Force User Home Brew

 Not much on my mind this past week so how about some Game Content.

This is my rewrite of the Force User classes for the original and revised edition of d20 Star Wars (not the Saga version)

In this version, all Force Users start as force adepts, whether they are Jedi/Padawans or not.  Jedi Classes are now prestige classes.  Why? because it fits my notion of how the world works, and is appropriate for all eras of play.

Force Adept

Force Adept (d8, 6 skill)	Att	Fort (M)	Ref (M)	Will (H)	Def	Rep	Special
1	0	1	1	2	3	0	Primitive Weapons, Simple Weapons; Force Sensitive or Sense
2	1	2	2	3	4	0	Force Training (Choose: Alter, Control, Sense)
3	2	2	2	3	4	0
4	3	2	2	4	4	0	Force Training (Choose: Alter, Control, Sense)
5	3	3	3	4	5	1	Force Weapon +1d6
6	4	3	3	5	5	1
7	5	4	4	5	6	1	Comprehend Speech
8	6	4	4	6	6	1	Force Talisman +2 to Saves vs Force
9	6	4	4	6	6	2
10	7	5	5	7	7	2
11	8	5	5	7	7	2
12	9	6	6	8	8	2
13	9	6	6	8	8	3	Force Weapon +2d6
14	10	6	6	9	8	3
15	11	7	7	9	9	3	Force Talisman +4 to Save vs Force
16	12	7	7	10	9	3
17	12	8	8	10	10	4
18	13	8	8	11	10	4
19	14	8	8	11	10	4
20	15	9	9	12	11	4	Force Secret (+1 Battlemind or Force Defense or Force Strike or Heal Another or Heal Self)

Jedi Classes

Jedi Consular

Requirements:  BAB+3, Treat Injury 4 Ranks, Force Sensitive, Sense, Exotic Weapon (Lightsaber)

Jedi Consular (d8, 6)	Att	Fort (H)	Ref (M)	Will (H)	Def	Rep	Special
1	0	1	1	1	3	0	Bonus "Knight" Feat
2	1	2	1	2	4	1	Healing
3	2	2	2	2	4	1
4	3	3	2	3	4	1
5	3	3	2	3	5	1	Force Weapon +1d6
6	4	4	3	4	5	2
7	5	4	3	4	6	2	Bonus "Master" Feat
8	6	5	4	5	6	2
9	6	5	4	5	6	2
10	7	6	4	6	7	3	Force Secret (+1 Battlemind or Force Defense or Force Strike or Heal Another or Heal Self)

Jedi Guardian

Requirements:  BAB+5, Battlemind 4 Ranks, Force Sensitive, Control, Exotic Weapon (Lightsaber)

Jedi Guardian (d10, 4)	Att	Fort (H)	Ref (H)	Will (M)	Def	Rep	Special
1	1	1	1	1	2	0	Bonus "Knight" Feat
2	2	2	2	1	3	1
3	3	2	2	2	3	1	Force Weapon +1d6
4	4	3	3	2	4	1
5	5	3	3	2	4	1	Deflect Blaster Bonus Feat
6	6	4	4	3	5	2
7	7	4	4	3	5	2	Bonus "Master" Feat
8	8	5	5	4	6	2	Force Weapon +2d6
9	9	5	5	4	6	2
10	10	6	6	4	7	3	Force Secret (+1 Battlemind or Force Defense or Force Strike or Heal Another or Heal Self)

Jedi Master

Requirements:  BAB+10, See Force 6 Ranks, Any Jedi "Master" feat, Must have built a Lightsaber

Jedi Master (d8, 6)	Att	Fort (H)	Ref (M)	Will (H)	Def	Rep	Special
1	1	1	1	1	1	1	Padawan (Follower)
2	2	2	1	2	2	1	Force Weapon +1d6
3	3	2	2	2	2	2	Force Secret (+1 Battlemind or Force Defense or Force Strike or Heal Another or Heal Self)
4	4	3	2	3	3	2	Force Talisman +2 to Saves vs Force
5	5	3	2	3	3	3	Force Secret (+1 Battlemind or Force Defense or Force Strike or Heal Anotehr or Heal Self)

 Sith Maurader

 Requirements:  BAB+1, Intimidate 4 Ranks, Force Sensitive, Power Attack, Dark Side Points 4

Sith Maurader (d10, 4)	Att	Fort (H)	Ref (H)	Will (H)	Def	Rep	Special
1	1	1	1	0	1	0	Dark Side Talisman +2
2	2	2	2	1	2	0
3	3	2	2	1	2	1	Force Weapon +1d6
4	4	3	3	1	2	1
5	5	3	3	2	3	2	Darkside Training (Choose: Dark Side Skill Emphasis, Alter, Control, Sense, or "Knight" Feat
6	6	4	4	2	3	2
7	7	4	4	2	4	3	Dark Side Talisman +4
8	8	5	5	3	4	3	Force Weapon +1d6
9	9	5	5	3	4	4
10	10	6	6	3	5	4	Force Secret (+1 Battlemind or Force Defense or Force Strike or Heal Another or Heal Self)

Druids (in 2e)

I touched previously on how the Cleric class (and by extension the Druid) is the one who's presentation does the most to set parameters on the fantasy world.  I think a special mention must be made for the Druid class for AD&D 2nd Edition.

• The Text of the Druid Class explicitly states they have a world wide structure.  
• Some "thing" even prevents them from leveling up past 12th level unless they interact with this world wide organization.  Typically needing to defeat another Druid of the given level.  
• There is a Grand Druid of 15th level who oversees the world.  This Grand Druid has a "staff" of Druids who serve as messengers and they gain additional spells slots. 
•  Beyond 15th level, they join the ranks of super druids whose bodies do not age, can alter their appearance at will, hibernate for ages, and travel to/survive the elemental planes.  

Combined with their standard ability to take on animal form and secret language, this is a world altering cabal.  Any animal could be a Druid in disguise or their agent.  Heirophants can impersonate high ranking folks.  They can see their agenda across human lifetimes and coordinate across the world and other planes.

Now, I love this bit of lore, and always keep it in mind for my games.  However, flavorful as it is, it does not fit into my default D&D world.  First, the Druid is not a part of all editions, and this lore specifically does not really appear anywhere else.  Finally, it is very specific and locks in certain other conventions that I would rather leave vague until needed.

On the other other hand, some interesting things to consider.

• No mention of Gods.  Those Druids who say they worship a nature deity are either mistaken, or going along with the cover story in order to avoid persecution by "the church".
• Grand Druids have extra spell slots.  So whatever grants their power, formally recognizes the stucture of the Druid order and its politics.
• Grand Druids have their own staff of lower level druids who are outside the hierarchy and level restrictions.  So whatever mechanism prohibits leveling up for Druids also recognizes the hierarchy and political station of the Grand Druid's staff.
• The Druidic language is secret, but known by all Druids.  It is not known by sylvan, elemental, or other allied beings.  It is something developed and used exclusively for the sake of the hierarchy.

So in short, the 2e Druid class has mechanics that define, inform, imply the most about the workings of the game world than any other class in D&D.

The Cleric class in the world

 Continuing the theme of the default D&D world I carry in my head, I want to put down my thoughts on Clerics.  Clerics (Druids and the like) are the class who's presence most defines the game world.  This is covered in greater detail over on Delta's blog.  To sum up my thoughts however; The Cleric class makes The Gods real, and implies a certain cosmology and theology.

As a digression, in my own simplified homebrew game I allow wizards/magic access to cleric/druid spells and have them use a player defined "fetish" as the thing that make their spells happen.  I refer to this class as Sorcerer, and stay mum on any specifics regarding the hows/whys of magic.  Much the same where there is little to define exactly how a Fighter goes about using their weapon.

That said, we talk about and play D&D and the point of this exercise is to try and define a world that fits all/most of D&D.  So with that in mind, below are my notions of how the class fits into that world.

• One does not need to be a member of an organized church/theology to be a member of the Cleric.  Many individuals feel the calling or have a revelation absent any training or organization.
  
• The character can choose the path of the cleric, or the higher power may select the character.  Depending on the character's view point, it can be difficult to know for sure which is the case, and possibly a sore point for the individual.
  
• Gods pay attention to mortals the way we pay attention to squirrels in the yard.  We know they play a roll in the ecosystem and need to be around, most of the time you pay them no mind, you find them amusing, you may have a few "special" ones you tend to recognize and provide for, and if they start causing problems, you will eventually intervene.
• The gods are not omniscient and we would typically define it.  While capable of observing near anything they wish, they don't pay attention to everything at all time. 
  
• In the Pseudo Medieval word, "The Church" is organized and operates much as one would expect the Christian church. Individual Deities fill a roll similar to patron saints. Instead of St. Patrick's Cathedral, you have the Temple of Pelor.
• The Church is in a position to provide stability, guidance, healing & medicine,  and other support to the community and are often aligned with the local secular political structure.
  
• Regions may elevate certain powers over others which can lead to different sects, political schisms, and relations to the otherworldly.  Such distinctions are frequently below the notice or care of the gods themselves. 
• When it comes to relations with Paladins, Druids and others who claim to show the will of higher powers, the Church will often try to fold them into the organization.  It is often a matter of political or personal choice on how those folks take it.
  
• Not all members of the religious hierarchy are members of the Cleric class.
• Leaders in the church tend to be members of the class.  It is the rare individual (no matter how devout or savvy) that can retain their position in the face of one who wields Clerical power.
• The members of religious hierarchies are still mortals and can get caught up in petty earthly concerns, and so may easily come into conflict with others, even those of the same faith.  Particularly in the case of those adventuring clerics always tromping in mud and expecting healing and resurrection.
  

... And the Rest

 This series of posts started as an exercise in expressing the Baseline D&D world I carry around in my head.  Since I tend to skew old school, it centers on the "Big 4" character races.  Since I don't stick to any one edition of the game, I also need to think about all the other races prevalent in the game.

Gnomes:  Aka 'Wood Dwarves", I treat them explicitly as members of the Dwarf family, skewing towards "David the Gnome" (in personality, not height).  I don't go full fey, but they have an implied connection to the magic of the woods, like a typical Dwarf's connection to stone. 

Half-Elves:  If it is an old school rule system, you will likely be playing an Elf with "bulkier" features.  "Half" Elves can actually be a few generations removed from their Elven or Human parent, and there will often be small enclaves within a larger community of extended Half Elf families.

Half-Orcs (Orcs): Pretty close to bog standard 3e Half Orcs. My Orcs are corrupted humanoids and not a race as such. So by extension Half Orcs are also not a race in the same sense and would just be seen a "More Orcs"

Goblinoids: Like Orcs, they are not a race, but more "gremlin" like beings that spring full grown into being in the dark, wet, scary places. Over time they grow bigger and meaner, into Hobgoblins, and Bugbears (Deep Goblins).

Ogres: Cribbing from The Hobbit, they turn to stone in sunlight.

Tieflings: Fall under the category of "Humans with a weird family tree", they can be spontaneously born to otherwise normal parents.

Dragonborn: Created by Dragons as a vassal race in ages past, they tend to stay among other dragons.

Misc: Lots of other races would also get tossed in the "Humans with weird family history" pile, or stranger from a strange place, or descended from being created by the gods during the last god war.

Closing thoughts: I don't like my worlds choked full of large amounts of sentient species.  Mostly out of a desire to keep things simple at the start for easy play.  For that same ease of play, I have made your typical low level foes (Goblins/Orcs) unnatural creatures.  Depending on the setting, rules, and experiences of the players, all of these guidelines are subject to change. 

Much like making a stew, you take the ingredients you  have, mix together what you want, to end up with something folks will enjoy.

Humans

It seems in the early days of the game, it was presumed your human would be of a medieval European style background.  Little detail was put into describing humans, unless it revolved around your social standing.  As various settings got published, any number of human cultures. In most cases, they seem to match some real world culture with the serial numbers filed off.

For my generic D&D world, I do like to have a base human (as represented by the system’s given core rules) and then some regional benefits. In the interest of keeping options open, I shy away from specific cultural associations and instead lean towards generic descriptors, examples below:

• Humans are ubiquitous throughout the lands.
• Humans are often viewed with mistrust by other races, however they tend to be distrusted "equally" among the lands, including by other humans.
  
• Human kind have spread for ages, meaning folk of all appearances can be found in enclaves in any given region.
• Most humans are seen as adults when they move out from under their parents roof, often by their mid teens.
• Humans speak a regional tongue common to most folk of the area, and some may speak a pigeon trade language or the languages of other nearby folk.
• The further one gets from population centers, settlements become increasing agrarian and simple. Human cities operate at an almost an early renascence level of technology, wherein sorcery is the logic and science of the land. Outlying regions can be near antediluvian is daily life.
• Depending on upbringing, Humans can have additional traits (rule information modified to fit your system)
  
• Common: Nothing particular, you have the typical game stats and languages for humans.
• Cosmopolitan: You hail from an area where cultural exchange is the norm, allowing you a chance to communicate with creatures despite language differences and gain a bonus to social interactions when you do share a language.
• Hill Folk: You gain a bonus to climbing and leaping.
• Northmen: You can travel across and survive the snow and ice with no penalty
• Dune Dweller:You gain a bonus to survive hot and dry climates, ignoring heat that would hobble others.
  
• Forrest Runner: You can always find food and water for 1d4 creatures in woodlands.
• Horse Lord: You have a bonus to ride and handle horses and similar mounts.
• Sea Dog: Bonus to swimming, seamanship, and ocean survival.
  
• Outlander: You have a skill or talent that is un-heard in the region, but you do not initially speak the common tongue.
• Noble: Double your starting money and gain a bonus to social interactions among the upper crust.

Halflings

In many ways, figuring out what a base D&D Halfling means to me was more difficult than for Elves.  Whereas Elves have a multitude of interpretations and aspects, Halflings have almost none.  You have Hobbits, Kender, and Athasian Cannibals/or other "Extreme" interpretations. 3e did away with the three distinct subgroups (tallfellow, stout, hairfoots) which I think is a shame as it gave something special to them as a race choice.  It was an understandable choice since it was tied to a percentile roll.

Baseline Halflings:

• The origins of Halflings, Hobbits in their own language, has been lost along with many aspects of their history, culture, and language.
• Halflings can be found throughout the realms, typically in proximity to other groups.  Much like humans their appearance and traits vary depending on the region.
• Their lifespans and aging a similar to humans, but they tend to be more spry in their older years.
  
• There are a small number of Hobbit lands, usually in out of the way area.  In these places more traditional (if not original) Hobbit lifestyles are prevalent.  Their relative isolation has given rise to distinct family traits among the inhabitants. 
• In areas where other cultures have overtaken the lands, Halflings generally adapt to the local customs.
• While they don't tend to form their own neighborhoods or enclaves in these cases, they do group along extended family lines.
  
• The Hobbit mind tends to be averse to complexity.  They enjoy simple work, and comforts, working to get things "just so"
  
• The Hobbit language has generally been reduced to a few words and colloquialism mixed into the common tongue.  Even within Hobbit lands, it is reduced to academic or ceremonial use.  Many Halflings don't even know it anymore, instead speaking the languages of other nearby cultures.
  
• Re-discovery of their shared culture is often a driver for adventuring Hobbits.

So there you have it.  Turning the fact that there is so little exploration of Halflings, and that no one ever takes Halfling as a language into their Culture.

Dwarfs

 Dwarfs (or Dwarves) are an easier fit than Elves.  They have been portrayed fairly consistently across editions and popular culture at large.  Sleepy, Bashful, Doc could fit right in along Gimli or Flint Fireforge.  Really the only trick is their sudden ability to use magic in modern D&D.

My baseline for D&D Dwarves

• Dwarves is a mis-translation of the their word for themselves which means roughly "Born of the Earth" and in their own tounge sounds closer to "Dwarfs".  It has since come to be used to describe any short person in the human tongues.  Dwarves do not care for this fact, and this may contribute to their reputation for grumpiness.
• While they can live for centuries, they age in a manner proportional to humans, lending most Dwarves an aged appearance for most of their lives.
• Dwarves are burly and wide compared to humans, their arms are broader and longer as well but their hands are deft.
  
• Dwarfs believe they were crafted by higher powers and trace the most ancient parts of their culture to mountain strongholds.
  
• Hair is not seen as unattractive on Dwarf women, many have facial and body hair of varying prominence.  Some Dwarf women have adopted the trends of their neighbors, leading to some confusion about the existence of Dwarf women and/or their beards.
• Dwarfs value toil, self sufficiency, and clan/family commitments.  This gives them a unique outlook on trade with outsiders.  This has led to misunderstandings which are the origins of their reputation for greed and in some cases wickedness. 
• Dwarfs have always used magic, but their traditions are steeped more in animism and they tended to distrust the more "sterile" magic practiced by humans.
  
• Most Dwarves tend to keep to themselves, be it in their mountain cities, local mining  settlements, or within a city trade district.
• Dwarf settlements, particular those in the mountains are are dizzying maze of mining tunnels, work spaces, and dwellings.  Grand halls and other specified areas are typically the vision or a particularly motivated leader or individual.  When you see a specific fortress, hall, or building made for outsiders, it is usually less a gesture of hospitality and more one of practicality, to keep outsiders from getting int he way.
• Dwarfs have learned to leverage the particular ecosystem of the world below to cultivate all manner of specialized flora and fauna, providing adequate agriculture.
  

This basically covers your traditional D&D/Tolkien dwarf, leaving room for the various sub-races and your more ancient Norse/Howardian malevolent being that bursts from the ground. 

Elves

I carry around a Baseline D&D world in my head.  It is built of all the bibs and bobs of fantasy and D&D lore smooshed together.  The goal I think it to try and make all fit and make sense in a satisfying way.  While much of it is a matter of taste, I have settled on some assumptions that work for me.

Today the topic is Elves.  The below sets a baseline of what my D&D Elves are like.

• Elves, Eladrin in their own tongue, originally hale from another realm ("Across the Sea", a different plane, continent, planet, time) the exact nature of which is a matter of conjecture.
• The Oldest/Original Elves are Ageless and Immortal.
• Very few of them are present any more, many having returned from whence they came or having been slain in age old conflicts.
• Elves born of the earth realm retain youthful looks through most of their lives, which can span centuries
• They have large bright eyes in proportion to their heads.  Their lithe frames also give them the appearance of extra height.
  
• Elvish lifespans do seem to be shortening, some attribute it to a property of living among mortals, others to the taint of human blood (we will get to Half-Elves later)
• Their homelands are remote and claim borders that extend far from their gates, typically in ancient forests they have protected and cultivated for untold ages.  
• They have build strong relations with the sylvan creatures in order to create a safe and secure zone around their homes.  This relationship often causes other folk to confuse aspects of Nymphs, Dryads, Satyrs and other woodsy races with those of the Elves.
  
• These homelands tend to be wondrous "cities", grown in and among the natural beauty.  Ancient Elven magics have delicately coaxed stone and metal from the ground to form towers, bridges, and homes among the trees or other natural features.  (Think Lothlorien from the Lord of the Rings movies).
• This same ancient magic keeps these seemingly fragile dwellings warm, dry, and secure.
• In the same way, they use such magic to procure abundant food and other resources from their lands.
• Near every Elf is of some "royal" blood as they organize themselves into houses for a grand game of court.
• These resources allow them to spend their centuries in idle amusement.  At times seeming aloof and others wanton.
• In short, the Elven mind is different.  What can at times seem like stoicism, debauchery, or malevolence,  or other "unkind" behaviors or emotions are simply the result of being such a long lived race with a different view of the World they currently inhabit.
  
• Elves travel outside of their homelands for a number of reasons,  amusement, novelty, seeking a sense of purpose (at least for the time being).  To humans, an Elven settlement or neighborhood may seem permanent, to the Elves it is viewed as but a summer vacation rental.
• Elves that hunt and farm and otherwise go about their lives in a way similar to other races, are "doing as the mortals do" and fitting in with the neighbors. 
  

All of the above is an attempt to find room for all the depictions of Elf kind throughout the ages and editions. If Elves are fairie adversaries as in Three Hearts and Three lions, separate from the lands of mankind, you have it.  If they are spread out among the lands, you have it.  Are they stoic and almost Vulcan like (as seemed to be the case in the early 80s), there is a reason for that perception.  The great thing with Elves is their long lives allows you to write off any depiction as a "passing fancy".

Random Encounters 2

 So, establishing I like random encounters... How do I do them.

I went about consulting many encounter rules across different editions and blogs.  I once had a goal of including all the SRD creatures in their proper terrains with wieghted chance of encoutner by HD and exoticism.  Because who doesn't love "systems".

In the end I ended up with a 2 tier system.  A detailed one for when hexploration is the crux of play, and one quick and dirty setup for dungeon centric play.

The Hexploration model has more steps and complexity with the goal of being able to inject more variety into play. First I split the days into 4 hour chunks starting at Midnight.  Each terrain type has a different chance in 20 for an encounter, allowing me to roll on a d20.  

• Plains: 1-2
  
• Wooded: 1-4
  
• Hills: 1-2
  
• Mountains: 1
  
• Marsh: 1-4
  
• Desert: 1
• Water:1 

Next there is a d12 roll for what sort of encounter.  This can be modified by +2 for each Hex from civilization/-2 if the area is patrolled/controlled.  The idea being, the further off the beaten path, the odder the encounter.  These categories are designed to help inform the ecology of a given hex or area.  There are 6 examples, so that one can roll for an outcome if inspiration is wanting.

• 1-5: Mundane (Critters, Travelers, Patrol/Toll, Grove/Spring, Corpse/Spoor, Camp)
  
• 6-8: Hazard (Impediment, Barrier, Pests, Disease, Trap, Mold/Ooze)
  
• 9-10: Monster/Beast (Beast, Goblinoid, Bestial/Orc, Giant/Ogre, Fey/Plant, Exotic)
  
• 12: Phenomena/Special (Lair/Cave, Magical Zone, Storm/Fire/Quake, Shrine/Ruins, Powerful Monster, NPCs)
  

As a supplement to the above, I have a quick chart of general creature/hazard types for each terrain type (and types of humanoids) if I feel I need even more inspiration/detail.  The charts are numbered for die rolls, but I will often use them more to have a quick scan and remind me of oddball options.

If needed a d4 can be added to the mix to determine the exact hour in the chunk an encounter occurs.

In a dungeon or quick travel scenario, where terrain changes are not likely to come up I have truncated it to a simple 1 in 6 roll per trip/day or 1 in 6 per 4 hours if they are resting in hostile territory.  As for the type of encounter, that is usually based on the area.  If it is in and around a set dungeon, it will be based on the types of hazards in said dungeon.  this can quickly be jotted down based on the content of the module.  I like to follow the same general spread of 1/3 each Mundane, Annoying, Threatening types of encounters.

For each of these systems, even though they are described as being "steps" of rolls, I typically roll all the dice types in one go.  A previous version of this system had more tables to justify rolling one of each type to determine the encounter.  While there was a certain charm to that, it was too much to parse in one roll.

Random Encounters

 Random Encounters, specifically Wilderness Encounters are one of those things I have come around on in my games as an important part of a balanced campaign.

Prior to me falling in with the retro/OSR mindset, I saw random encounters as needless filler at best, and PC killers at worst.  In my defense, I think it a lot of the material I was looking at, it failed to explain why these encounters may happen and how to run them.And in some cases I am sure they were included because "you have to have them" was the order of the day.

I can almost liken it to "filler" episodes of older serialized TV.  At the time I would be bothered by a random Ferengi or Baseball episode taking us away from the war plotline, but now on re-watches I enjoy those episodes and they are nice change of pace.  I am sure that the ability to watch a chunk of episodes back to back and not waiting a week to get back to the Big Story helps.

Now, much like today's tightly scripted 8 episode seasons, if you are running an adventure path with set timelines and event, then you probably don't have room for this sort of thing.  But for more open world style campaigning, I think it is not only good play, but good world building.

It is important to note, these are random ENCOUNTERS, not always random COMBATS.

World Building: The players set off in a new direction through the wilderness that you as DM have not thought about.  While doing so you roll up encounters for Hobgoblins, and a Wyvern.   Well now you do know something about those woods, and in the future you know you can re-visit the Hobgoblins of Wyvernwood.

Gameplay: Adventuring is dangerous, If player's can just plow through woods, and mountains, etc. with little regard, then what are roads and taxes to pay guards for.  By having encounters be a hazard of travel, you have a macro version of the same decision making/risk reward that you can see in the dungeon.  Do you cross the room directly over the mysterious dust free spot, or do you take a circuitous route?  Expending resources in unplanned/unexpected ways is part of the gameplay.

Plus it helps fill a nights game, if you suddenly find yourself short on content.

Mutants and Masterminds Addendum

 Notions I stole from Mutants and Masterminds to use in D&D.

While I have only participated in the barest of play with the Mutants and Masterminds system (2e/3e), I have spent a lot of time with the game.  I was fascinated with the way it broke down the d20 system into its part and figured out how to re-arrange them.  

1. The "value" of certain abilities.  While not a universal constant, it gives a good idea of what Darkvision is likely worth vs Low Light Vision.  An Attack Bonus increase vs a Saving Throw increase,etc.

2. Flattening of Modifiers.  The bonuses/penalties/modifiers for various combat maneuvers, situational conditions, etc. were reduced to gives a +2 bonus or +5 bonus.  It reinforces the idea that +1 or adding up random bonuses is not worth the trouble of tracking.  Something either gives a little bonus or a big bonus.  It also had the advantage over "Advantage" in that it is more granular, and you can firmly account for the impact on success probabilities.

3. Reduction of the skill list/ general "Expertise":  3e has a lot of skills, some of them more fiddly than needed (as seen when they got reduced for 3.5).  Now, 3e had the  unenviable task of trying to unify % based Thief skills, Demi-Human skills, random class knacks, and a bajillion proficiencies into something managable, and it did a good job.  M&M is the first game I saw that refined the list down further, figuring out how to fold most of those other corner skill into a main set.  It allows for more customization of characters that a straight Ability Check would, but not as fiddly as what came before.

4. Effects Based design: A special ability or power does not mean much if it does not happen "on screen".  Example, Immorality: a huge deal, but not in game, when how would it come up?  Worth something, but not much compared to a Fireball (in game).

In the ensuing years many of these innovations have found there way back into main line D&D and related games, so clearly there is some value to it.

Captain Kirk Style Failure

The below had its genesis years ago somewhere else on the internet. I don't recall where, but I have tried to synthesize my thoughts on the topic below.  If you recognize where it may have come from, let me know.

The scene, some baddy has Captain Kirk a phaser point.  Sometimes our heroic captain successfully disarms his captor, other time he doe not even try.  Rarely is it that he tries and fails, yet alone, gets vaporized. 

How to model this in games.  Some form of Degrees of Failure/Success mechanic.  Now D&D does not really model this approach and whit a d20 based resolution system, its probably for the best, though Mutants and Masterminds seems to make it work..  The closest it comes is the convention that something special happens on "Natural" 1s and 20s.

Not wanting to add more mechanics, I have settled to taking a more philosophical apprach to the idea.

Success = Success, you did what you were trying to do.  Ex. You disarm the opponent.

Nat 20 = Success, and a little bonus depending on the circumstances.  Ex. You disarm the opponent and end up with the weapon, or do it quickly and quietly enough no one hears.

Close Failure (within 5 or so) = Failure, no harm no foul. Ex. You try to move to disarm your opponent, but its clear it wont work and you take no action, go unnoticed.

Large Failure = Failure, with additional consequences.  Ex. You try to disarm your opponent, and they notice and may retaliate.

Nat 1 = Failure, with bad consequences.  Ex. You try to disarm your opponent, and a struggle ensues, they shoot, or want to knock you out now.

Its less a rule, and more of a fun thing to keep in mind to make consequences interesting beyond just roll dice pass/fail.

Thunder Rift

My first D&D game was played in a setting called Thunder Rift. Released in 1992 It was part of the Black Box of Basic D&D. In reading about the product in later years, it was intended to take play beyond the “You stand outside the entrance to a dungeon”. Oddly, many of the module's produced for the series did just contrive to plop you at the entrance. However, we had a good dungeon master and those sort of seams were patch over with out our notice.

I have returned to Thunder Rift as a setting time and again. In no small part due to nostalgia, but also the fact that at its core it is a good setting. Yes the scale presented on the maps is laughably small, and the product itself has many mistakes. But with a few changes it is a great ready made setting for a starting game. I loved the setting so much that I painstakingly hand drew my own copy of them map from the original module, nonsensical rivers and all.

For my use, I settled on increasing the scale by a factor of 10. This fixes most of the issues with distance, but still keeps the realm small enough to be a manageable  starting wilderness.  It is also just small enough you can drop into a larger world if/when your game graduates.

Over the years I have also kept it a living world, incorporating (most) aspect of the original and subsequent campaigns into the history of the realm.  Old character's become well known NPCs', their strongholds locations for new explorations into the wild.   After all these years there are a number of new details, ruins, and locations that dot the map. I still update my hand drawn map with these. Many years later my partner got me a copy of the original which I scanned in and use to this day as a player map.

While our original group only played through some of the published modules, I have managed to pick up most of them over the years. During the 3e era, I went about updating them fleshing out plots and details. While I have moved back to a more basic game, I still used a lot of that work when presenting those modules to others.

I fully realize that this love of such a paper thin product is fueled  by nostalgia, it think it is the best kind of nostalgia.  Not just remembering a singular "good old days" but rather an ongoing growth of memories.