I really need to sit down and make my combat map for my Friday game, but I actually don’t really want to right now, and reading way too much rec.games.frp.dnd, so instead I’m going to sketch out an idea I just had, so as I don’t forget it.

Mainly, we’re changing spellcasting. The idea is that we’ll take all wizard/cleric spells and split them up into domains that are loosely based on the PHB cleric domains. We’ll want to end up somewhere above the number of wizard schools (to incorporate unique druidic and clerical magic), but somewhere below the current number of domains, so that a spellcaster forced to pick two or three of these isn’t totally SOL, which makes casters unfun. Currently, we’re thinking of the following:

Elemental (Air/Earth/Fire/Water)
Natural (Druidic/Plant/Animal)
Death (Necromancy)
Destruction (Evocation)
Healing (Healing)
Knowledge (Divination)
Luck? (Good spot for wild magic spells)
Magic (Magic) (Perhaps universal spells here)
Protection (Abjuration)
Summoning (Conjuration)
Strength (buff spell domain?)
Travel (Travel, movement type spells)
Trickery (Illusion)

Alteration as a school I’m not sure how to handle (it’s very large), and the alignment based domains (and probably all of their spells) are going the way of the dodo. This will eventually make sense. Also, in the spirit of the 2e All sphere, there should be some sort of universal domain with things like read magic, detect magic, etc.

Obviously, spellcasting classes will need to change, into probably 1 or 2 classes:

Contemplative: Almost exactly like a wizard, with no familiar, and something like 3 domains.

Crusader (for lack of a better term): Like a cleric, except only medium armor, probable bonus feats, and none of that turn undead business. This is also sort of a paladin replacement, since paladins are likely not to exist.

We’ll keep rangers and bards, however. Obviously clerics, druids, sorcs, and wizards are all done.

Not sure how to handle skills as of yet.

Arcane spell failure chance would ultimately apply to all spells, but there would be some manner of armored caster feat chain to accomodate this, either in the Armored Caster (Light)->(Medium)->(Heavy) chain, or the Armored Caster, Improved Armored Caster, Greater Armored Caster, etc line giving 10% bonuses per feat. This will take some thought.

Part of me likes the idea of always basing spell save DCs on Charisma, bonus spells on Wisdom, and having an Int-based spells known thing along the lines of how wizards or sorcs work, but this last may not work depending on how large the domains end up being.

This all has a world concept behind it, too. I like the idea of something that looks like the classical Greek city-states, somewhere around the time they all started branching out and colonizing. This gives us lots of unexplored space and adventuring flair.

Also, and this is what brought the whole thing on, we’d have an entirely godless society, or at least one where, unlike normal fantasy, the gods don’t come down for tea on Sunday evenings. They may BE there, but you’ll never know. Instead, we’d have various competing philosophies, etc, based on whatever sounds good. This can serve as a distribution function for domains, though that’s not overly necessary.

Lots of different stuff that can be done with that -

Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism all can be played with interestingly.

Gods or no, that doesn’t stop various prophet figures from popping up.

Of course you need a tree hugger group. ;)

You can have lots of fun with doomsday prophets and end of the world cults, or something like the FR Cult of the Dragon which actually worships undead things.

There’s always room for your Bane/Ashur type fascists, who are coincidentally great for enemies.

Never mind bringers of justice, pacifists, whatever.

A group devoted purely to experimenting with and studying magic is always fun. Also gives a basis for some sort of wild magic.

Lots of places this sort of setting could go. The religious diversity allows a lot of options for conflict, as would a goodly number of cities. The colonization and the sheer unexplored wilderness offer other opportunities. Opportunities to delve into ruins are admittedly light, but there’s always space for a good ruined city or two.

An initial all-human world could be new and different, with several options I have left over from other stabs at that idea for customization. And gives that opportunity to introduce, say, orcs or elves and not have them be routine.

Yes, I realize that I’m already running one game. Yes, I realize I’m starting school next week. Yes, I realize this will probably never actually get finished.

Yes, this is basically the sort of thing I think about ALL THE TIME.