompatible with the original 5e phb or other books.

For instance, a ranger that gets a Natural Explorer that has Deft Explorer folded in, Favored Enemy that makes Hunters Mark a freebie and adds another spell depending on favored enemy choice, and switches to prepared casting, would work fine with existing subclasses.

The wording of the bonus spells features would still work, at most needing a general rules in the phb Spellcasting section that notes that if a feature says that you learn a spell and that spell doesn’t count agains your spells known, it also doesn’t count against spells prepared, and vise versa.

Find a succinct way to say that, and that learning a spell means you can cast it with any spell a lot you have, just to smooth over any other issues.

Honestly my biggest concern would have been changing the structure of Subclasses, such as making everyone pick one at Level 1, would introduce compatibility issues, but that might be something that could be worked with successfully.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Honestly my biggest concern would have been changing the structure of Subclasses, such as making everyone pick one at Level 1, would introduce compatibility issues, but that might be something that could be worked with successfully.

Right, me too. My solution is to instead add a feature outside class or background at level 1 that gives a proficiency of the players choice or a feature from thier class, with each class having features like “make you weapon attacks magical and deal an elemental damage type” (for fighters and rogues) and “you gain a fighting style” (Bards), etc.

 

[The Green Hermit]

Now... if we're talking about what we'd do with 6e, as employees of Hasbro-- still constrained by the need to appeal to as many fans as possible, but not full compatibility-- I could probably get away with a little bit more of what I wanted.

Start here.

• Classes: I want to make all kinds of radical changes here, but I don't feel like I can. Every class that was in the 5e PHB needs to be in the 6e PHB (even the Sorcerer and Ranger), and that means I can't add much more. I am adding (some version of) the Mysticout of pure spite at this point.
  • Subclasses: Each Class has multiple (non-interchangeable) Paths, selected at (probably) 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, and 21st; this includes previous edition options like Kits, Prestige Classes, and Paragon Paths/Epic Destinies as well as most multiclassing.
  • Power Sources: Martial, Arcane, Divine, Primal, and Psychic. These are broken down at the individual ability level, rather than the class level, to allow (for example) Paladins to be Martial and Divine, and for Class Paths to introduce additional power sources to classes like Fighter and Rogue.
    • Martial is a real power source, like 4e Martial by default, but including (optional) supernatural abilities in the core rules.
    • Psychic is basically psionics, but it uses spells and spell slots and maybe does something clever with over- or under-casting mechanics that distinguishes them from arcane/divine/primal.
• Lineages: I really, really want to go back to Race-as-Class here, but I know the fanbase wouldn't stand for it in the official Dungeons & Dragonsgame. Also... every PHB race from 5e needs to be a PHB lineage in 6e, regardless of how much I might want to remove some of them. This means, aside from the Drow... again, I cannot afford to add many options.
  • I can probably get away with making half-races into lineage options, so I'm going to try to do this, instead of including them as full discrete lineages.
  • Every lineage gets X features/options at 1st level, additional Path options, and access to lineage feats/proficiencies. Lineage grows with the character.
  • Converting subraces and half-races into lineage options hopefully saves me enough space that I can add Orc, Warforged, and Tabaxi as options. I'd rather have Kobold and/or Tortle, but they're too similar to Dragonborn; I'd love to add Goblin, but there just isn't room.
• Backgrounds: Backgrounds have broader latitude to grant proficiencies in 6e, but otherwise behave identically. They do not grant ASIs, and I definitely do not include a sidebar lecturing the reader that basing ASIs on socioeconomic class is not, in any conceivable fashion, less offensive than basing them on magical species who have, at least, the Thermian Argument in their favor. As much as I want to.
• Ability Score Increases: So if you don't get them from your lineage, or your class, or your background, where do you get them from?
  • You don't. They are not necessary.
  • You get one +2 or three +1s every 4th level. Maximum score starts at 20 and goes up +1 every four levels.
• Proficiencies and Feats: These would remain optional, but: proficiencies scale with level, with trained proficiencies scaling faster, up to +1/2 levels. (If proficiency rules aren't in place, these bonuses are applied to lineage/class-related ability checks.) If feats are allowed, they don't compete with ASIs; other than that, this is one of the few things I think 5e got very, very right and I don't want to ruin it.
  • Characters keep getting Proficiency Slots after 1st level. They mostly don't increase your check bonus (unless you take Expertise) but they expand the scope of what the skill is useful for. Putting more than a couple of slots into a skill starts getting explicitly supernatural by default, unless that is (optionally) restricted.
  • As noted in my previous post, "skilled" classes get more proficiency slots, and Fighters are a skilled class.
• Healing and Hit Dice: PCs get more than 1 HD/level. Magical healing requires spending Hit Dice. If you're knocked down in combat, you stay down unless/until you can get a short rest. Overnight natural healing (hit points and hit dice) is slower.
• Saving Throws: I do not know specifically how to fix this, but in TSR D&D you got better at making saving throws as you went up in level and in WotC D&D you get (relatively) worse. I have wanted to fix this for a long time.
• Monster Design: Basically start from 4e, and adjust to fit into the 6e mechanics.
• Combat: Reintroduce standard combat maneuvers. Include a generous stunting mechanic for going off script. Bring back the Bloodied condition.

I like all of this, but the ASI bit. Don't take away my increases as I level up!