[3.5] What's essential to D&D for it to be D&D?

[Callos_DeTerran]

For my RL group, it's all the normal cliches of dwarves, elves, and so on. Sometimes they can deal with some of those cliches missing for something new and different, but, for the most part, they just don't enjoy the game if it's radically different from the type of setting that they are used to. I don't begrudge them this, but it got me a little curious.

What sort of things MUST be in a setting for it to be really D&D for you or your group?

[Escheton]

Books, dice and pc's. And stuff to encounter, so we have an excuse to not go out but still get wasted.

[HunterOfJello]

This is an excellent question!




Let me think... it's not really D&D unless there are:


Undead
A group of adventurers
the threat of rocks falling out of the sky
Magic
at least one dungeon
at least one dragon
Demons (at least the reference to evil outsiders)
Powerful divine gods

[GoodbyeSoberDay]

Housecat > Commoner

[dsmiles]

Books, dice and pc's. And stuff to encounter, so we have an excuse to not go out but still get wasted.

This. That's all we need. (Except the getting wated part. )

[Aotrs Commander]

For me? Nothing.

I play 3.5 because I think the rules are the best suited to my particular preferences, but I don't hold any allegiance to it aside from that. For preference, I run on my own worlds, which may have a little - or even virtually nothing in common with D&D's "feel" aside from the actual rules mechanics. (Aside from those that arise convergantly from my personal preferences of a strong Tolkien bias.) Heck, even my encounter design is pretty far removed from most of the paradigms of D&D (more from 3.x's than some of the older AD&D modules though, which also had large encounters sometimes.)

In essense, I play my fantasy roleplaying games using the 3.5 ruleset, but I don't play "Dungeons & Dragons" as a game in of, and as end to, itself.

But I've got no sense of nostaglia for D&D like a lot of people, because it wasn't my first - or even second - roleplaying game. Those honours go to HeroQuest and Rolemaster, the latter of which was my system of choice until 3.5 came along.

[BobVosh]

To not have 4ed describe it. Hi-yo!

Ok, more seriously:
The almighty D20 mechanic.
Adventurers as a job description, at least 1 dragon, casters with the following powers: healing, balls of fire (great), teleportation, invisibility, and summoning.
Some odd, odd rules. Like this one:

If one abjuration spell is active within 10 feet of another for 24 hours or more, the magical fields interfere with each other and create barely visible energy fluctuations. The DC to find such spells with the Search skill drops by 4.

Humans, elves, dwarfs, and gnomes. Vancian casting, which I will admit I didn't like at first. However it has definitely grown on me.

[Lev]

Adventurer PC's, Adventure campaign.

Essentia doesn't have to be there, personally I don't like the system as it's ridiculous in application but not in theory. To have chakras bind to objects as a world feature is just plain silly. Normally this never enters my world because the way that chakras are supposed to work is never apparent to the players.

Psionics are a must, they balance out the Mag/Atk/Skill balance to Mag/Psi/Atk/Skill and introduce much more interesting flavor as some classes pick up some psionics.

[Ernir]

I've heard the Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha attributes and +x weapons being mentioned.

I'm really interested in seeing what people think defines the system mechanically.

[RebelRogue]

Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Fighters, Wizards, Clerics, Rogues/Thieves, Dungeons, Dragons.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

Most important:
Dungeons - exploration adventures in the form of sets of areas (rooms, caves, streets, forest clearings, whatever), with interesting things therein (treasure and traps), and as often as not, creatures to "interact with" (kill).

Vital, but less important:
Fighter, Magic-user, Cleric, Thief - mix and match (and rename) those classes as you see fit.
Humans, elves, dwarves, halflings.
Dragons - must be some, whether out there in the Far Reaches, or ruling the next door kingdom.

EDIT: Ninja! ^^

[Mastikator]

Adventuring and doing good deeds around the world.
Killing people with a different skin color and fang size because you read in a book that they're evil.

[Chambers]

I'm really interested in seeing what people think defines the system mechanically.

Rolling a Natural 20. Rollin' those 20's.

And the whole roll d20 + modifier to beat target number. There are other ways to do it, but that's what I prefer most of the time.

[Ruinix]

This is an excellent question!




Let me think... it's not really D&D unless there are:


Undead
A group of adventurers
the threat of rocks falling out of the sky
Magic
at least one dungeon
at least one dragon
Demons (at least the reference to evil outsiders)
Powerful divine gods

plus.

concept characters using weird builds.
dice, a lot
grid and miniatures

[jiriku]

Character death. Lots of it. Oh, you mean when I'm not DMing? For me it's the QUESTS! If the world isn't full of people in trouble who are just waiting for heavily armed strangers to arrive and solve all their problems, it's just not D&D to me.

[arrowhen]

Human, Elf, Dwarf.

Fighter, Mage , Cleric, Thief.

Ability scores, classes, levels, AC, HP, and saving throws.

A party of adventurers killing monsters and taking their stuff.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Ahh, allow me to be a bit more specific...what non-mechanically makes a game D&D for you all?

[Shade Kerrin]

Driving the wannabe D&D encyclopedia in our group insane by turning all the fluff and flavor of my character upside down does it for me.

[Nachtritter]

Loot.

Lots and lots and lots of loot.

Yes, call me materialist, but there's nothing that defines D&D more than writing out exactly how many gold, silver, and copper pieces each of your numerous game-breaking items are worth.

[dsmiles]

Ahh, allow me to be a bit more specific...what non-mechanically makes a game D&D for you all?

Well, in that case...my answer stands, as is.

[Calmness]

A D&D setting just wouldn't be the same without elves.

[Foryn Gilnith]

What's essential to D&D for it to be D&D? Most important, IMO is the mass consensus of the people. I can play D&D without cliched races, without books, without undead, without magic, without demons, without gods, without d20, without hit points, et cetera, and it would still recognizably be D&D. (Although, IMO, the six attributes have to stay, and the [dice]+N versus DC has to stay even if d20 isn't the die being used). Just as long as the gamer zeitgeist reinforces the belief that this is D&D.

[Starbuck_II]

For my RL group, it's all the normal cliches of dwarves, elves, and so on. Sometimes they can deal with some of those cliches missing for something new and different, but, for the most part, they just don't enjoy the game if it's radically different from the type of setting that they are used to. I don't begrudge them this, but it got me a little curious.

What sort of things MUST be in a setting for it to be really D&D for you or your group?

XP
GP
humans
taverns
quests

[RelentlessImp]

Vancian Magic
Monty Python Quotes

[Notreallyhere77]

• Magic, especially magic items and healing.
• 2 or more people with different skills deciding to join forces and do dangerous things for profit.
• Fantasy creatures to interact with.
• Medieval weapons, not modern or futuristic. If you want the latter, you're best off playing d20 modern.
• Dice, including d20s, and the d20 mechanic.

Really a lot of other things make the game good, and more complete, but you can still run a game without gods, quests, or dungeons. But you can't run a D&D game without the above.

[grimbold]

3 things

monty python

role-playing ridiculous characters

dungeons preferable with dragons

[Aerodynamik]

I would have to say that in order to really have a proper 'D&D' feel, it would have to have the following:

• D20 rolls where bonuses are added to determine success.
• Having the same six ability scores from D&D. (STR/DEX/CON/INT/WIS/CHA)
• Having different classes to choose from.
• Reflex/Will/Fortitude Saving Throws or Defenses
• Hit Points

A lot of other people who posted before me mentioned things like having Elves or Dragons or things like that, but when I play other d20 games, such as d20 modern or the Star Wars table top RPG, even if they don't have any fantasy elements, I still feel like I'm playing D&D.

[grimbold]

[LIST][*]D20 rolls where bonuses are added to determine success.
\

thats a good one

[Comet]

Why on earth is this thread tagged [3.5]? I mean, AD&D and 4th edition, among others, are D&D too and contain pretty much the same iconic things.

Anyway, for me it pretty much boils down to the notion that D&D is pretty much a mess of all the classic elements, tropes or whatever you want to call them thrown into the same pot and stirred until they all sit comfortably next to each other. After that you can either play in a world that has everything (not my thing, lacks focus) or cherry pick the best things to fit your current campaign (awesome, wanna play a psionics only campaign about the fall of the Illithid empire? Go ahead! Or you could raid a dragon's dungeon and then the lair of an ancient four-eyed pagan god!)

Other than that, there are some particular monsters that come to mind whenever I think abotu D&D. Beholders, Mind Flayers, Owlbears, Slaadi and so on.

[Loki_42]

I love how a lot of the requirements mean that pre 3rd, D&D wasn't D&D.