I've got a fairly extensive list:
Allow for a standardized class chassis, but accomodate simpler builds from the beginning of the game. Spread the simple and complex builds across both martial and magical classes (don't make all Martial classes the less complex and all magic using classes the more complex ones).
Alter power resource management. You get unlimited uses of at-will level powers, X uses per encounter of other more potent powers and possibly Y uses of your big powers per day. You use these to activate any power of the appropriate type you know, to improvise powers you don't know and to activate environmental powers that have equivalent effect. Magic items offer new powers that are activated with the same pool of actions as the players other actions.
Be explicit that part of a power can be about ceding narrative control to a player in a specific way. (i.e. come and get it's pulling is the player deciding the monsters reaction to his bravado).
Remove attack and skill progression. Replace them with a modifier that is based on the character's level minus the target's level. Ability scores no longer need to advance with level and +X items can be eliminated.
Change the to hit system so that most current misses are instead glancing blows. A 1 is a miss, less than the defense is a glancing blow, and as it currently stands defense or better is a hit and a natural 20 a critical hit. A glancing blow has a limited effect that is informed by the classes role. For example, controller AoEs might deal half damage on a glancing blow while their single target glancing blows deal minimum damage and inflict a more limited status. Allow players to recharge their encounter power uses on a natural 1.
Replace action points with allowing players to use encounter and daily powers to buy up and down the spectrum of hits. Roll a nat 20 and you don't need to drop this enemy fast, you can hit normally and recharge an encounter power. Roll a glancing blow and you need to hit hard, spend a daily power use to make it a crit.
Create more granularity in status effects. The game could use more control that doesn't cause missed turns or effective missed turns. Statuses could include inability to use daily or encounter effects, forced delays of action and the like. Define a spectrum of statuses so that a new page 42 also defines which types of statuses are appropriate for which levels and action types (at will/encoutner/daily).
Create a more robust skill usage framework while normalizing the math with combat math. Trained skills roll twice and use the better result. Allow freeer mapping of ability score to skill. Racial background and other skill bonuses instead offer circumstantial rerolls. Separate combat feats from skill traits and allow advancement in both areas without having to choose one over the other. As an option allow traits that grant players limited narrative control.
Create a default where a many combats have a skill challenge to avoid, with failure resulting in combat (this can be sneaking past the enemy, bluffing, luring the enemy into a trap, gaining allies etc). Better define skill encounters as having a chance of failure, rewards for success and consequences that aren't story blocking for failure.
Remove the magic item economy from the game. Make treasure useful for driving story.
I'm sure I have more, but that's a good start for 5th ed for me?
What would you do for 5th edition? Why would you do it?
- No Dailies/Vacian Casting.
The new edition will go with Encounters and introduce Recharge powers (like the monsters have) There will also be some mechanics that will change powers in some way, like Stances and Psionic like Augments. - Power Sources will be locked into the classes.
Keeping Power Sources around, they must be locked with the classes that have them. I hope Essentials has at least taught this lesson, mixing power sources makes the concept of Power Sources worthless. - Builds will have different Roles.
Having Roles be Build specific instead of tying it to a class will introduce some freedom with power choices and have a better focus on concepts instead of making a class just for this or that Role. Most likely, each class will be limited to two (or three if there are more than four roles) and Multiclassing will allow for some great combinations.
I would also hope that the Tiers (Heroic/Paragon/Epic) is elemenated. I understand the need for a level cap (Though I do think there is a way to have Epic gameplay beyond level 20/30) but the Tiers are just not something that D&D needs. I would think the term Prestige would be re-introduced, and be the way to multiclass instead of having Gesalt build or a spattering of powers. (I am still confused on if one levels in another class in Paragon Tier after taking the three feats)
Some lesser changes is the Skills ditching the Trained VS. Sucked SaGa mechanic, Magical Items having prices according to use (Weapons, Armor, Rings, Potions and so on), though it will still be by level, and the parcel system completely revamped to allow any type of treasure allocation, not just dirt poor adventurers with wish lists.
- Stick with the inherent bonus system and can the +X magic items altogether.
- Drop the remaining traces of the Vancian system (daily powers).
- Introduce something like WoD's virtue and vice system. Something to help define PCs' motivations.
- Drop the parcel system.
- Introduce good mechanics for underwater/flying/3-dimensional battle.
- Give more concise examples for using the various mechanics (skills, combat, etc.) in the core books.
- The possibility of buying the products as .pdfs.
- Published adventures that don't require as much additional work to make interesting.
- Play up the fact that D&D is first and foremost a roleplaying game...not a mini combat simulator.
- Get rid of "living" campaigns for sanctioned play. Nothing kills a setting faster than making it "living".
My list isn't very long. 4E does most things well as it is.
- Stick with the inherent bonus system and can the +X magic items altogether.
- Drop the remaining traces of the Vancian system (daily powers).
- Introduce something like WoD's virtue and vice system. Something to help define PCs' motivations.
- Drop the parcel system.
- Introduce good mechanics for underwater/flying/3-dimensional battle.
- Give more concise examples for using the various mechanics (skills, combat, etc.) in the core books.
- The possibility of buying the products as .pdfs.
- Published adventures that don't require as much additional work to make interesting.
- Play up the fact that D&D is first and foremost a roleplaying game...not a mini combat simulator.
- Get rid of "living" campaigns for sanctioned play. Nothing kills a setting faster than making it "living".
Couldn't disagree more on the living campaigns. LFR is my only outlet for playing D&D, and that is done online. There are no local groups here, and no FLGS within 50 miles. If anything, I want to see more living campaigns in 5e. Would give me a chance to play more.
Thanks to the VT, about a dozen different other types of virtual tables, the cloud, various chat-room utilities, and about a hundred other online capabailities, it's never been easier to play D&D online. You don't need the ham-fisted, poorly-ran, half-baked adventures of a living setting to play D&D online.
If you can play LFR online, you can play any other setting/style online.
Thanks to the VT, about a dozen different other types of virtual tables, the cloud, various chat-room utilities, and about a hundred other online capabailities, it's never been easier to play D&D online. You don't need the ham-fisted, poorly-ran, half-baked adventures of a living setting to play D&D online.
Well, it basically comes down to getting emails from DM's asking if anyone wants a game that night. Then people sign up, and play through the module. Not quite that easy without organized play. Having the living campaign allows you to play with the same character over and over again, but with different people. I like that.
It's nice having the ability to pick up and decide to run a game on a whim, and have everything prepared for you. The modules are even fully converted over to the VTT.
2. Get rid of weapon proficiencies and non-weapon category descriptors: I feel that any class should be able to use any weapon they choose fits their character's concept. As such, I find it silly when, say, a Cleric of Kord wouldn't know how to use Martial weapons. Allow any class to pick any weapon, which is easy when #1 is introduced, because there is no difference mechanically between having a Longsword or a Scythe (both are one-handed weapons that dead 1d6 damage and are Heavy Blades). Get rid of the proficiency bullcrap. Proficiencies just kind of force players to meta-game and take the weapons that give them the best to-hit. Also, get rid of crap like "brutal 1" or "high-crit". Let those be feats players take or something. As it stands, there are over 50 weapons listed in the game, and about 40 of them are trap options because there is something that does more damage with a higher proficiency bonus/brutal.
3. Realize that some feats can be so good that they're practically mandatory: Expertise feats. Nobody goes past level 15 without them.
4. Get rid of ability score-driven attack bonuses: Your level in your class should determine your attack bonus. This would allow people to get rid of the "MainStat/DumpStat" mentality, and could allow people to create characters that are impossible to do currently (Intelligent Fighter comes to mind).
5. Get rid of class skill lists: If someone wants to play a Fighter that is trained in Arcana, History, and Religion, they should be able to. I agree with each class getting a skill that they are automagically trained in, but being forced to choose from only a few options prevents player choice/character concepts from being fufilled in a meaningful way. Also, I think that every class should be allowed to have four skills trained. There shouldn't be a variance from between 3 and 6 skills depending on class.
aside: I wouldn't mind having the smaller skill list of 4e with the ability to have skill points like 3.5.
6. Online support: The 5e character builder better have Houserule support. I'm pissed enough as it is that we had it and lost it in 4e.
To be quite honest, though, my 5e would like like 4e with those revisions.
Like any edition, you'll tear through it, use the parts you like and ignore the parts you don't. I find the concept of "asking" for an edition to do something to be odd: if you already know exactly what you want, why are you waiting for someone else to validate your desire when you can easily do it without their permission?
My ideal 5e would have a copyright date of 2024.
I agree with this. I haven't finished learning 4th yet!
Hi everyone!
Definitely agree. 
4th edition is my favourite edition and one of my favourite RPG ever...I want more 4th edition stuff on the run, a more focused core-setting and...the end of the essentials. ;)
BYE
KK
My ideal 5e would have a copyright date of 2024.
I agree with this. I haven't finished learning 4th yet!
Main differences:
all classes ever built by first party would be built along the same basic chasis: At will, Encounter, Daily, Utility
Psionic at-wills would scale at epic tier, so an unaugmented level 21 power would be doing more damage than an unaugmented level 1 at-will. all other things equal.
Shadow powersource would have actual classes, not a smattering of powers and a single, mediocre-at-best, "class."
Same for the Elemental Powersource.
No split main stat classes. Clerics would be WIS, Paladins STR, Warlocks split into 2 distinct classes.
Ok, get rid of classes entirely.
Powers would be dependant upon power source, skill level, attributes and feat selection.
Use the percentile dice for skills.
Embrace the gaming aspect of the game and don't shy away from it's wargaming roots. I don't play a game to hear someone read me a story.
I'd get rid of all +n weapons, armor, necklaces, feats, levels. It's an illusion and one that leads to bad monster/character math and slowdown at the table. At most I'd have you choose a weapon specialization and you'd be more accurate while using what you specialize in but every character would be granted this at level 1 without a feat or buy in and might be granted free specializations for Race/Class/Theme. You'd also get a Negative or Positive to hit if it was above or below your level. This really simplifies monster building. I know it's unorthodox for RPGs on Paper and Video Games, we really love our +1 Swords and +1s at each level but everything we fight at the next level has them to so it's a treadmill we always stay at the same to hit basically and besides to hit is based off a d20 at 1st level and a d20 at 30th. So your AC for a Paladin is 23 at level 1 and as long as you have your armor and shield it'll be 23 to level 30. You make your gains through powers, equipment and feats and not +1s that actually don't matter.
That's my big gripe and here is my little one.
Rituals would have no casting cost besides time if a Wizard has chalk he can do a Ritual he's purchased, I hate components and we don't use them at my table.
- I never used the parcel system as I found it odd. (personally I stick to random loot, and let players make the stuff they want - or use specific quests for those items)
- Make martial feel different then magic.
Non-combat wise
- Bigger list of mundain items. Though it sounds stupidly simple, things like 'candles', 'crowbar', etc ... It gives those who like micromanagement what they want. As DM it gives inspiration to give junk, and it gives McGyver a chance to shine (so how will we trap a dragon? well, we could shards of glass (of a flask) so we hear it comming, and use the rope for a standard trap.)
- More flavor text (try mixing the good of World Of Darkness books (but don't inherent the difficulty to find a rule)
Would it count for my response if I just posted a link to Wrecan's "Long Division" series?