Make Mine D&D 7.5

I was sitting here at my desk thinking about 3.5/Pathfinder and Fourth Edition and the whole future of the D&D product line. I still have those dark memories of the bitter Edition Wars. And from time to time there are still a few flare ups here and there but pretty much most folks have made their decisions. I don’t really consider myself to be a 4th Edition Hater. And I’m not a die hard 3.5 fanatic neither. I admit I do really enjoy Pathfinder. But still there a few things that bother me with both systems and there are things I like about both systems.
First, let’s talking grappling and those other combat tricks. Those were a pain in 3.5 and Pathfinder made some progress with the CMB/CMD mechanic but it still could be better, quicker and simpler. I actually like the way 4th Edition does skills rather the points per level thing. I like a standard number of hit points per level. But I think Healing Surges are silly.
I like the way the spell casting classes work in 3.5 much more than the at-will, per day, per encounter. But I think there’s a sweet spot somewhere in between. I like in in 4th Edition that spell casters are actively casting and not just announcing “I’m gonna cast a spell.” At first, I was suspicious of this at first but after running Star Wars Saga Edition, those suspicions were put to the side.
I’ve always thought that fighter types should have more options than “I run up and hit it.” Once again, 4th Edition is close to my liking but not quite there. The Book of 9 Swords was interesting but still not quite on the money. I’ve grown to like more dynamic combats. I want stuff to happen. I want opponents jockeying for positions. I was characters moving around the battlefield. I just want more than two piles of hit points grinding it out toe to toe. The shifts and similar stuff from 4th Ed help. TO be honest the neatest thing I’ve seen is the Stunt Points from the Dragon Age RPG. Just got to think of a way to house rule something similar into Pathfinder. But then that’s another project for later on.
So what really is the point of this lazy holiday afternoon post. It’s about dreaming of the ultimate edition of D&D. It’s a gamers Holy Grail. And it’s not the same for everybody. But for me, it looks like some bizarre Frankenstein system with what I think are the best bits of 3.5/Pathfinder, 4th Ed and about half dozen non-d20 games. Now get out there watch a parade, barbecue something and enjoy.