D&D: Xeviat Edition

[Xeviat]

I'm gathering helpers for my official house-rules/edition changes. While these will be used in my setting, I don't intend to make them incompatible with core or other "normal" settings ("normal" meaning settings in which the builder doesn't heavily alter the classes or other mechanical rules of the game, other than maybe picking and choosing which races/classes/sources are allowed). Here is a list of the areas I'd like to address:

Abilities
*Balance Charisma against the other scores. I'm currently leaning towards introducing Action/Hero/Force/Void points into standard D&D, and somehow using Charisma as an associated score (either through having Charisma determine points allocated per level/day, or having Charisma modifier affect such point rolls).
Races
*Balance the Half-Elf and Half-Orc. These are most important to me. I've created a version of the Orc for use in my own setting, but I'm not sure if it is generic enough. I'll share it in a later post.
*Balance the Dwarf and Gnome. These races seem much more powerful than all the others. Either everyone should be raised to their power, or they should be reduced to everyone else's. They get a lot of abilities, not all of which are useful to multiple classes, but they still feel overloaded.
*Introduce a culture system. Players will choose their race, and the race/culture they grew up with. Abilities will be set aside as racial (biological) and cultural (learned).
Classes
*Balance the Fighter against the Barbarian and Paladin.
*Balance the Sorcerer against the Wizard (Unearthed Arcana's spontaneous Cleric and Druid variant applied to a Wizard creates a more powerful character than the Sorcerer, for instance).
Skills
*Consolidate skill lists in a way that makes total sense. I'll be looking at the SAGA condenses and exploring what seems odd.
*Expand on skill "special abilities" (like how 5 ranks in tumble grants more AC when fighting defensively), possibly pilfering ideas from the Skill Tricks.
Feats
*Balance perceived weak feats (Dodge, skill feats, ect.) against potent feats. Weak feats will include feats which are rarely selected by players, or feats which are often regretted by players, in addition to feats that people cry out simply as weak.
*Expand on current feat trees to cover high levels.
Description
*Create a simple system for determining character height and weight based on their physical ability scores. This will help for later combat options, such as throwing rules (if a creature's weight is largely determined by their strength, muscle mass, then an opposed strength check would be a simple way of determining throwing distance).
Equipment
*Balance and simplify armors.
*Possibly introduce Armor as DR rules in a way that is both simple, realistic, and balanced, and explore areas of the game that it will change.
Combat
*Simplify grappling rules.
*Improve under used combat rules (bull rush and overrun).
*Improve two-weapon fighting rules.
*Explore possible new combat options (throws, called shots, ect.).
Spells
*Explore problematic spells and potential fixes.
*Create a new, point template based Alter Self/Polymorph/Shapechange spell. For instance, Alter Self would grant 1 point per caster level, max ? points, that could be used to buy abilities off of a table that would apply to your base form (such as size alterations, ability increases, natural weapons/armor). Each subsequent spell would grant other abilities on the table, higher max point caps, longer durations, or other changes.
*Explore my MP system for possible abuses.

The intention of the project is not to fundamentally change the game (except possibly my added ability scores/armor/defense changes), but to tweak the game with all the experiences we've had over our time gaming.

I'll be adding placeholder posts for each of the above topic headers (the bolded PHB chapters above). Please, at the start of each post, make note of the issue you'd wish to discuss. I may have to make individual threads for issues if they grow too large.

Thanks for everyone's interest.

[Xeviat]

Abilities

[Xeviat]

Races

[Xeviat]

Classes

[Xeviat]

Skills

Xev's Skills 1.0

Current (3.5)	Changes (Xev's)
Appraise	Craft/Knowledge (Untrained/Trained)
Autohypnosis	Concentration (Trained)
Balance	Acrobatics
Bluff	Bluff
Climb	Athletics
Concentration	Concentration
Craft	Craft
Decipher Script	Knowledge
Diplomacy	Diplomacy
Disguise	Craft/Bluff
-	Endurance
Escape Artist	Sleight of Hand
Forgery	Craft
Gather Information	Gather Information*
Handle Animal	Handle Animal
Heal	Heal
Hide	Stealth
Intimidate	Intimidate
Jump	Athletics
Knowledge	Knowledge
Listen	Perception
Move Silently	Stealth
Open Lock	Disable Device (Trained)
Perform	Perform
Profession	Profession
Ride	Ride
Search	Perception
Sense Motive	Will Save/Perception
Sleight of Hand	Sleight of Hand
Speak Language	Speak Language*
Spellcraft	Spellcraft
Spot	Perception
Survival	Survival
Swim	Athletics
Tumble	Acrobatics (Trained)
Use Magic Device	Use Magic Device
Use Rope	Grapple

Explanations

*Appraise was mixed with Craft and Knowledge because someone who knows how to make something should be able to value it, and pure Appraisal should be a form of knowledge.
*Balance was merged with Tumble because everyone who knows how to tumble has good balance. Synergy Bonuses tried to merge this, but the need for balance in tumble is so high that they can't really be separated.
*Climb, Jump, and Swim were merged because athletes shouldn't need to be "that" intelligent to be great athletes (no offense to any athletes on the boards). Climbing and swimming largely use the same muscles (every muscle), and are both amongst the most exerting activities (aside from ... well ... I can't say it here). If they're boiled down, all three of these skills are used to move your character in a way they naturally can't (humans naturally walk and run, we don't climb, swim, or hop everywhere).
*Concentration and Autohypnosis were merged and made a Wisdom skill because concentration has no value outside of casting classes. This gives people the ability to will themselves to go on through willpower rather than hardiness (concentration vs. endurance).
*Decipher Script will be combined into a Knowledge because the skill is so infrequently taken, except for prerequisites or for synergy.
*Disguise and Forger are being merged into Crafts because that's what they are. Also, Disguise was normally a charisma based skill, but this didn't make sense when you used Disguise to apply a Disguise to someone else; so your charisma makes them a better actor? The acting aspects of Disguise are merged into Bluff (and maybe Perform: Actor), while the quality of the Disguise is a Craft.
*Escape Artist is merged with Sleight of Hand because they are both archtypically similar. Look at modern day magicians/illusionists; most of their acts are made up of these two skills. They are thematically linked in the ability to move in strange and deceptive ways. Star Wars Saga Edition has Escape Artist with Acrobatics (I can't imagine an Olympian gymnist having the ability to get out of a straight jacket), and Sleight of Hand with Stealth (I can't see a Commando knowing how to swiftly palm coins or pick pockets). The "hide an object on one's self" aspect of Sleight of Hand will be Stealth, though.
*I'm unsure about Gather Information's status. Part of me thinks it should just be merged with the other three social skills (batman seems to use Intimidate to Gather Info), but another part of me feels that Gather Information is used when you don't know who to get the information out of, while the others would be to get information out of a specific individual. Though, one could simply say that one "gather information" check made with the other social skills represents a night's questioning, freeing the need for the Gather Info skill.
*Listen, Spot, and Search are combined into Perception to free up the implied need to have a Taste/Smell skill; listen is hearing, spot is vision, and search is touch, but they don't need to be separate. Sure, many people are better with one or another, but it can be simplified as flavor-text; all of the skills are used to find hidden things.
*Move Silently and Hide are combined into Stealth because almost no character would have one and not the other. Sneaky people are simply sneaky, and with the creation of Perception, Stealth needs to be unified too. The skill is for hiding yourself or objects.
*Open Lock is combined with Disable Device because a lock is a device, and disabling it generally means opening it (since it's function is to stay closed).
*Sense Motive's merging with Will Save is a Saga change that I don't entirely agree with, but it makes sense in a way. If a wizard using an illusion to "lie" to you targets will saves, then why not a rogue using their words to "lie" to you?
*Use Rope is combined with Grapple simply because the main use of Use Rope is to bind foes, and if binding foes with yourself uses Grapple, then a grappler should be good at binding someone with something else. Combined with Saga's ability to use Dex or Str in a grapple, this makes a nice change.

Those are my preliminary ideas for changes. I'd like to discuss these changes, and get some feedback for a 1.1 version.

Also, I'd like to discuss the merits of D&D's skill point system vs. Saga's trained skill system. If you don't already know, there are no skill points in Saga. Characters get a bonus equal to 1/2 their character level on all skills, and they gain a number of trained skills at first level. Being trained in a skill grants a +5 bonus (skill focus also grants a +5 bonus) and lets you use the "trained" aspects of skills (tumble is a trained aspect of balance, for instance). I like certain aspects of both.

[Xeviat]

Feats

[Xeviat]

Description

[Xeviat]

Equipment

[Xeviat]

Combat

[Xeviat]

Spells

[So-Keher]

Perception...
Just a quick idea cuz it's still early morning for me, but perhaps Perception could tie into ranged combat or possibly it could be taken not as physical perception but more of mental perception, and effect certain schools of magic (like Divination) or divine magic.

[Xeviat]

Magic wouldn't work, because not all people use magic. Dexterity is hand-eye coordination, and it will govern all attack rolls.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I think you're stuck on Perception.  The more you reduce elements of game mechanics without a fundamental change to said mechanics the more you are just splitting things.  The problem with mental scores is that D&D really isn't designed much around them, so there's little to split them up about.  Plus conceptually it can be very hard to understand how much of mentality to separate out.  The fact that you want both a Wisdom and Perception score means something in that area.

Why do you need 4 mental scores anyway?

[Xeviat]

I don't need to have 8 scores, it is merely a desire. I can live with the standard 6. But, it is mainly so that I can have 4 physicals and 4 mentals, which will tie in with my 4 elements. Each element will have a physical and mental score:

Air: Agility and Perception
Earth: Constitution and Willpower
Fire: Strength and Charisma
Water: Dexterity and Intelligence

Again, I can do without it; that's why that is listed as one of my "possible" projects.

Now, I wouldn't mind some fundamental changes, if it could get Perception to work. For instance, I'm leaning towards making each mental ability score necessary for casters in my setting (spell slots determined by Wisdom, potency determined by Charisma, making knowledge and other skills more important for magic). So, I'm willing to make some changes.

But, that aspect should probably be ignored, for now, as it isn't very accessible to all games. In fact, adding an ability score would fundamentally change the game more than this project would really desire.

[Xeviat]

Updated the Skills section. Will update the Class section soon.