This was originally posted in 2006 to help clarify the tags I was using on my posts to rec.games.frp.dnd. Apparently ‘kjd-imc’ became known as a place for cool-but-scary ideas, so people would sometimes avoid these posts even when they were relatively simple and straightforward topics. I’ve since carried the use of those categories to this blog — in fact, this blog is named after the first tag I used, ‘kjd-imc’ — so I figured it would be worth presenting the definitions here again.
— Keith, July 22, 2011
Among the comments about the kjd-imc articles I’ve been writing is that “they’re really weird and all build on each other and aren’t easily applied in pieces to normal D&D”.
There is some truth to that. Some of the things I’ve posted under the kjd-imc tag (class framework especially, and things that depend on it) aren’t easily applied to a normal D&D campaign. Others should be dead easy to apply (such as my recent Armor Focus feats). Some things are fairly solid, some need more consideration and adjustment, some are way out there.
In an effort to make it easier (and hopefully more attractive) for people to read, comment on, and use the material, I’m retiring ‘kjd-imc’ for a while. Instead I’m going to use more specific tags to indicate the sort of material being posted.
Hopefully this change to my posting policy on these matters will make it easier for people to make use of the articles, and help draw new readers and more discussion.
Category Definitions
kjd-alt
‘Alternatives’, larger changes than kjd-mod, but smaller than kjd-sys. Where kjd-mod might change a feat or spell, and kjd-sys reworks entire subsystems, kjd-alt might provide a feat tree that replaces a set of class abilities (as with my Evasion and Sneak Attack feat groups, or my alternate rules for spell specialization).
kjd-exp
‘Experimental’ posts, things that will most likely be placed into kjd-raw, kjd-mod, or kjd-alt when I’m done, but want some serious examination and discussion.
kjd-gaz
‘Gazetteer’ posts, articles about the campaign setting itself. For instance, my campaign cosmology article and my treatise on the place of weapons and armor in dwarven culture. I expect these to be almost entirely fluff, with any crunch coming as stats describing the items discussed, such as city stats or an NPC description. If a new game element (feat, spell, monster, character class, etc.) is introduced I expect to have a separate article with an appropriate tag.
kjd-mod
‘Modifications’ to how things work. Most such that I’ve posted so far are feats (Toughness and Combat Reflexes don’t work the same IMC as they do RAW). These should almost always fit a RAW game balance-wise, but where kjd-raw posts are additions, kjd-mod are explicit changes.
kjd-raw
‘Rules As Written’, things I think would fit a standard D&D 3.x game fairly well. The rules have probably been hashed out, I’m happy with the wording, and I think they may be a reasonable fit for most campaigns. For example, my recent Armor Focus feats are in this category.
kjd-sys
‘Systemic changes’, which may involve reworking an entire subsystem of the game. These can range from heavily considered (my class framework) to pulled out of the air (several of the magic systems I’ve toyed with). I expect these will rarely be in finished form, needing more examination and adjustment, or maybe just more work to fill them out and either complete them or disprove them. These are the articles that best fit the comment quoted above, but also probably the least common of the article types. Possibly not for the faint of heart.