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Author Topic: Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?  (Read 7967 times)

GeekyBugle

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #30 on: June 23, 2020, 05:35:22 PM »
Quote from: Shasarak;1135881
Maybe some kind of unholy amalgamation of 2e, 3e and Pathfinder 2e.

That little bit of gonzo, mixed with a little bit of balance and a whole lot of duct tape.

Which one would you say is more gonzo?
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SavageSchemer

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #31 on: June 23, 2020, 06:22:32 PM »
Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures comes so very close to being my ideal for me. Rules lite. Three core classes all other concepts are built from. An alternate spell system. Ascending AC. I don't even really need / care for the gimmicky "playbooks" but I don't resent them either. So, yeah. Give me a sword and sorcery version of that and I'm pretty much done.
The more clichéd my group plays their characters, the better. I don't want Deep Drama™ and Real Acting™ in the precious few hours away from my family and job. I want cheap thrills, constant action, involved-but-not-super-complex plots, and cheesy but lovable characters.
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Armchair Gamer

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #32 on: June 23, 2020, 07:14:31 PM »
My ideal monstrosity has the skeleton of Castles & Crusades, the heart of 2nd Edition, and flesh drawn from 2E, BECMI, 4E, and Star Wars Saga Edition, festooned with lots of dials and switches.

Now, where's the lightning storm? :)

Shasarak

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #33 on: June 23, 2020, 07:14:37 PM »
Quote from: GeekyBugle;1135882
Which one would you say is more gonzo?

2e is much more gonzo then anything done by WotC or Paizo.

It is like TSR had a million monkeys at a million typewriters.
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VisionStorm

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #34 on: June 23, 2020, 07:24:18 PM »
Quote from: trechriron;1135861
Here's my ideal version;

  • Ascending AC, to hit
  • Skills Based
  • Feats for all special abilities including "class" abilities
  • Some feats preclude others. You can't have "master spell caster" and "master martial combatant" at the same time.
  • Spell casting for all supernatural abilities
  • Roles vs. Classes. Roles are templates with guidance.
  • Unified XP advancement for all characters
  • Basic combat with optional advanced rules for those who like 'em. Advanced is compatible with basic.
  • Spell / Ability creation system. All supernatural spells and abilities are created from this system.
  • Spell system should be modifiable. Both in creating spells and for casters to tweak upon casting (range, duration, power, etc.)
  • Creature - Monster - Foe generator upfront to create custom enemies. All monsters in the MM are built from this system.
  • Equipment - Item - Vehicle generator (simple). All things are built from this system.
  • Options for regular adjustments to AC, to hit, abilities, etc. built into the level system. Then you can flavor as you want vs. requiring magic item acquisition.

I would start with Pathfinder 2e and Fantasy Craft as inspirations. I think Fantastic Heroes & Witchery, ACKS, and Radiance d20 would have some influence. Then sprinkle in guidance on how to customize my "generic" D&D to flavor for high fantasy, gritty fantasy, science fantasy, or traditional OSR game play.

I'm not sure on the limits on "mastery" between magic and martial characters, cuz part of me would rather let feat availability sort that out on its own, by indirectly limiting how many feats you have available to pump into either area, and still have enough for other stuff to begin with. But I could see how unfettered access to both might potentially be a problem. But other than that, most of this is more or less the direction I'm going for.

I already started talking notes earlier this weekend on what sort of things I would like for such a system and already had the idea of "progression paths" planned out for once I'm done defining every feat and core component (which is still pending process). The basic idea is that everyone, including characters and creatures, would have some core components, including a race and background, character level, 1d6 (maybe 1d8, but IDK) Hit Dice per level, a Proficiency modifier and a certain number of feats per level. And feats are used to build on top of those elements. Extra hit points (beyond a 1d6 HD) would be based on the selection of a Toughness feat, which would grant +1 HP per HD per selection (+4 per HD max).

But "progression paths" would be used for people who don't have the patience for so many selections, as well as to facilitate encounter creation for GMs. All creatures would basically have a character level, just like PCs, and their Size (based on their "race") would grant additional Hit Dice and other modifiers based on their size category. So GMs just have to pick a "race" template, strap in a "progression path", and presto! Readymade encounter to go!

I'm also thinking of using 1d6 as base damage for all weapons (including natural), but modify that die type based on the weapon's properties: Light, Heavy, Martial, Two-Handed, Firearm, etc. Most properties (other than Light) will cumulatively increase weapon damage by one die type, but add some sort of caveat (requires two-hands, special training, etc.). Light weapons are reduced by one damage die type (1d6 to 1d4), but may be used off-hand without penalty and are treated as finesse weapons. Weapons for size categories larger than Medium also increase by +2 die types per category (Large +2, Huge +4, Gargantuan +6), and smaller weapons are reduced by -1 die type for Small or -2 for Tiny.

Die types world include: 1 HP, 1d2, 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 2d6, 2d8, 3d6, and +1d6 per type beyond.

All of this is still a work in progress, though, and subject to change depending on feedback or other stuff that occurs to me.
« Last Edit: June 23, 2020, 07:28:28 PM by VisionStorm »

VisionStorm

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #35 on: June 23, 2020, 07:33:49 PM »
Quote from: Shasarak;1135905
2e is much more gonzo then anything done by WotC or Paizo.

It is like TSR had a million monkeys at a million typewriters.


I started checking out PF 2e recently, and it looks as if D&D 3e and 5e had an incestuous kid, and that kid was a powergamer with ADHD. Classes are too bloated for my taste, but it has some interesting ideas.

Shasarak

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #36 on: June 23, 2020, 08:11:14 PM »
Quote from: VisionStorm;1135911
I started checking out PF 2e recently, and it looks as if D&D 3e and 5e had an incestuous kid, and that kid was a powergamer with ADHD. Classes are too bloated for my taste, but it has some interesting ideas.

Yes and no.  They do try and cover three or four different archetypes with each class so at first glance it can appear to be bloated but when you are leveling up from first level then it is usually pretty straightforward.  Choose a level 1 feat from a list of four, then choose a level 4 feat from a list of four adds upto around ten pages to cover 20 levels.

Now the real problem starts when you want to find where a particular rule is within the book.  Honestly I dont know who their editor was but it makes the ADnD Dungeon Master Guide look well organised in comparison.
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Spinachcat

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #37 on: June 23, 2020, 09:12:23 PM »
Quote from: ZetaRidley;1135799
What would you like to see?


We already have D&D Nirvana. It's called the OSR and 3PP clones.

Whatever flavor of D&D you want, somebody is selling it on DriveThruRPG. There's exactly ZERO reasons to feel stuck with whatever WotC is trying to ram down our throat because we live in the Golden Age of RPG options.

Here's a list of retroclones. It's not even current and there's dozens to check out.
https://retroroleplaying.com/retro-clones/

Anybody have a link to a current list? I'm sure there are 5e clones by now.

David Johansen

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #38 on: June 23, 2020, 10:06:00 PM »
At present Dark Passages

I keep fiddling with a leaner version with more of a wargames focus but it's been years.
« Last Edit: June 23, 2020, 10:09:19 PM by David Johansen »
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Razor 007

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #39 on: June 24, 2020, 12:29:43 AM »
It has 6 Ability Scores, 4 Core Classes in the Core Rulebook, Armor as Damage Reduction until it is destroyed / but it can be mended prior to being destroyed, and uses a 2d6 success mechanic with small Ability Score  modifiers.  Skills are UTEML based at -2, +0, +1, +2, +3.  These small modifiers work in hand with the 2d6 mechanic.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2020, 12:36:23 AM by Razor 007 »
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thedungeondelver

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #40 on: June 24, 2020, 12:42:20 AM »
1e AD&D, mostly stopping at Unearthed Arcana (cherry picking a few things out of it).  Nothing else, really.  Perfect setting is Greyhawk, natch...
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Mcbobbo sums it up nicely.

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Omega

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #41 on: June 24, 2020, 07:01:25 AM »
One of the problems with these sorts of discussions is that some people just want something that isnt D&D with the D&D label slapped on. 4e out the gate was pretty much that.

Zalman

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #42 on: June 24, 2020, 08:31:44 AM »
Quote from: S'mon;1135821
1e Adnd with ascending AC and to-hit, the S&W single save, and maybe 5e's advantage mechanic.

Yep, count me in. That's very close to what I run.
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Zalman

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #43 on: June 24, 2020, 08:34:07 AM »
Quote from: VisionStorm;1135911
I started checking out PF 2e recently ... it has some interesting ideas.

Like what? Kick down!
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Weru

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Current WoTC aside, what does your perfect D&D edition look like?
« Reply #44 on: June 24, 2020, 09:01:02 AM »
Moldvay/Cook B/X as the base then throw in the Feind Folio and the fun classes, spells, monsters, and treasure from AD&D. Finally some of the Judges guild stuff to flesh out wilderness exploration.