Hey so d&d is making me want to rip my hair out...

Hey so d&d is making me want to rip my hair out. What are so other systems I can try out that are similar in genre (bonus points if there's a mix of sci-fi). I'd preferably like to stay away from a d20 system though since thats part of my problem.

Barbarians of Lemuria springs to mind.

I despise D&D but hardly can help you. D&D is good at what it does, the problems with it is that the thing it does is shitty. Basically, most problems with D&D stem from the genre it portrays.

I guess you could try Duneon World or Mythras """""Classic""""" Fantasy, but eh.

This man speaks truth
Song of Swords, GURPS, any of the Warhammer RPGS, there's a ton.

I found it's not terrible with a bit of home brewing and shit, it just gets boring and has this weird power ramp going on? Maybe I've been running encounters fucking wrong or something but my party of level 6s are destroying CR 10 and 11 shit in a few turns.

That's the system working as intended. Most combats are meant to only be a few combats long.

Also, you're not supposed to have "one monster" of a high CR vs 4+ people. The sheer number of actions will wreck them. So yeah, you're probably running encounters wrong or have screwed up expectations. Give an example of a combat you run.

I figured something with a higher CAR would make for a good boss something but I guess not?

Usually I'll just pick whatever monster would be appropriate for the dungeon crawl or encounter I have them going through then do initiative and combat as normal for d&d. Depending on the monster u may try to have it busy the party to get the upper hand.

>mix of fantasy and sci-fi
Shadowrun? Setting is a medium-future cyberpunk dystopia where corporations took over everything in the 90s, and then magic came back into the world, reawakening all manner of spooky critters and transforming people with latent genes into orcs and elves and whatnot.

+It's got dice pools not d20s, and plays quick and snappy.

-the editing of the rulebook is... let's call it "questionable". finding what you need can be a bit of a scavenger hunt. Or an exercise in pulling it out your ass.

Ok, so just upping the CR has a critical issue. the monsters often get insane damage attacks, so they can often kill a party member quickly, yet they get murdered via action economy. as such you need fodder- throw in a cult that worships the boss, guardian constructs, hatchlings, whatever

>figured something with a higher CAR would make for a good boss something but I guess not?

Throw in a couple of low end nooks with it to soak up actions and control board space. It will make a big difference

I actually have a PDF of it, I've been meaning to give it a read it just keep forgetting

I feel like a huge idiot that I didnt even think of that fuck. Guess I was thinking too much of the badass single boss

Earthdawn motherfucka!

It is essentially Fantasy Fallout. Ambient magic levels got too high and terrible horrors from beyond started eating people. Everyone made warded bunkers and moved underground and waited out the high magic period. Magic eventually stabilized just above the level where lower tier horrors could manifest leaving the rest trapped in the Astral Plane. The ones in the Astral could manifest if they get enough tasty mortal snacks.

The PCs are "Adepts," people who can tap into the power of an archetype. This means every PC is inherently magical, so you have mighty Warriors who can toughen their flesh to withstand mighty blows or leap from treetop to treetop like a wuxia hero, sneaky Rogues that can turn even the crudest tools into serviceable lockpicks or wrap themselves in a literal cloak of shadows, and cunning Wizards able hurl fire and decode ancient languages with just a few samples.

To top it off it has an amazing magic item system that allows a PC to keep the same magic sword for his entire career and not have to worry about getting a "better" magic item as the magic item grows with the character.

Shit is cash.

Song of swords looks rad. Do you, or has anyone here tried it out? Mainly am curious how well it works with other settings if I wanted to deviate from the book a bit

Run Delta Green.

Action economy is fairly essential to 5e. If you want a badass boss you're gonna have to give it Legendary Actions so it can keep up with the party. Other than that, I second the recommendation for Barbarians of Lemuria.

First post only necessary post.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is what you're looking for. All of the books are here: khorne.ru/2nd

Just download the core book to start. It's a great system, and only uses d10s and d100s.

Undead Fortitude is the worst. Win or lose, fighting the basic Zombie isn't fun; it's frustrating.
I think it's probably the worst monster in 5e MM1

I've tried it, and I have two main issues with it. First, the setting seems like it's trying way too hard to be "different." Second, the combat is terrible and slow. Everything uses dice pools, and the combat has this autistic obsession with how far away you are from a guy. It's like someone played Dark Souls and said "yeah, I can translate this to tabletop" without thinking about how involved it would have to be.

WFRP is pretty good, but more grounded than d&d

Savage Worlds with or without the Fantasy or Sci-Fi companion books.

interesting

The mechanics are certainly different than D&D, but GMing it feels very similar and easy to switch over too. SW is about the same crunch level as 5e as well.

This. Barbs is probably one of the best and least-played systems out there. Its light. Its flexible. Its super functional. Most importantly, its super easy to develop homebrew content.

Play OD&D or B/X, not 3.5, it's the worst edition.

If your problem is with CR and encounter building then I've got your answer.

Move onto a real game like WFRP or its clones Zweihander.

D&D is a lost cause and irrefutably shit.

WFRP is unironically the best system I've ever played because it feels like fantasy, but it also feels like a world that people live in. The magic system is the best I've seen in an RPG, because while it's fun and flavorful, it also is limited in scope and incredibly dangerous if you act like a wizard from d&d.

Funnily enough I have, though I may put it off since d&d I'm general has me pretty burnt.

Looks like I'll primarily be checking out WFRP and Barbarians of Lemuria tho

What precisely is making you rip your hair out about D&D?

Tell me about this setting, I'm having issues finding a quick summary of what it does different/what it does that D&D doesn't.

>the combat has this autistic obsession with how far away you are from a guy
>why is the distance between you and your opponent important in combat
What?

>le obtuse reply on purpose

I've ran 3 D&D year long campaigns.

Then we moved onto WFRP and I refuse to go back.

Try using them as fodder in an encounter with something else. They don't attack so much as try to grapple, shove, and generally block the PCs. Add a controlling entity that causes them all to collapse when neutralised if you want.

It's overall boring mechanically. I've run 3.5 for a while and 5e when it came out and the thought of planning encounters for it is just starting to get to me and I hate doing it now

If only there was an edition in the middle that has complexity and encounter building rules that actually work.

But alas, we are stuck with Strike!

I know it's been recommended already, but try WFRP. Fights are scary as shit and meant to be avoided, so encounters are something that don't need balancing.