D20 Netbook of Expansion

[thepencilandpaperguy]

Originally Posted by Recluse

I would like to point out to everyone a few misconceptions I think are going around.

First, I've demoed 4th Edition (and I have a copy of Keep on the Shadowfell's quick-play rules, which is better than nothing). It's not as bad as some of you make it out to be, and in fact, I believe it solves a great many problems I've seen over the years I've played 3.0-3.5 rules.

First, they did not 'get rid of' bards or druids. They just didn't release them in the Player's Handbook. Like 3rd edition, there will be many books released down the road offering new classes and races, and you can be sure that those two will see the light of day again... eventually.

One of the main problems that 4E solves is the usefulness of 1st-level casters. A few sources (like the 3E Warlock) got the right idea of giving casters offensive capabilities that could be used over and over again. If you've ever played a wizard just starting out, you know the pain of casting your three magic missiles for the day in the first encounter and feeling useless until you are allowed to sleep again. Now, magic missile is an at-will power, and casters may rejoice.

Classes seem more balanced against each other with the use of powers, a kind of common format given to all the combat capabilities of every class. Now, rather than hoping that a sixth-level fighter's damage per round is roughly equal to a sixth-level sorcerer's fireball, there is actually a basis for measurement. You can compare the powers available for wizards and fighters at sixth level, and see that they are roughly equal in power.

All in all, the 4E rules seem less about subscribing to a standard of realism in the fantasy world, and more about making a balanced, fun game. That said, there are some things I don't agree with. For example, it doesn't appear that you can use some of the special combat actions anymore - you have to have a class feature or power that will let you use them. While it's realistic to think that wizards or rangers could trip, disarm, grapple, or push someone over if they really needed to, the 3.5 rules that let anyone and everyone do so just seemed to slow things down.

Bottom line: If you enjoy faster-paced gameplay with less arguing about rules and more play, try Fourth edition. If you like realism to the point of creating a mountain of rules to bicker over (an endless source of enjoyment for me, I assure you), stick with 3.5. There's a lot more to it than that, but that's the Reader's Digest version; I don't want to bore you with too many details.

Yes, they're going to release a new core 3 every year, at $40 a pop, US, so, as a DM, that means that I'll have to shell out a min of 120 per annum or listen to the players whine about what I'm not lettin them do/play. Throw in the online-only portion, and that I've allready blown thousands on 3.5, and, no thanks, they can keep it.

That and our group is boycotting anything new from WotC ever since Dragon Magazine was slain. (Though I do subscribe to Pathfinder.)