4e Fix--dev log 1
Some of the best times I’ve ever had playing D&D were with 4th edition. It’s the only edition where I got just as much enjoyment out of interacting with the mechanics of the game as I did hanging out with my friends playing make believe. That said, it’s pretty hard to get back into 4e after playing other editions of D&D, and especially other RPGs in general. Once the game gets going it’s easy enough to play, but the sheer amount of effort you have to go through to make a character, and to level them up between sessions is daunting. Plus, the game is slowed down by lots of bonuses that are so small, and rules so specific, that they don’t have any meaningful impact on gameplay. The way I see it, these problems are mostly due to “vestigial 3.5-isms”--game elements from the previous edition that stuck around even though they didn’t need to.
The goal of 4e Fix is to create a supplement that can be used alongside the core 4e books which removes these vestigial game elements, and incorporates a handful of modern game design elements to streamline and declutter the D&D 4e experience without altering so much that it stops being D&D 4e altogether.
To-Do:
Simplify races (renamed to origins) down to 2 traits each. Get rid of minor bonuses too small to matter.
Simplify classes. Get rid of class features that provide minor bonuses too small to matter. Rewrite class features that provide feats.
Get rid of ability scores–just use modifiers.
Get rid of the “add ½ your level” bonus some stats have. Adjust monster math to compensate.
Simplify weapons and armor, taking inspiration from the way D&D Gamma World does it.
Experimental:
Get rid of both feats and skills–replace them with a single new thing that fills both roles.
I’ll be posting updates.