I’ve mentioned before how I dislike superpowers and superhero characters in fantasy games. Reading through the 3rd edition D&D books when they released, I saw rampant superhero stuff and put them back on the shelf immediately. That was the moment that I stopped keeping up with new editions, shaking my head at far from the sort of fantasy tales I enjoyed reading the system had strayed. I recalled how Gygax had railed against the “Dungeons & Beavers” style of game run on the west coast in the early days, because of the outlandish power bloat involved.

I began play with AD&D. There were design choices in there that I looked askance at as they stretched the boundaries of what I found to be good fantasy (by which I mean “good for me”). It was until I played some B/X and learned more about OD&D that I noticed how there was already some power bloat in AD&D. Hit die sizes for character classes increased in AD&D, for example. When the D12 barbarian appeared in Unearthed Arcana, I was less than thrilled; having been unsettled by the Ranger’s 2d8 start and the fighters’ general D10, already. The early hit dice being D6 for everybody immediately felt better, though I did understand how expanding the variety available to classes helped set them apart better.

The notion that a “killing blow” was 6 points as a 0-lvl NPC would have at most 6 hp made basic damage from weapons a D6 readily understandable. Increased hit dice sizes began to whittle away at that intuitive understanding, though. Understanding bell curves in measuring capabilities can make reasonable a 6 pt strike being a killing blow on a D8, as most creatures of 1 HD would have 3-6 hp and the 6 pts of damage would still kill them. Changing the default hit dice size to a D8 wouldn’t bother me. Using D10 and then adding D12 for humans? That strains my sense of simulation.

So using larger die sizes was something that never felt right (for human characters of any stripe). The same with hit point totals at higher levels–that always felt like we were playing superheroes, only wearing cloaks and tunics instead of masks and capes. One of the reasons I’ve decided to work the projects I have is to create systems without superpowers being designed in.

This extends to class abilities, too. I read a take on thieves just the other day where thief could do some class ability action and then be able to use a power that the defeated monster possessed for a while after. Um…a thief gets the ability to spit acid or paralyze foes just because they succeeded at some thiefly ability during a fight? No…just, no. I don’t find that sort of thing fitting into my fantasy. Same with some of the abilities that have cropped up to boost fighters in relation to MUs–they begin OK yet at higher levels become ridiculous.

So a light touch with extraordinary abilities is what I’m attempting, all the while including abilities beyond what normal people can do.