The basics: First we design a system that generates character classes which are capable of outcome based combat, then we make the standard classes off of that system. Players will of course have access to the back end, so they will be able to make crappy non-synergistic characters. Ideally that shouldn't be a problem for most players because the sample character classes should be fairly decent.
Expected Outcomes
A monster list should be drawn up. Monsters should appear at levels 1-20. I figure that there should be basically four standard monsters of each level and that these monsters should fit into the standard roles of monsters:
- Glass Hammer
- Artillery
- Tank
- Skirmisher
Combats should last 3 to 7 rounds, with an average of 5. Battles should involve characters building up to victory by damaging dangerous opponents, or by clearing off weaker enemies.
Gadgeteering
Some abilities actually should be variable on a daily basis. A Gadgeteer should make a different device every adventure, a Wizard might prepare a mighty ritual, and so on and so forth. The important portion of these is that characters should have very few abilities which work like this, because they become extremely difficult to manage. And a lot of players don't even want to deal. Indeed, many times characters will take their “gadget pools” (or prepared spells or whatever) and set them to a default setting that works for them and essentially never change it. People who are going to do that should be rewarded by having abilities which are individually slightly more versatile and less hassle.
Abilities: MAD and madder
OK, so there's Strength, Dex, Con, Cha, Int, Wis. Sure. They generate the DCs for people to hit you with various attacks. We're kind of stuck with them, but I think it can work. Every ability you ever get will be based on multiple attributes. At the very least, one ability to determine whether you hit and another to determine how big an effect you get. Abilities should be on the 3-18 scale and stay there. No 35 Strengths, not even any fucking 19s.
Ability penalties are annoying and counterintuitive so they shouldn't happen. Instead you should just get a variable bonus. A character with an Int of 5 doesn't have a -3 penalty, he only has a +3 bonus. The stat bonus should also round up to reduce the fetishization of 18s.
Large monsters still have Strengths on the 3-18 scale, they just happen to have abilities where they are hueg like an Xbox.
Schools of Abilities
Abilities will be divided into color based alignments. Characters can normally only select from their own alignment. In addition, abilities will be categorized into schools. You can get access to uncommon and rare abilities ( seriously ) by the simple expedient of taking a requisite number of abilities out of a school. Abilities also have a level. You need to have an appropriate level to take such an ability. All the abilities in a school will have an attached attribute, but they'll vary in secondary attributes. With 3 alignments, that's 18+ schools. With 5 alignments that's 30+ schools. Actually that should do it for something quite playable.
-Username17