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Dev Vim 09-14-07, 03:33 AM

First, I beg of you if you like the ideas presented for 4e, or have some comment about how its too soon to judge, or anything of the sort, do not post here. This is a project intended for those who already know they will not buy or play it, and such comments have no constructive purpose. Please leave 4e out of this. The more I look at what they tell us about 4e, the less I like. The design seems to be based around balance and further re-enforcing class roles at the expense of flexibility, increasing the base power level of the game so that the feel revolves around action right off the bat, which requires you to gut the system to make to drop the power level and atmosphere, and overall just makes it so that you have to play the game with a play style closer to what they write up. 3.5 was not perfect in many ways, but it was easy to tweak without breaking the game, and I do feel that for those of us who do not wish to bother with the update to 4e because it is not the game for us. To this I make a proposition to WotC if they will listen, and to the players of D&D that do not wish to buy 4e because they do not like the looks of it so far, or the intent behind it. The plan is that I want to start a rough draft for a player-made eratta of 3.5, 3.75. while dependent on 3.5 books to ensure that good faith is not violated with WotC or any other parties, but it will be an attempt to take the game and move it along a different path, taking on the design ideas of more and more people as it goes and letting it snowball into a kind of free resource for playing 3.5 in a new way for those who so choose. Thus far these are the things that I plan to write in, once things are up people can discuss and help change things around, but Someone has to put up the original basics and so I will post rough drafts for the following ideas as soon as possible. My initial ideas for contributions include. 1.New feat-based Class features: The initial design I have in my head is a combination of the current feat system and the A/B/C per level/levels scale adjustment system of Weapons of legacy. The basic idea is to distinguish the classes only by measure of some of these character building feats being exclusive or coming sooner to some classes. This would allow people to create something close to their idea of the class arc types or make something on their own as they so choose. I realize this idea is huge and probably will take alot of time and refinement but I feel that it is something more people can get behind. 2.Improvements on the skill systems: While my personal preference is to use non-combat and non-action oriented skills only when I feel they are really needed, adding the mechanics to do more with the skills they have and lay out a bit more groundwork for the overall mechanics. The rough draft of this may end up being akward as this is something I would never use in my own play, but it is important to include these kinds of things in the game to ensure that people are happy with it and have a clear picture of the kinds of creative ways such skills can be used if they so choose. 3.Fixed item creation system:The methods for creating items and magic items in particular were abstract and unfriendly, costing XP as well as eating up time with rolls that made it feel more like a chore than a fun, interactive part of the character. The Idea I have for this right now is to harken back to 2e, but with some new ideas as well. Create formulas for items or item enchantments as need be, and work out the system so that materials can be bought, quested for or created as the DM sees fit and in the ratios that are appropriate, while turning the item creation process from some boring ho-hum roll fest to a way to get fun and exciting side stories and hooks. 4.CR and monsters:I have no idea how to fix this, and perhaps there is no real way to do so, but CR is an awful mechanic because it dose not really provide any objective information. parties are mercurial and while one party may be looking for miracles against some creature another party of the same level could mow down ten at a time without breaking a sweat. There will never be some miracle gauge to tell you what to make your players fight, but there have to be improvements to be made there. 5.Magic use:Spell casters are on top, we all know this, but its hard to tone them down really because spells are all they really get, and if you take those away what more can you do? aside from attempting to adjust the spells to have a feat progression required for them so as to let the wizards and clerics and such move things around as wanted or needed I plan to work on a mechanic to put the classes at some kind of risk from using their spells too often or for too long.I have no idea what these penalties will be yet, but I feel that this will not only help balance out classes but give the spells less of a 'fire and forget' feeling. Those are the only thoughts I have for now, but I urge those of you who do not the things 4e are offering to throw your two cents in so long as it is polite and constructive. I urge any WizO who thinks this is in the wrong section to move it, and if I have broken any rules or would break any rules with such a project I am sorry. My only hope is to get the ball rolling on an alternative for those of us who would probably have to wait hald a decade at least before we get a shot at 5e, which may end up being further in the other direction. Please For all of you that wish to post here I urge you again, be constructive, be polite and remember we are all on the same side. thank you.