Now I’m going to imagine that D&D has tanked, I got rich and bought wotc, and I’m making the new D&D .
1. I’d put out a red box starter kit that is basically a mix of 5e and some simple ideas, with a Warrior, Thief, Mage, and a 4th class that mixes magic and martial prowess. It’d be the new D&D Basic. Occasional expansion boxes, and stuff likeDCs and enemy math would be the same between this and D&D. Basically HeroQuest with more roleplaying prompts.
2a. Tech allowing, there would be a whole Augmented Tabletop system for playing D&D, using a highly mod-friendly system to make AR maps, minis, terrain, etc. I’m sure this already exists, but it would be all packaged together
2. D&D. The basic mechanics would be the same as 5e, because they just work. Basic design ethos is bring back the improvisation of the simplest dnd editions, while keeping the “look at my OC I love them they’re dumb” thing that 5e does so well.
Every class would get a top down review. The old books would be in print, D&D Basic is very OSR meets simplified 5e, no reason to be over-cautious. If it doesn’t sell make playtesters happy as a D&D ill just sell it as a new game.
Fighter- Split into Warrior and Archer. Might also get a Swashbuckler or something, but tbh the light fighter can be a warrior when you see what I’m gonna do to ability scores. Both are very simple with optional complexity. Archer gets a somewhat improv-leaning “trick shot” ability.
Rogue - Becomes the Jack of all trades. Possibly renamed Jack, but I’m sure that would annoy some people. Dirty Fighting rather than Sneak Attack, broad skills, able to pick up tactics from allies, stuff like that.
Bard - Scholar, Warrior-poet, shapeshifter, bringer of curses and blessings, not a ton of Spellcasting but ritual magic is as strong as it gets.
Druid - eats the cleric, because I don’t like the cleric and don’t think it makes sense as a class. The Druid becomes a combination of the D&D druid and the mythic Druid and the priest who hears the voice of God. A lot of “channel divinity” stuff and rituals, and less direct spellcasting, like all spellcasters.
Mystic Warrior - obv working title. Contains the monk and Paladin, being the Holy or Mystic Warrior. Some elements of priesthood or holy orders, martial excellence, ability to push beyond what others can do physically, etc.
Mage - either focus on a type of magic, a type of ritual tool (Spellcasting focus), or lean into being the magical Jack of all trades.
Expert - Contains artificer and trap finder rogue stuff, as well as ability to “hack” magical effects like a rogue disables devices.
Assassin - Here’s your lightly armored lethal combatant. Sneak attack, high AC without heavy armor, heightened crit when hidden or attacking a creature that is charmed paralyzed or poisoned, highly mobile, capable of bursts of extreme general violence but not the ability to keep that up forever like a Warrior.
Other classes: let playtesting and other designers on the team figure it out.
Magic- just less of it than D&D has ever had. More ritual magic though, and skill-based magic. Only keep iconic and necessary spells, low spell slots, keep cantrips but more utility than combat, just tone down the magic. Big magic is the sort of thing you need to gather resources for, do your homework, ask an extra planar being for a solid, or symphony power form a powerful artifact. No one just has 9th level spells just because they’re level 20.
Ability Scores - Less impact on combat directly, but your modifier does give you a pool of d6’s that you can spend to add to rolls related to that score, including the system wide ability to reduce another creatures check as a reaction by spending an Ability Die and making a skill check.
Add a couple skills, explicitly make the knowledge skills have active uses, but keep descriptions of what you can do fairly open-ended.
Then I’d let a diverse team loose on it to make it as queer and multicultural as we can.
Class names could be changed, but the basic ideas would remain if possible.
