Things to address:

• Bounded Accuracy is dumb
• Enemies in 5e are weak as shit (to hit, AC, saves especially)
• not enough reactions? (V)
• proficiency not a big enough deal (M)
• high level should oppress low level

Take 1

• Only Enhanced get stat adds after level 1 (mayyybe there are tiers)
• Everyone gets tier bonuses to ability scores
• Enhanced get additional +1/level ability score mod
• Proficiency...?

Attacks, Saves, AC, DCs

Take 1

When you attack, your result is determined by a fail/mixed/complete success check, irrespective of enemy's passive numbers.

• Fail: just doesn't work.
• Mixed: you hit, but provoke a reaction from the enemy.
• Complete: you hit, but enemy doesn't get a free reaction.

Take 2

As take 1, but using opposed d20 checks. Thus:

• Everyone gets some sort of proficiency bonus, TBD
• Proficient defense is roughly equivalent to proficient attack at same level
• Complete success = DC + 5
• Complete failure = DC - 5

Thus:

• Prof vs prof:
  • Success: 25%
  • Mixed: 50%
  • Fail: 25%
• Prof vs non-prof (if prof==5):
  • Success: 50%
  • Mixed: 45%
  • Fail: 5% (nat 1)

What is prof? Well, perhaps it's skill based, and you get X skills at level 1 and Y per level (1?). Skills include:

• Heavy melee
• Light melee
• Ranged
• Casting skills (e.g. Faith, Dominance, Sympathy, etc)

Actions and Reactions

Everybody gets a certain amount of Action Points. Use the good ol 3 AP = std, 1 AP = move/swift.

Proceed in turns, a la traditional initiative (but not necessarilly with a roll?). Each turn, if you have AP, you may act (but you don't have to). If someone else acts, you may react with a faster move (i.e. fewer AP cost). All actions cost AP.

Enemies share a pool of AP equal to the amount the PCs have, adjusted for difficulty. Thus, large armies are less dangerous, big elites are more dangerous.

Round is over when everyone has 0 AP.

Ability Scores

What do they do? What can they do?

• They distinguish low-level characters from one another
• They distinguish inborn talent from that gained via (experience + monster levels)
• They help distinguish high and low-level characters (same role as prof bonus)

Not sure how much of that is useful. What if they worked differently? That is:

• Assume all PCs are reasonably fit
• Let go of the idea that some people are "geniuses" or "naturally charismatic" or whatever. PCs are always going to play to their strengths (and thus we can assume that their essential stats are in fact maxed out; i.e. nobody plays a 20 Str 8 Int wizard). The difference between an average hill giant and the world's strongest person is far larger than the difference between the strongest and averagest person.

In other words, all ability scores canceled, and replaced with Superpowers:

Strength:

• -1: inferior human
• 0: normal human
• 1: superior to human: vampire, horse, small car.
• 2: extreme: elephant, truck, dragon.
• 3: godlike (gargantuan/colossal)

Speed:

• 0: normal human
• 1: can flit around the battlefield nearly at will, run at highway speed
• 2: can move as a free action (easy reactions), run at airliner speed
• 3: the Flash

Toughness:

• 0: normal human
• 1: vampire, high-end action hero. Shrug off punches, take a good number of bullets.
• 2: superhero. Bullets bounce off, but throw a train and them and they get the message.
• 3: god. Aggravated damage required.

Flight

• 0: nope
• 1: fly at tactical speed, like a bird
• 2: fly like a plane
• 3: hypersonic, space, etc

Pure Power Approach

• Lily
  • Strength 1
  • Speed 1
  • Tough 1
  • Shapeshift
  • Drain
  • Gaseous Form
  • Soulgaze
  • Frost 1
  • Absorb Magic 1
  • Pounce
  • Swarm Form
• Io
  • Vestigia
  • Plants 1