RangerWickett
Legend
Key things that define the game.
Character Creation
Players would be encouraged to work with their GM to determine parts of their background before they became an adventurer. Maybe you're supposed to pick three background elements, and they're each presented as some sort of bonus resource. "Oh, you've got a family. Great. You have the Resource - Family ability, so you can call in favors." Make it seem mechanical, but really just be flavorful, to remind new players that they're playing characters.
Core Mechanics
(When designing a game, I think you can scale either HP or attack bonuses/defenses by level, but not both. So...)
D20-based, as usual. Take some of Monte Cook's ideas about skills having, say, 5 ranks from untrained to novice to trained to expert to master. Actions would require a certain rank in that skill for auto success. If you're one or two ranks two low, roll to see if you can pull it off. Three ranks too low? No chance.
In combat, I'd keep HP, because that's classic to D&D, but a normal human only ever has between 10 and 20. Giants might get up to 40, and really titanic creatures like dragons possibly as high as 100. Improved survivability comes in the form of increasing attack bonuses and defenses, and perhaps small amounts of magical damage resistance. In this game, an attack that hits for 10 damage is a powerful blow regardless of the level. 'Cure light wounds' will make more sense when 1d8 is good at both 1st and 20th level.
(This has the benefit of letting us get back to just rolling dice for damage, and not having to add many modifiers. A greatsword might be 1d10. A barbarian with a greatsword, still 1d10. A magic greatsword? Okay, maybe 1d10+1. A giant's greatsword? Maybe 2d10.)
Races
Sure, the usual. But no ability score modifiers. Find some other way to make elvish archers and dwarf axe-swingers good.
Classes
I like the 3e model of being able to pick and choose among classes. If we decouple attack and defense bonus improvements from 'class level' and link it just to 'total level,' you end up with more freedom to pick and choose options without concern for ending up underpowered.
I'd love to get rid of ugly 'power card' format for abilities. Present them in paragraph text form, perhaps with some special format for actual mechanics, like attack bonuses and damage. The character builder should pop out something that looks more like a 4e monster stat block that fits on one page, rather than the 5 to 10 page monster we get for PCs now.
The idea of class roles is nice, but can be loosened up. Let's present classes narratively first ("Fighters are focused on martial prowess. Rogues rely on tricks and surprise in battle. Wizards are poor with weapons, but if you let them cast a spell they can change a battle in countless strange ways."), then list various options characters can take, with notes of what role that option best serves.
Like fighters might get to choose one option per level, and at low level they might get to choose from "hold the line" as a defender, "power attack" as a striker, "intimidating presence" as a controller, and "commander tactics" as a leader. And you could create pre-made lists of powers that someone could take if they wanted to be a 'ranger' or 'warlord' or 'cavalier.'
Wizards likewise might get walls of fire for control, lightning bolts for striking, invincibility for defending, and the ability to enchant people's weapons or heal as a leader.
Levels
There are four tiers, each 5 levels long, for a total of 20 levels. This is a d20 game, so I think '20' is a good number to show up a lot.
The beginning of the book says, "Not all games will span all tiers. Most will only cover one or two. D&D is designed to let heroes rise from common people to champions of their world and possibly even gods, but the players and DM should decide what type of game they want to play."
Adventurer Tier. Levels 1-5. This is where D&D has the option to be gritty. You have HP, and when it's gone, you either get a lasting wound or you slowly bleed to death. You're a normal person, and wounds can have actual consequences.
Most adventures would demand avoiding confrontation, solving puzzles, exploring dangerous locations, and occasionally running away.
Heroic Tier. Levels 6-10. This is the default of 4e, where PCs are tough as action heroes. Second winds and magical healing mean the party can jump into combat with confidence that as long as they make it out alive, they can avoid lasting consequences of horrible wounds.
Adventures typically involve hunting down monsters and taking out villains, but should still include elements of exploration and problem solving from adventurer tier.
Paragon Tier. Levels 11-15. If heroic tier is John McClane from Die Hard, paragon tier is pretty much any Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Or 300. You've got a few encounter powers to block or ignore damage as a reaction; it's not quite the same as having extra hit points, but it does mean you're able to get roughed up more before you're in danger of death.
You're saving the day, laughing in the face of danger, taking on tons of enemies at a time. More importantly, you don't have to just be a team of bad-asses. You can have resources at your disposal, be that armies, thieves' guilds, forests full of critters, or a few angels from the celestial bureaucracy. Your reach extends farther than just what's nearby.
Epic Tier. Levels 16-20. In combat, you're like someone out of Dragon Ball Z or God of War. Out of combat, you have a mythic nature. Your mere presence affects reality.
In combat you can easily heal, even come back from the dead. Mundane attacks pose no threat, so you could wade through a hostile army and emerge unscathed. Combats aren't simply about hitting for damage; you first have to find a way to take away your opponent's power, or to strike at his metaphysical weak point.
The point is to a) make combat feel different at each tier, and b) offer grander scope in adventures each tier. Groups can just pick one part or the other if they want -- maybe you can kill a god just by clocking it in the head with a sling stone -- but the default progression will combine the two.
Character Creation
Players would be encouraged to work with their GM to determine parts of their background before they became an adventurer. Maybe you're supposed to pick three background elements, and they're each presented as some sort of bonus resource. "Oh, you've got a family. Great. You have the Resource - Family ability, so you can call in favors." Make it seem mechanical, but really just be flavorful, to remind new players that they're playing characters.
Core Mechanics
(When designing a game, I think you can scale either HP or attack bonuses/defenses by level, but not both. So...)
D20-based, as usual. Take some of Monte Cook's ideas about skills having, say, 5 ranks from untrained to novice to trained to expert to master. Actions would require a certain rank in that skill for auto success. If you're one or two ranks two low, roll to see if you can pull it off. Three ranks too low? No chance.
In combat, I'd keep HP, because that's classic to D&D, but a normal human only ever has between 10 and 20. Giants might get up to 40, and really titanic creatures like dragons possibly as high as 100. Improved survivability comes in the form of increasing attack bonuses and defenses, and perhaps small amounts of magical damage resistance. In this game, an attack that hits for 10 damage is a powerful blow regardless of the level. 'Cure light wounds' will make more sense when 1d8 is good at both 1st and 20th level.
(This has the benefit of letting us get back to just rolling dice for damage, and not having to add many modifiers. A greatsword might be 1d10. A barbarian with a greatsword, still 1d10. A magic greatsword? Okay, maybe 1d10+1. A giant's greatsword? Maybe 2d10.)
Races
Sure, the usual. But no ability score modifiers. Find some other way to make elvish archers and dwarf axe-swingers good.
Classes
I like the 3e model of being able to pick and choose among classes. If we decouple attack and defense bonus improvements from 'class level' and link it just to 'total level,' you end up with more freedom to pick and choose options without concern for ending up underpowered.
I'd love to get rid of ugly 'power card' format for abilities. Present them in paragraph text form, perhaps with some special format for actual mechanics, like attack bonuses and damage. The character builder should pop out something that looks more like a 4e monster stat block that fits on one page, rather than the 5 to 10 page monster we get for PCs now.
The idea of class roles is nice, but can be loosened up. Let's present classes narratively first ("Fighters are focused on martial prowess. Rogues rely on tricks and surprise in battle. Wizards are poor with weapons, but if you let them cast a spell they can change a battle in countless strange ways."), then list various options characters can take, with notes of what role that option best serves.
Like fighters might get to choose one option per level, and at low level they might get to choose from "hold the line" as a defender, "power attack" as a striker, "intimidating presence" as a controller, and "commander tactics" as a leader. And you could create pre-made lists of powers that someone could take if they wanted to be a 'ranger' or 'warlord' or 'cavalier.'
Wizards likewise might get walls of fire for control, lightning bolts for striking, invincibility for defending, and the ability to enchant people's weapons or heal as a leader.
Levels
There are four tiers, each 5 levels long, for a total of 20 levels. This is a d20 game, so I think '20' is a good number to show up a lot.
The beginning of the book says, "Not all games will span all tiers. Most will only cover one or two. D&D is designed to let heroes rise from common people to champions of their world and possibly even gods, but the players and DM should decide what type of game they want to play."
Adventurer Tier. Levels 1-5. This is where D&D has the option to be gritty. You have HP, and when it's gone, you either get a lasting wound or you slowly bleed to death. You're a normal person, and wounds can have actual consequences.
Most adventures would demand avoiding confrontation, solving puzzles, exploring dangerous locations, and occasionally running away.
Heroic Tier. Levels 6-10. This is the default of 4e, where PCs are tough as action heroes. Second winds and magical healing mean the party can jump into combat with confidence that as long as they make it out alive, they can avoid lasting consequences of horrible wounds.
Adventures typically involve hunting down monsters and taking out villains, but should still include elements of exploration and problem solving from adventurer tier.
Paragon Tier. Levels 11-15. If heroic tier is John McClane from Die Hard, paragon tier is pretty much any Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Or 300. You've got a few encounter powers to block or ignore damage as a reaction; it's not quite the same as having extra hit points, but it does mean you're able to get roughed up more before you're in danger of death.
You're saving the day, laughing in the face of danger, taking on tons of enemies at a time. More importantly, you don't have to just be a team of bad-asses. You can have resources at your disposal, be that armies, thieves' guilds, forests full of critters, or a few angels from the celestial bureaucracy. Your reach extends farther than just what's nearby.
Epic Tier. Levels 16-20. In combat, you're like someone out of Dragon Ball Z or God of War. Out of combat, you have a mythic nature. Your mere presence affects reality.
In combat you can easily heal, even come back from the dead. Mundane attacks pose no threat, so you could wade through a hostile army and emerge unscathed. Combats aren't simply about hitting for damage; you first have to find a way to take away your opponent's power, or to strike at his metaphysical weak point.
The point is to a) make combat feel different at each tier, and b) offer grander scope in adventures each tier. Groups can just pick one part or the other if they want -- maybe you can kill a god just by clocking it in the head with a sling stone -- but the default progression will combine the two.
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