Player's Handbook 2: I haz it

[davethegame]

Myself, along with a number of other excellent bloggers, have received preview copies of PHB2. We are all working together to put together a pretty big event around it starting March 13th, and hopefully a series of other supplementary articles about the release.

In the meantime, however, I am allowed to answer questions (both here and on my site. The ground rules are that I won't post any actual excerpts or solid game content, and I reserve the right to not answer any questions that I don't think are right to answer (or my answer might be: buy the book!) I'm sure everybody understands that it's a pretty big deal that I've gotten a copy, and so I'm doing my best to repay that favor... and I really do want everybody to go out and buy it.

So, with that all said, fire away...

 

[LightPhoenix]

Can you give a brief overview of what's in the book?

 

[Drakhar]

Barb AC issue fixed?

 

[Nymrohd]

How are shifters handled? Multiple options like the genasi? How many?
Is weapon expertise still around? Implement expertise?
Are the decent feat options for builds that use implement powers? PHB focused on martial and had far better feats for weapons and melee . . .
How does the Valor Bard build look? Are the powers all weapon based?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Could you give the names of the Gnome racial feats, and a general idea of what they do?

Thanks.

 

[Scribble]

What's the deal with the Bard rituals? Are they realy just rituals that only bards can use? Or is there something else to that?

 

[Siberys]

How are shifters handled? Multiple options like the genasi? How many?
Is weapon expertise still around? Implement expertise?

These x2.

 

[weem]

I was curious about the Stealth updates (on DDI they show it in the table of contents preview at the end of the book)... are these major changes to how stealth works, or just some minor updates, etc

Thanks in advance!

 

[Plane Sailing]

Do they have any better feats for existing arcane casters (who were pretty poorly done by in PHB1 and haven't had their own splatbook like martial heroes with extra stuff yet)?

Cheers

 

[underthumb]

I’m sure everybody understands that it’s a pretty big deal that I’ve gotten a copy, and so I’m doing my best to repay that favor…and I really do want everybody to go out and buy it.

I don't want this to sound mean, but don't you think that the above sentence is a little problematic? You want us to buy it, and you feel strongly obliged to the company that gave you a pre-release version of it. This can clearly color your own judgements.

I suppose we could just ask you yes/no questions about what the book does and does not include, but I guess I'm not sure what your intent is.