What is E6?

[Red Bear]

I've seen a lot of E6 threads in this forum and I'm very interested in it because I think is a system more faithful to the majority of fantasy stories, so I would like to understand exactly what it is.

What are the differences between a d&d 3.5 game where the max level is 6 and an E6 game?

alternatively, where do I find an "official"(I'm not sure if there is an official E6 or if there are many homebrew versions) complete list of E6 rules?

Has anyone thought about an E6 pathfinder?

[Karnith]

alternatively, where do I find an "official"(I'm not sure if there is an official E6 or if there are many homebrew versions) complete list of E6 rules?
Here are the original/"official" E6 rules (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?206323-E6-The-Game-Inside-D-amp-D) from way back when, on EN World.

As far as homebrew, Gnorman has an E6 Compendium (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215986) over in our homebrew forum that is pretty good.

[Talya]

There may be more current links, but much of what you ask is answered here:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?206323-E6-The-Game-Inside-D-amp-D


Pathfinder E6 is known as "P6" and while it may not have a separate page, it pretty much works normally under E6 rules.

[Red Fel]

I've seen a lot of E6 threads in this forum and I'm very interested in it because I think is a system more faithful to the majority of fantasy stories, so I would like to understand exactly what it is.

What are the differences between a d&d 3.5 game where the max level is 6 and an E6 game?

alternatively, where do I find an "official"(I'm not sure if there is an official E6 or if there are many homebrew versions) complete list of E6 rules?

Has anyone thought about an E6 pathfinder?

Here (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?206323-E6-The-Game-Inside-D-amp-D) is a good post explaining the basics and execution of E6.

The idea is fairly simple: By level 6, your heroes are already substantially more powerful than the average Joe. After that, power levels get wonky and an arms race develops, but at that point, everyone is able to shine as a Big D*** Hero. So E6 says that, after you reach level 6, you stop. Every 5,000 xp you gain thereafter instead nets you a feat.

The advantage is that your characters can pace fairly quickly through the boring lower levels and into the top levels (5-6), that character management is extremely simple, and that the spellcaster-melee divide is narrowed by the elimination of high-level spells.

The disadvantage is the elimination of high-level everything, including PrCs and the like.

EDIT: And thoroughly Swordsage'd.

[Fouredged Sword]

It is suggested that PRC's can be brought back through converting the class progression into a feat progression, but that can be tricky and must be handled carefully to preserve some of the base assumptions of E6, like +6 bab and 3rd level spells being the to level possible.

[Red Bear]

I guess I'll have to register to this EN world forum to download the PDF

[Kiero]

Rather more significant than the impact on the PCs of capping normal level progression at 6 is the fact that it also caps the progression of everyone else in the world at 6 too.

E6 isn't merely a statement about keeping the PCs at low levels, it's about making an important material change to the campaign world. If you're using a published setting like Forgotten Realms, this means you have to rework all the major NPCs who've been detailed as having more than 6 levels. It impacts crafting and magic items, grand magical infrastructure, monster choices and so on.

[Zanos]

Rather more significant than the impact on the PCs of capping normal level progression at 6 is the fact that it also caps the progression of everyone else in the world at 6 too.

E6 isn't merely a statement about keeping the PCs at low levels, it's about making an important material change to the campaign world. If you're using a published setting like Forgotten Realms, this means you have to rework all the major NPCs who've been detailed as having more than 6 levels. It impacts crafting and magic items, grand magical infrastructure, monster choices and so on.
FR doesn't really work as an E6 world. There's simply not a way that the majority of the printed NPCs could function, and nearly all the critical events in Faerun's history would need to be rewritten. You would need to start a new "history" where after Mystra dying(again) or something, there's some giant catastrophe(again) and everyone above sixth level dies/goes insane/loses their high level abilities.

You don't have to rework the NPC's, you have to rework the setting. At that point you may as well run a home-brew campaign setting.

But yes, mechanically E6 is very solid. It's not for everyone as was mentioned several times in every thread, but it does avert many issues in regular 3.5/PF by simply amputating them civil war style. It's effective, yeah, but a bit crude.

[Kiero]

FR doesn't really work as an E6 world. There's simply not a way that the majority of the printed NPCs could function, and nearly all the critical events in Faerun's history would need to be rewritten. You would need to start a new "history" where after Mystra dying(again) or something, there's some giant catastrophe(again) and everyone above sixth level dies/goes insane/loses their high level abilities.

You don't have to rework the NPC's, you have to rework the setting. At that point you may as well run a home-brew campaign setting.

But yes, mechanically E6 is very solid. It's not for everyone as was mentioned several times in every thread, but it does avert many issues in regular 3.5/PF by simply amputating them civil war style. It's effective, yeah, but a bit crude.

Either way, you reinforce my point; which was that E6 isn't just a level cap for PCs*, but a reworking of the campaign setting.

*Which all too often are the only terms people seem to think warrant discussion - when in actuality they're the least important impacts.