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Barbarian : already has rage which is unique and central to the class. Bard : see @Steampunkette 's recent redesign. Cleric : reduce spell power overall, increase the uses and power of channeling. I mostly forget channeling in bg3 because spells are more powerful. Get a new use of channeling...

I had a blast reading the AD&D parody but never found players for it. Didn't see the point of any later editions, I'd rather play AD&D than any other high-crunch fantasy game.

I see your point about the saving throws, but if we design the class so that it's always lower level than its peers, but give them massive HP and saving throw bonuses to catch up, why bother? The RAW Barbarian seems intended to create a PC who can hold the line in combat and win the Alone...

Very interesting take on the shaman / witch doctor dual split class. I always liked that detail for humanoid tribes in the DMG. It's a little unclear whether it is intended to be closer to the thief-acrobat model, multi-class, dual-class, or XP sharing side-class like the OA ninja. I think I...

Regarding armor: per the PH, assassins can only wear leather; UA adds studded leather, padded and elfin chain. I'm not sure if the 1e core rules impose any explicit penalties for wearing armor not on your list, except for the penalties to thief and acrobat skills or druid magical taboos. So it's...

Give each primary spellcaster a nearly unique spell list, with no more than 10% of their spells potentially accessible by other classes (including subclass shenanigans). Create more mechanics that are unique to a single class. Create more classes that get zero spells or magical abilities...

I have never felt like the assassin has major issues but I haven't engaged with them dreply either. The assassinaton table is not necessarily more deadly than a backstab. It is highly unlikely that an enemy would hire an assassin much higher level than the party. The expense for a high level...

Wow, I wasn't expecting so much discussion from this thought exercise. I don't have the time or patience right now to collect citations, so I'm just going to respond to some ideas that stood out for me and hope their poster(s) recognize themselves. 1. Design elegance vs diversity of play...

I love 5e -- it has a lot going for it as a player and as a DM. But the other thread anticipating 6e got me thinking seriously about what design aspects of 5e are actually problems. So I felt like posting this thought exercise : if I were the lead designer, and not concerned with consensus or...

Cool approach. I love the song/flourish idea. Does a bard even need a pile of utility spells? I feel like in 5e it is treated like a requirement, and giving a class spells is sacrificing its potential to provide a unique experience in exchange for the illusion of balance. I would say lean...

The funny thing about the UA barbarian is that they are actually the least offensive class in the fighter group. They have buckets of abilities and every single one is defensive. Plus their initial weapons are constrained. The player goes in thinking they'll kick ass and find themselves...

I voted for exotic counterspells. As a rare spell for players to learn or an occasional monster ability, it could be fun. It's the same problem as psionic combat and hackers in cyberpunk -- when you create a subgame that only one player at the table can participate in, it's boring for everyone...

I agree with both your (abridged) points. I love the idea of a mythic thief whose role and archetype allow feats of stealth and trickery that seem supernatural, without spellcasting (see for example the defunct comic Thieves & Kings or any number of mythological trickster-heros.) And my...

Since you ask, here's the complete data. But I don't want to derail the thread from your excellent work. @Celebrim regarding the skill list, I've attached it. But this list is a little special: I was never a huge fan of 2E's NWP system and so I made up my own skill system that adheres more...

Interesting ideas! I really like the exceptional actions listed for the skills. I also gave the thief class a boost in my campaign but not as extreme. The key ideas are: 1. A thief is never penalized for attempting their skills and failing the roll, unless the skill description specifies one...

Right you are, and the very best RPGs use the system to express the setting and its themes. But those games are not generic and usually don't pretend to be.

I think we have two camps arguing for two aspects of the game that are not actually in conflict. As a fantasy game system capable of supporting a wide variety of setting and homebrew, D&D needs to provide a wide variety of options and very few restrictions. (Personally, I was upset when they...

Roly poly? Barreling down the corridor like an Indiana Jones boulder trap?

One of the things that really impressed me with the Binder is that most of the vestiges avoided common stereotypes and archtypes

I also loved the Binder--my favorite chapter from the Tome of Magic. I think in 5e the Binder is functionally closest to a warlock (no duh!). The main difference being that instead of having a single, consistent patron, the PC could switch between patrons with a long rest, and eventually have...