Let's Design 5E!

[chronoplasm]

Combat Very loosely inspired by the CHAINMAIL tactical wargame by TSR.
How to attack:

First determine the number and types of dice required for you to attack.
Your weapon determines your base dice pool. The targets armor class is subtracted from your dice pool (or added to your dice pool if the target has negative AC). Your dice pool cannot be reduced to fewer than 1d6 in this way.
Once you have done this, roll your dice.
Add your relevant ability score to each die (Str for melee weapon attacks, Dex for ranged weapon attacks, or any ability score specified by the attack.)
Each die that rolls higher than the targets defense is a hit.
For each die that hits, you deal an amount of damage to the target equal to your relevant ability score (Str for melee weapon attacks, Dex for ranged weapon attacks, or any ability score specified by the attack.)


Action Points
At the beginning of your turn, you recieve a number of Action Points (4+modifier).
You can spend one action point to perform a simple action such as drawing your sword or pulling an item out of your bag, or to have a creature under your command perform such an action.
You can spend two action points to move up to your movement speed or to have a creature under your command move up to its movement speed.
You can spend three action points to perform a basic attack or have a creature under your command move up to its movement speed.
Various powers may cost different amounts of action points to use.

[lesser_minion]

I'm not really sold on that combat system - Action Points seem a bit fiddly to track and I'm not totally sold on your dice pooling system either - it seems to reduce things a bit further than is really appropriate for a combat-orientated RPG.

I'd also suggest trying to introduce a little backward compatibility with 3e (not 4e - I wouldn't mind a decent proof that 4e basically gutted way more of 3e than was necessary).

A possible start could be something like this - it's a kind of hybrid of 3e and 4e (adjusted ability scores combined with 'fighters are theoretically better at hitting stuff'). A couple of the default options suggested would probably be considered Exploits in 4e - it just seems a bit more realistic to allow characters to occasionally try to knock opponents out with a frying pan, which is currently not really available to 3e (or 4e, IIRC).


Ability Scores in combat:
A character normally uses their basic ability modifiers on all combat-related checks. However, most classes have combat bonuses, which can be applied to either attack or defence rolls based on one or two ability scores. A few examples of important Combat bonuses are given below:

Brutality: You may apply a bonus to strength-based attacks and defences
Finesse: you may apply a bonus to dexterity-based attacks and defences
Lightning Reflexes: your combat bonus applies to dexterity and intelligence-based defences
Great Fortitude: your combat bonus applies to strength and constitution based defences
Iron Will: your combat bonus applies to Wisdom and Charisma based defences
Arcane Finesse: your combat bonus applies to Intelligence-based spells
Power of the Faith: your combat bonus applies to Wisdom-based spells
Inspired Magic: your combat bonus applies to Charisma-based spells


Note that none of these class features allow you to double-count your combat bonus - for example, a character with Lightning Reflexes and Weapon Finesse would still only apply her combat bonus to dexterity-based defences once.

Strength-based Attacks:
The most basic strength-based attacks are as follows:

DC10: Attack. An attempt to pierce your opponent's defences and deal damage.
DC20: Subdue. An attempt to stun or incapacitate your opponent rapidly.
DC20: Wild Swing. A brutal attack, easily capable of cleaving through multiple opponents in a single swing.
DC15: Hold. You attempt to grab and hold onto your opponent. This can also be used to climb onto the back of sufficiently large opponents. While holding your opponent, you may move, injure your opponent or attempt to prevent them speaking.
DC15: Throw/Trip. You attempt to trip your opponent up or throw them. This can also be used to drag opponents from horseback, or to escape from a hold.
DC15: Bull rush. You barge into your opponent, attempting to push them backwards or plow straight past them.



Dexterity-based attacks:
The following are the most basic dexterity-based attacks

DC10: Ranged weapon attack
DC10: Attack with a light weapon
DC15: Disarm. You attempt to force your opponent to drop his weapon.
DC15: Feint. You attempt to catch your opponent off-guard, by deceiving him through your skilled bladework
DC20: Impale. You suddenly lunge at your opponent, trying to catch him in a vital area.
DC20: Subdue. You try to end the fight quickly by incapacitating your opponent with a bludgeoning weapon.
DC15: Outmanoeuvre. You try to manipulate your opponent into moving elsewhere.


Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma:
There will probably be no basic attacks that use mental stats. However, some characters may have advanced attacks and spells which are intelligence based





Instead of using 4e defences or 3e saves, I've simply assigned a minimum DC to each of the attacks - characters will be able to add particular defensive bonuses to the DC to affect them with particular abilities.

Mostly I quite like 4e - it does quite a lot of stuff well. I'm not really a fan of the powers in 4e, though, and I prefer 3e for its flexibility.

[Meek]

I'm of the opposite thought, I think the Powers system is the way to move forward and that if anything 5e would be some other springing of the power system. However I also think this is a pointless and futile exercise...

[PinkysBrain]

Nothing says D&D like dice pools.

[Lost Demiurge]

Well, however you put this together, make sure you include gnomes and bards. Otherwise the system will suck. Oh, and you're not allowed to borrow any ideas from computer games, no matter how successful and well-done they might be.

Seriously, that's what I learned from most of the critical 4E posts I've read. :D

[lesser_minion]

I'm of the opposite thought, I think the Powers system is the way to move forward and that if anything 5e would be some other springing of the power system. However I also think this is a pointless and futile exercise...

I think it's worth doing, just to see if it's possible if nothing else. I tried to keep the points I like most about 4e at least vaguely present in the suggestion.

IIRC, what the OP actually wants to see is something that cuts back all of the character classes and presents them as build options instead - basically so that players can have a bit more flexibility. I'm not exactly sure what the other problems he had with the game were though.

Personally, I would consider doing something similar with the basic 3e archetypes, tightening everything up as I go and taking the occasional cue from 4e. That's probably not relevant to this thread though.