D&D General What elements does D&D need to keep?

Which of the following elements should D&D keep in future editions?

  • Using multiple types of dice

    Votes: 110 84.6%
  • Ability scores (Str, Dex, Con, Int, Wis, Cha)

    Votes: 115 88.5%
  • Distinct character races/lineages

    Votes: 97 74.6%
  • Distinct character classes

    Votes: 124 95.4%
  • Alignment

    Votes: 45 34.6%
  • Backgrounds

    Votes: 49 37.7%
  • Multiclassing

    Votes: 59 45.4%
  • Feats

    Votes: 55 42.3%
  • Proficiencies

    Votes: 59 45.4%
  • Levels

    Votes: 121 93.1%
  • Experience points

    Votes: 56 43.1%
  • Hit points

    Votes: 113 86.9%
  • Hit dice

    Votes: 52 40.0%
  • Armor Class

    Votes: 104 80.0%
  • Lists of specific equipment

    Votes: 59 45.4%
  • Saving throws

    Votes: 100 76.9%
  • Surprise

    Votes: 40 30.8%
  • Initiative

    Votes: 87 66.9%
  • Damage types

    Votes: 63 48.5%
  • Lists of specific spells

    Votes: 91 70.0%
  • Conditions

    Votes: 57 43.8%
  • Deities

    Votes: 39 30.0%
  • Great Wheel cosmology

    Votes: 26 20.0%
  • World Axis cosmology

    Votes: 11 8.5%
  • Creature types

    Votes: 57 43.8%
  • Challenge ratings

    Votes: 26 20.0%
  • Lists of specific magic items

    Votes: 75 57.7%
  • Advantage/disadvantage

    Votes: 64 49.2%
  • Other (please specify)

    Votes: 4 3.1%

  • Poll closed .

JEB

Legend
Following from this poll, and as suggested by @Charlaquin in this follow-up thread...

The previous poll asked, "what makes D&D feel like D&D"? This poll takes the same general elements from that poll, but asks a different question - what elements should D&D carry forward into future editions? Vote only for things that you definitely want to see stay in the game; don't vote for the things you could live without, don't care about, or actively want to go away. And remember that this is your opinion; don't vote for what you think will stay, but what you think should stay.

As with the previous poll, you are welcome to elaborate, but please refrain from arguing. Everyone should feel free to share here without criticism.
 

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Zardnaar

Legend
Voted but it's a lot.

Voted first 6 options, multiclassing, levels through to saving throws.

Initiative plus lists of specific spells.

Probably needs some form of great wheel as core but not in specific world's eg Darksun, Eberron, Mystara, Nerath etc.
 

Uta-napishti

Adventurer
I think D&D could get by with 3 Character Classes, Mystic, Martial and Expert being focused on Magic, Fighting and Skills respectively. Or INT/WIS, STR/CON, and DEX,CHA more loosely. Combined concepts, half casters, holy warriors, etc would be all just created by Multiclassing a level or two to pick up your artificer tech, or your magical smites for instance. Let's call it "Low Class D&D". I also think spell slots should definitely be replaced with more flexible spell points (simply 1 per spell level, not the WoTC spell points tables), and spell preparation should ultimately be replaced by your familiarity with the spell that would set a DC for a Spellcasting check.
 

Zardnaar

Legend
I think D&D could get by with 3 Character Classes, Mystic, Martial and Expert being focused on Magic, Fighting and Skills respectively. Or INT/WIS, STR/CON, and DEX,CHA more loosely. Combined concepts, half casters, holy warriors, etc would be all just created by Multiclassing. Let's call it "Low Class D&D". I also think spell slots should definitely be replaced with more flexible spell points (just 1 per level, not the WoTC spell points scheme), and spell preparation should ultimately be replaced by your familiarity with the spell that would set a DC for a Spellcasting check.

If you were starting from scratch I think you could reduce the classes to 3 and feats or pick your own class feature and multiclassing.

But it's not gonna happen.
 


Zardnaar

Legend
None of this is likely to happen, have you read the thread concept?

I agreed with you.

If I designed D&D tomorrow 3 classes, 3 saves, 10 levels, fireball deals 6d6 damage and meteor Swarm is something like 4 meteors at 4d6 and monsters have a lot less hit points.

But if I wanted to sell D&D 12 classes, 20 levels etc.
 

MarkB

Legend
I voted "other" because there wasn't a "none" option. I expect a future version of D&D to keep a smattering of these features, but there's no single item on that list which, if it were dropped or changed, would trigger my "that's not D&D!" reaction.
 

Lanefan

Victoria Rules
My "other" vote is that there's one more thing it needs to keep - or more accurately, return to - that being a sense of open-endedness: that the game/campaign can and-or will last as long as people want to play in it and the DM wants to keep running it. 3e-4e-5e kinda killed this in two ways: by introducing upper level limits (20-30-20 respectively), and by building in more of an expectation that campaigns would not only get to those capstone levels but get there rather quickly.

Let other games limit themselves with capstone levels. D&D goes on forever. :)
 

EzekielRaiden

Follower of the Way
As usual, questions of what's important to D&D bring out the calls for reductionism uber alles.

Just once it'd be nice if people didn't immediately leap from "what do you think is important" to "tell us exactly how all the stuff at least some people like should be removed because it's totally unnecessary."

You'd think more people would appreciate The Obsolete Man.
 


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