For Matt

Wait, now prof checks and saves are just completely different from attacking? That's weird dude... breaks the system coherence. You're really going for 1E flavor, where different mechanistic aspects are all handled totally separately, without relation to each other. Initiative is d10, combat is d20, skills are d4*. (* = explosive. That's my own notation, made up on the spot. Feel free to use.)

Sorry, why don't you like d20 for skills, plus your skill level in the skill? (I.e., the 3E system.) It's really the most intuitive and straightforward.

...

The next big thing is formatting.

Page breaks dude. All about page breaks. Sections hanging off onto the top of the next page is tacky. It's like having your fly down.

Sections and Tables. Number 'em.

Clarity is god. The ability reference list, for example, should have one ability per line. Use the extra space on the right (the previous second column) for a five-ish word phrase summarizing the game mechanic of the ability. Super, super useful that way.

And Namtar, dude? Namtar? I think every bad comic book has a rodent disease master named Namtar. He was a genetically-enhanced rat mad scientist from Farscape. Might as well have a bunch of 9th circle spells by the arch mega wizard KRAM.

Excuse me: KHRAM.