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Post by Rincewind on Jul 10, 2008 14:45:53 GMT -5
One quibble with the alignments: One of the neatest things about D&D has historically been the Blood War, the LE devils versus the CE demons. With no more LE, I'd imagine this is now the Evil devils against the Chaotic Evil demons? That's kindof suck, really. Losing most of the Law/Chaos axis makes the Blood War rather retarded. Anyone who's read the Fiendish Codex books, I and II (I think it's mostly II), has probably quite enjoyed the story of Asmodeus's rise to power and fall from grace. It just doesn't have the oomph now, even if he is a god in 4.0.
Other alignment quibble: Unaligned deities can be served by all alignments of players, CE to LG. And there are a LOT of unaligned deities. But a Good deity like Pelor can only be served by Good or unaligned players- NOT by a Lawful Good player. So now a formerly NG deity can't be served by a LG player, but they CAN by someone who hasn't committed themselves to an alignment? This makes very little sense.
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Post by Rincewind on Jul 10, 2008 19:49:58 GMT -5
Classes:
Cleric seems to lack its former versatility. Whereas before, you could pick nearly any Cleric spells of your level in the PHB to be able to cast, now your options are much more limited. And with everyone having healing surges which regain 1/4 of their hit points with each use, it might actually be possible or even desirable to try adventuring without a cleric. They are definately a support role, or what the PHB calls a "leader." Apparently leaders are the people who don't do the work, but support others in their work. We call them managers in real life, usually. Except that, you know, the "leaders" in D&D are actually soemwhat useful. Clerics also seem to be resistricted to light armor, at least without the use of a feat.
Fighter: They are certainly much more fun to play now, with so many more things you can do in combat. I'd probably want to play a Dwarven or Dragonborn fighter in a 4.0 game. Many of the skills make weapons do double damage or more at higher levels.
Paladins are quite interesting. They are holy warriors whose alignment must match the alignment of their deity. This means that you can see paladins of evil and chaotic evil alignments, as well as unaligned ones. I think this is good- every deity can have their own paladins now. And you'll need to watch out with them- just because they're a paladin now doesn't mean that they won't gut you and string you up by your small intestines if you looked at a CE paladin funny. Still, having Corellon be an unaligned deity is pretty weird- most Elven paladins will probably be unaligned. The books often stress that PC's should not be evil or CE, despite having a demonic race as a standard choice and having one standard class (warlocks) who have sold their souls for power. Yeeeeah... Anyway, back to paladins. Decent powers, fighters are probably better at combat but paladins are better at supporting their fellow party members.
Rangers get light armor and a lot of damage-dealing abilities which also help them concentrate on doing damage and getting out of harm's way, as they can't stand up to much abuse. They're not bad. No animals, though.
Rogues- I dunno. Sneak attacks are pitiful now, a rogue's sneak attack probably won't put even a first level wizard into negative hit points. Between having less sneak attack damage and having everyone have more HP, plus you can only sneak once per round, the base rogue class loses a lot of power. It gets a lot of combat feats similar to the fighter and ranger and many things that affect movement like the ranger.
Warlocks- they seem unique in the casting classes in that I think they've actually gotten STRONGER in 4.0 than in 3.5. Particularly for the Infernal path warlocks, they have some powers which could conceivably fell a fighter class at first level in one hit (Flames of Phlegethos, a 1st level daily ability, does 3d10 plus your Con modifier in damage, plus has ongoing fire damage until the target saves). I question the wisdom of naming one of their spells "Thirsting Tendrils", although I suppose that's better than when I first read it and thought it was "Thrusting Tendrils." However at higher levels you don't have the damage potential warlocks once had- 3.5 edition high level but non-epic warlocks can basically go around doing 9d6 at will, but 4th edition level 21+ warlocks just do 2d10 at will with their eldritch blast. Still, they've got some nice encounter and daily abilities. Much of the high-level damage nerfing seems to be because there are no more random hit point gains- all classes will gain between about 4 and 6 hit points per level, with no bonus for their Con score. So you start out with many more HP at first level, but it doesn't increase nearly as fast as even a wizard's generally will in 3.5, assuming he's got a good Con score.
Warlords are in some ways similar to bards. They do have many similar abilities, like light armor use and some abilities which inspire their comrades in battle. Their Inspiring Word ability could perhaps help them replace a cleric in a party, as it allows party members to spend a healing surge and gain the surge plus 1d6 hp back, twice per encounter, with larger increases as the warlord levels. They are another "Leader" type class, in that their true value lies in what they do to and for other party members. I'd probably prefer having or being one to a cleric, they have some fun ways to keep party members alive.
Wizards get some interesting class skill possibilities, like Diplomacy and Insight. Getting Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, and Prestidigitation as at-will powers is nice, although my major use of Mage Hand in the practice game was to give the enemies the finger. Hm, no preparing the same spell twice, pity. I'll review Rituals when I read about them, I'm going through the book page-by-page. Fly and Greater Invisibility are now spells you can cast at level 16. Fly only lasts for 5 minutes, and Greater Invisibility is only greater in that you can cast it on something 20 squares away instead of 5- the effect still ends when the subject attacks. Er.... OK.... Anyway, Disintegrate, at level 19, does 5d10 damage with ongoing damage, and 3d10 on a miss. I guess you can miss someone with the beam but still hurt them, somehow. I'm a bit fuzzy on that one. Prismatic Spray, at level 25, if you hit all 3 times (or, in 3.5 thinking, if they fail all 3 saving throws), will deal 3d6 + int mod poison damage and slow them, 3d6 + int mod fire with ongoing fire damage, and stun them. Damaging, yes, but no chance of death, turning to stone, or being sent to another plane of existance. Meteor swarm at level 29 is 8d6 plus int modifier damage. So basically, upper level spells are nerfed, greater invis is so nerfed it is now a nerf gun with nerf bullets completely made of nerf. Wizards of the Spiral Tower are a neat path, they're basically Bladesingers. And again, as with Warlock, I understand the damage nerfing. But some of the utility spells and invis? Ouch.
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Post by Rincewind on Jul 11, 2008 21:18:25 GMT -5
Epic: This time it's built into the game. And there's nothing after 30- when you hit 30 and your Destiny Quest (big concluding adventure) is done, that's it. So no more of the 3.5 epic where you keep getting levels ad nauseum until you make Elminster look like a chump. They give varied ways for your character to exit the material world which can be quite interesting. However, quiet retirement does not seem to enter into them.
The Archmages retreat into their own personal demi-plane, which seems to have been inspired by what the sourcerors do in Terry Pratchett's Sourcery novel. I do have to love any ability which starts "Once per day, when you die..." though.
Deadly Tricksters get some nice thief-like abilities. I like the "Make the DM treat his nat 20 as a 1" one, it's cute.
Demigods get to ascend to Godhood, a goal for many players.
Eternal Seeker is basically "Undecided." They can pick from some other classes.
And that seems to be it, at least for the PHB. They really need more of these, and I'm sure expansions will take care of that, but at the core they just don't have enough options for people's destinies. The ones they have are good- they just need more. I rather like that they've taken the potentially unbridled power of Epic and made it more sensible, but there are other ways to end one's career. Heck, look at King Arthur, Robin Hood... their names live forever, but they don't really fit into those destinies. Darn it, some people just want to @#$@ retire.
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Post by Rincewind on Jul 12, 2008 16:06:08 GMT -5
Skills: Many of the skills seem to be combined where it would make sense, like Escape Artist, Balance, and Tumble all seem to be part of Acrobatics. Oddly, falls seem more lethal, at 1d10 per 10 feet. But I guess this is offset by the increased hit points at lower levels, and higher level characters would often be able to avoid falls entirely. People with Arcana can actually detect magic with the skill, if given a minute and they make a fairly high DC check (20+). Athletics includes Climb, Jump, and Swim- I see a lot less drowning adventurers in the future. Bluff, Diplomacy, Heal, History, Intimidate, and Religion are essentially unchanged. Dungeoneering includes dungeon survival, basically, in that you can forage for food. All the monster knowledge checks are built in from the beginning, whereas 3.5 was putting them in near the end and needed DM's to retroactively figure out the DC's. Endurance is its own skill, which oddly enough has an armor check penalty. I guess you are less resistant to disease if you're wearing plate mail. Insight is Sense Motive and... well, basically just Sense Motive, but now it has a brand spanking new name! Eh, it lets you recognize illusions as well, but that might be part of the old sense motive as well, depending. Nature knowledge now includes Handle Animal. Perception is Spot and Listen, along with Search and finding tracks. Stealth is Move Silently and Hide rolled into one, and it's not like anyone ever took just the one, anyway. Streetwise is basically Knowledge (Local) plus Gather Information. Thievery is Disable Device, Open Lock, Pick Pocket, and Slight of Hand. Rather handy to have them all in one. Pick pocket now depends on the target's level- so it's harder to pick Elminster's pocket than it would be for Tom the Farmer. This eliminates the need for an opposed roll- they only notice if you fail by 5 or more. That's it for skills. Missing ones: Appraise, Concentration (and I'm not sure how they're managing that, but I'll mention it when I get to it), Craft (all), Decipher Script, Disguise, Forgery, the Knowledge skills Architecture&Engineering, Geography, Nobility and Royalty, The Planes (although that last one might be covered by Dungeoneering now), Perform, Profession, Ride (perhaps part of Nature?), Speak Language (I think it's a feat now), Use Magic Device, and Use Rope. I'm sure many of them are at least partially covered by the 4.0 skillset, but not explicitly, from what I've read. Basically, some of the least used skills are gone, most are part of other skill sets, and some frequently used ones (UMD and Concentration) are just plain missing. A lot of the absent skills are those not related to combat- presumably part of their emphasis to get rid of the boring bits and get hack-and-slashers right to the good stuff. They're making a fine video game, but a bit lacking in making a world. Anyway, most changes seem for the best, but some of the omissions do bug me.
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Post by Rincewind on Jul 12, 2008 16:38:18 GMT -5
Feats- You start with a feat, two if you're human, and get one at every even-numbered level, plus at levels 11 and 21 (the beginnings of your paragon and epic paths). So yay, more feats, right? Well, eh. Most of them are more of glorified skills, and are generally a lot less powerful than the old feats. (Cunning?) Linguist, for example, lets you learn 3 new languages- something which formerly took between 3 and 6 skill points to do. Armor proficiencies are much more broken down- so if your class only knows how to use Leather armor and you wanted to use Plate, you would first need Armor Proficiency: Chainmail, then AP: Scale, and then finally AP: Plate. And you still wouldn't be able to use Hide armor, since you didn't take its proficiency. Power attack is much less powerful, getting a +3 bonus with a two-handed weapon if you take a -2 penalty, or a +2 bonus with a one-handed weapon. So it's 50% more damage with two-handed weapons with the feat, not double the penalty. Most feats add +1 or 2 to damage or +1 or 2 to attack under some circumstances, which doesn't really change much fundamentally. Dragonborn get a nice one to give themselves low-light vision, and humans have the nice +1 to all saves feat. I question how good most of the wizard feats are when it comes to +1 damage per spell with the amount of hit points sloshing around out there. The Ritual Caster feat lets basically anyone cast rituals, which might dilute the usefulness of wizards (I haven't read up on rituals yet). Many feats and abilities involve moving friends and foes about on the battlefield, which might be useful considering that there are evidently unlimited attacks of opportunity now. Skill Focus might actually be better in 4.0- it gives a +3 bonus to the skill check, and with less skills due to some combinations this means your +3 goes farther. Skill Training lets you pick up one of any skill as trained, so if your warrior really wants Arcana, go ahead. Many feats require you to critically hit with a natural 20, so they won't come up very often. Toughness now gives 5, 10, or 15 total extra HP depending on your level. Two-Weapon Defense is nearly the same, while Two-Weapon fighting only gives you a +1 damage bonus to your main hand weapon. Weapon Focus now affects damage rolls, not to hit rolls. And Weapon Proficiency gets you any one weapon.
Those are the Hero feats, the level 1-10 ones. The Paragon feats (11-20) are a bit more like the feats we're familiar with. There is Armor Specialization, which will give you a +1 AC bonus with the selected armor, Back to the Wall, which gives you a +1 melee attack and damage bonus as well as +1 AC if you're fighting next to a wall, Deadly Axe lets you treat axes as "High-crit weapons" (not sure what that is yet?), Devastating Critical is another 1d10 damage on a crit, Empowered Dragon Breath lets Dragonborn do d10's for their breath instead of d6's, Evasion is now a feat that ANYONE with Dex 15 can take (woo!), Fleet-Footed gives you +1 to your movement (one more square), Great Fortitude, Iron Will and Lightning Reflexes show up basically unchanged, Mettle lets you take no damage on a successful Fort or Will save that would otherwise do damage, some skills let you do a little damage to your target even when you miss with a melee attack, Spell Focus is good, giving enemies a -2 on saves against your spells, Uncanny Dodge is there, very similar to the old one. So these feats are more like the ones we're used to.
Epic feats are things like blind-fight, critting on a 19-20 with selected weapons, regaining encounter powers on a critical, lowering the opponent's fire resistance by 20 on your attacks, Spell Accuracy is like the Archmage power Sculpt Spell, but more useful. Most of these are pretty good. Many of them are like the more advanced feats from 3rd edition, that you had 2+ prerequisites to meet or were class features of prestige classes.
Multiclass feats- Well, these are the ones that give you the illusion of multiclassing. You can only take them related to one other class, so you can't be a fighter/mage/thief like some elves used to be back in the day. They let you count as a member of that other class for any other feats you might want to take as well. These feats also give you training in a relevant skill- so many times they might be more beneficial to take than a Skill Training feat, which just trains you in a skill, while these also give you other benefits. Given how bad the low-level feats are, one of these is probably a great choice. Their requirements are all an ability score of 13 in 1 or 2 relevant abilities.
The Cleric one gives you Religion training, lets you do Healing Word once per day, and you can use a holy symbol (they give bonuses to some things in 4.0, as do wizard and sorcerer implements).
The Fighter feat gives you your choice of fighter skills to train in, and a +1 attack bonus on one attack per encounter. You also mark the target. It's rather underwhelming, really.
Paladin feat- one paladin skill to train in, use Divine Challenge 1/encounter, use a holy symbol (or Holy Avenger). Potentially nice, as Holy Avengers used to rock, dunno about now.
Ranger- one skill, get Hunter's Quarry 1/encounter (between 1d6 and 3d6 extra damage depending on your level, once). Again, a bit under-whelming.
Rogue- get Thievery skill, sneak attack once per encounter. This strikes me as one of the most useful ones, since it would let a party without a rogue function quite well when it came to traps and such.
Warlock- Training in a Warlock skill, you can use one of their pact's at-will powers as an counter power, you can go into their paragon path for that pact, and you can use their special implements (rod, wand, pact blade).
Warlord- Training in a warlock skill, use inspiring word 1/day.
Wizard- Training in Arcana, you can cast a wizard at-will power once/encounter, you can use a wizard implement.
Well, again, most aren't that great, but if you're considering one of them over a low-level feat, I'd go for it. I do think the Rogue one is the best- but again, it's more the illusion of multi-classing. Where a wizard can do unlimited magic missiles at will, if you take the wizard multiclass feat you can do one per encounter. I'm sure that 2d4 plus int mod damage will be just devastating. By themselves, most of these feats are bupkis, but they do help you qualify for the daily and encounter powers of the class, which can be very useful. So although the Cleric multiclass feat may suck, being able to take a cleric spell instead of one of your own abilities might be very good.
There are three other feats, Novice, Acolyte, and Adept Power, which let you swap one of your encounter, utility, or daily powers with one from the class you're "multiclassing" into- but just the low-level, Hero feats. But if you take all three of them, after 10th level you can take more class options INSTEAD of taking your paragon path. This does give you real features from the other class, letting you take a total of 4 powers eventually from the lower tier powers of the other class, including one of their at-will powers as an at-will power at the cost of one of your own. So you get many of the 3rd edition multiclass benefits if you do this.... of course, it will cost you 4 feats and a considerable amount of power.
Basically, multiclassing now is dabbling. Before, you could have a mage/thief and have them be quite good at both. Not as good as a single-classed one at most things, but pretty darn good at both classes, and in some instances even better. But now, without considerable sacrifice, multiclassing is a minor change to your character that doesn't change their capabilities very much by itself.
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Dmitri
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Post by Dmitri on Jul 12, 2008 16:46:01 GMT -5
OMFG...
they finally fixed Power Attack!!!!!
now, if I remember correctly, it is a -2 attack, +2 damage with a one-hander, +3 with a 2-hander! It gets better with levels, but still isn't nearly as messed up as it is in 3.5.
No more retardation with Power Attack, yea!
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Dmitri
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Post by Dmitri on Jul 12, 2008 19:41:36 GMT -5
Question,
has anyone figured out how 2weapon fighting works yet?
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Post by Rincewind on Jul 12, 2008 19:48:45 GMT -5
For two-weapon fighting, holding a second weapon doesn't automatically get you another attack with it (p. 215 of PHB)- but many powers let you attack with them both. It looks like it's one extra attack at full BAB. There are many powers which take advantage of having two weapons, particularly for Rangers.
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Post by Rincewind on Jul 12, 2008 20:52:02 GMT -5
Adventuring Gear-
One major plus here is that magic items are now listed in the PHB instead of the DMG. That was a bit annoying in 3rd edition.
I don't see that weapons have changed all that much, although they now have certain groups that feats and powers take advantage of. So you might have a power that makes axes more effective, and anything from the axe group benefits. As opposed to 3.5, where Weapon Focus Greataxe helped you with a greataxe, but not a handaxe or any other similar item. Normal equipment can't even be sold, but they said the DM might give you 1/5th of its value if they think that's fair. Being trained in how to use a particular weapon gives you +2 or +3 to your attacks with it, regardless of class.
Armor seems to have some good options, and I can't figure out yet if it affects spellcasting. Granted, most casters don't have proficiency with it, but using a low-level feat on armor or a shield might be worthwhile.
Weapons- some are interesting, like the fire weapon's ability to make all of its damage fire as a free action- so instead of, say, 1d8 weapon damage, it'll just do 1d8 fire damage. This could be useful in overcoming resistances, or just in really laying the smack down on vulnerable creatures. There are ice (yaay) and electricity versions of this as well. Hm, I didn't see acid. One cool weapon- the change for the Vorpal sword. Now, you can imagine they changed it- because 4.0 is all about "dying is no fun," so they can't just have it chop your head off. Now, whenever you roll the maximum result on one of the damage dice for the sword, you get to roll again and add it on. if you roll max again, keep going! This is very neat, but it IS a level 30 weapon, so you won't be getting one until you're way into Epic. Still, if you've done unspeakable things to the God of Luck, you could do a million damage!
The various spellcasting implements are interesting. Now a wizard using an orb, for example, can get the enhancement bonus of the orb as a bonus to his attack and damage rolls for his orb-using spells. Some weapons, like a pactblade for a druid, a staff for wizards, and a holy avenger for assassins (no, paladins, I just wanted to see if you're paying attention) can function as both a weapon and an implement for spellcasting.
Wands are quite different- they now all appear to act as the eternal wand options from one of the later 3.5 books. They cast their spell once per day, period. Well, once per period without an extended rest, anyway. Most of the "daily" powers seem to refresh if you rest for six hours, so I can see some parties using them 3 times a day or so. Particularly ones in videogames.
I've noted quite a few anti-dragon weapons and armor properties. I wonder if they apply to Dragonborn as well?
Grond would like the Gauntlets of Destruction- when rolling melee damage, re-roll all 1's until they're not 1's anymore. Heck, he needs them now!
Interesting helms and etcetera- a Basilisk helm immobilizes you until you save. I guess there's no more human rock gardens in 4.0 either. *sniff* An Iron of Spite gives a +6 bonus to Arcana and Intimidate- not a usual combination in 3.5, to say the least.
Amulets and Cloaks- they all now add to your reflex, will, and fortitude defenses and most do something else besides. Hm, the cloak of invis doesn't specifically say you become visible when YOU attack- given how badly improved invis was nerfed, I'd expect them to clarify this quickly. The Guardian's Cape is right up Olrac's alley, as it swaps places with one ally. Periapts of Wisdom give only a +1 or +2 bonus to wisdom-related checks, but they do add to all saves as well now.
Rings- only 9 are listed now, and in another nod to the Lord of the Rings, one is called the Iron Ring of the Dwarf Lords. Many of the rings talk about "milestones." *begin deranged rant* One of the largest weaknesses of 4.0 is using terms BEFORE they actually bother to define them- it's getting so I think the books were designed by some sort of deranged, half-witted multiple personality disorder monkey. They'll assume you have no idea what a d6 is and show you pictures of all the dice, but they'll go on and on and on about [W] and milestones and NOT BOTHER TO TELL YOU WHAT THEY MEAN. *end deranged rant* Anyway, all the rings have a daily power that's better if you've gotten to a milestone that day. Oh, the level 18 Ring of Invisibility is precious. It costs 85,000 gp and once per day can make you invisible until the end of your next turn as a standard action. That's about as useful as a ring of... ah heck, I can't figure out anything sufficiently useless. Even "Summon Poop-Eating Monkeys" seemed more potentially useful. Anyway, most rings suck, but a few are pretty good.
Wondrous items- Well, there's only one Bag of Holding now, it holds 200 lbs or 20 cubic feet of miscellaneous dungeon crap, weighs a pound, and drawing something from it is a minor action. It's probably for the best that they simplified these. Dimensional Shackles give rules for putting them on somebody in combat, which is helpful. Most items, like Dust of Appearance, will renew in 4.0, so there are less "use and discard" items. Presumably the item-crafters are concerned with recycling and the sheer amount of burnt-out magical items lying in landfills in 3.5, as well as the potential hazard of so much discarded magical waste. The Great Magical Mishap of Gary's Discarded Magical Item Emporium in 2007 probably precipitated all this. Anyway, Handy Haversack is back and is like a Bag of Holding, but 5x more capacity. A new item is Keoghtom's Ointment, which is sure to spark debate on precisely what condition Keoghotm had that he was treating. A Portable Hole is cool, but you can't carry creatures around in it. Sending Stones are dwarven Walkie-Talkies.
Potions- there are only 4, one imagines because they ARE consumable and maybe this way they'll be easier to recycle. 3/4 of them require you to spend a healing surge and get back 10, 25, or 50 hit points instead of your normal surge total. The last, a Potion of Life, is a level 30 item which can bring back the dead if "administered" before a turn has gone by, basically. No instructions on how to administer a potion to a dead guy, so I'm looking at a whole lot of hilarity in the future, here. "What sort of action is it to get his pants off?"
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Dmitri
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Post by Dmitri on Jul 13, 2008 10:19:43 GMT -5
Yea, I saw the benefit for rangers, but was having a hard time finding it for anyone else.
I'll have to hit that part again I suppose.
And I didn't see anything about casting in armor, either. No aracane spell failure? That would be different...
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Post by Dmitri on Jul 13, 2008 21:50:42 GMT -5
Yea, I set up a ranger/rogue, who fights just like a ranger, but can find traps. In essence, it makes anyone capable of keeping the party from falling in the big ugly pit or walking thru the arrow trap without being forced to do the rogue class whole heartedly.
I think that might actually be a good thing - I may like playing a rogue, but its not always a good thing. It basically makes anyone capable of trapduty, as long as they train in perception. All they need is a 13 DEX. Kinda nifty, especially because the rogue is very combat oriented now, even with the sneak attack nerf.
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Post by Rincewind on Jul 14, 2008 21:03:02 GMT -5
Adventuring- First, please note that I've finished writing about items. And if you didn't find some of it amusing or at least interesting, I'll refund your money in full. Everything that doesn't involve combat is lumped under "Skill Challenges." This seems to be the closest thing to roleplaying mentioned in 4.0, although they're still roll-playing with your skills. This chapter also finally describes Milestones as "Completing two encounters without stopping for an extended rest." Thank you, telling us that in the previous chapter, or at least giving a page reference, would have been helpful. Extended Rests reset your Action Points to one- so if you didn't have any, you got one, and if you had 5, tough luck. Milestones also give you another use of a daily power of a magical item, and make most rings better after you reach one that day. Ah, here's a gem from the Movement section, pp 260-261. "Your DM might evocatively describe the terrain you pass over, but the encounters along the way are the focus of your adventures." Yeah, screw the DM and his flavor text, GET TO THE HACK AND SLASH!!!! Wow, way to send a message. This is followed by "Sometimes it's important, however, to know how long it takes to get from one encounter to another..." Overland speeds and speeds of different mounts are against listed, including a sailing ship, although again I doubt they tell you how to crew one. And without Profession (Sailor), I have no idea what that would entail. Strength and Athletics checks? The problem with this simplification is that, just because you're strong and dextrous, doesn't mean you have a clue about how a boat works. Put Mr. Universe in a small sailboat by himself and I'll bet you he sinks. Anniehoo.... Under Vision- "Many dungeons are illuminated, since only a few monsters are at home in utter darkness." Well, yeah, since you took their bloody darkvision away. Considering how much life there is in dark caves and such, this is a bit surprising. Now, fearful, loathesome monsters carry torches, I guess. Nah, I'm assuming they're overusing the phosphorescent moss again. Ah yes, plus apparently many monsters have invested in ever-burning torches. Rests- after combat, you need to take a 5 minute rest to regain encounter powers. For etended rests, the 6 hour ones, you can only take one every 12 hours, so counting in the 6 hours of the rest that's nearly once per day, one per 18 hours, anyway. Most extended rests will really be 8 hours long, though, as you will need to keep watches, and will still need at least 6 hours of sleep each.
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Post by Dmitri on Jul 14, 2008 21:54:20 GMT -5
Movement section, pp 260-261. "Your DM might evocatively describe the terrain you pass over, but the encounters along the way are the focus of your adventures."
Wow... missed that piece of brilliance. I understand that most players don't like flavor text as much as I do, but OMG...
I do like the skill challenges concept - though one thing I have mentioned before to individuals, just not posted, is that most of the "fixes" here can easily be included in 3.5 DnD.
Reserve feats can easily be created when not already in the books to give at will powers to casters, flavor text combined with new feats can cover powers of martial characters. I already do "skill challenges" in my games - its called RP experience. You disable a trap, you get XP for the challenge. You negotiate your way through situations that have a potential for failure, you can get XP. Hell, even healing surges could be added without breaking the game - maybe something for some of us 3.5 DMs to think about. Might make playing a cleric more appealing - I know I have always had the most fun playing a cleric who didn't have to play like a medic all the time. I once played in an awesome group that consisted of a druid, ranger, paladin, and a rogue and sorcerer (with lots of Use Magic Device ranks) and me as a cleric. Everyone could heal with wands, and even spells when needed, and everyone had a blast, including me - I actually got to use my combat skills and other casting powers.
Anyway, if anyone has any ideas about ways to incorporate healing surges or some kind of self healing into 3.5 games, let me know. I'd love to at least hash it out and try to come up with a workable method, even if I never use it.
PS - Another interesting thing - I saw no items that increased base stats - did I miss that or was it left out to keep the inflated stats that 3.5 sometimes suffered from out of the game?
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Post by Rincewind on Jul 15, 2008 7:18:51 GMT -5
The items tend to give a bonus to your checks with that stat rather that increasing the stat itself. In some cases, as with the strength belt, this can make it rather confusing regarding how they affect damage and hit rolls. Most of the bonuses like that do not exceed +2 or +3. However, between the more generous character creation guidelines and that you increase TWO stats at regular times (and all stats twice), stat inflation is more part of the game than a function of items.
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Dmitri
Land Owner
D&D Geeks of the World Unite!
Posts: 1,466
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Post by Dmitri on Jul 15, 2008 9:09:05 GMT -5
Yea, I know that stats end up higher, but its built into the game, as opposed to based on gear - I think that might balance damage out better in melee, especially with the rebalancing of Power Attack. And I didn't see anything about casters getting bonus spells per day (or powers or whatever) based on high prime stats.
Mostly I just appreciate the revamping of the 2handers, which was largely based on high STR and the 1.5 damage + 2x PA. It just made everything else in melee kind of pointless - rangers doing two-weapon style, anyone going sword and board, ranged weapons like bows and crossbows... pretty much everything but a greatsword/greataxe/greatclub type of thing.
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