Rule-of-Three: 07/03/2012

Wizards of the Coast · Jul 3, 2012

You've got questionsâ??we've got answers! Here's how it worksâ??each week, our Community Manager will be scouring all available sources to find whatever questions you're asking. We'll pick three of them for R&D to answer.

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GX.Sigma · Jul 3, 2012

I hope there are rules for two-weapon fighting even for those who don't spend their resources on it, like in AD&D.

tlantl · Jul 3, 2012

GX.Sigma said:
I hope there are rules for two-weapon fighting even for those who don't spend their resources on it, like in AD&D.

I kind of agree. Pushing this aspect of the game into themes means that you'll have to give up something else to be able to fight with specific styles.

I don't think everything being dumped into the theme pot is going to fly.

Truename · Jul 3, 2012

tlantl said:
I don't think everything being dumped into the theme pot is going to fly.

Themes are just flavorful bundles of feats, so you could potentially take basic two-weapon fighting feats from one theme without blocking out stuff you like from another theme.

UngeheuerLich · Jul 3, 2012

Two weapon fighting should be an option witout a feat like the -2/-4 modifiers in ADnD (as opposed to the -6/-10 modifier which could as well have said: don´t do it)

The theme should make this style more flavourful and reduce the penalty a bit.

erleni · Jul 3, 2012

Once again they're putting too much stuff into feats/themes. Maneuvers, fighting styles, you name it...

By the way they are also taking the wrong way with monsters. Now we'll have "big bag of HP with low accuracy", "small bag of hp with high accuracy and slashing resistance". 4e monsters were the best part of the edition and they are scrapping the whole idea....

UngeheuerLich · Jul 3, 2012

Disagree: an ogre with high HP and low AC works like a brute. That is enough to make him feel different from a brutish human. Which still has normal hp and maybe AC.

Not every creature needs complicated attack patterns. Although of course, some smasging strike for the ogre as a trained maneuver would not hurt. I just would not like to have a "stinkbomb attack for every goblin slinger" and rather have a "stinkbomb" as equippment you just add to a creature and have it listed in its equippment list.
Stats may be repeated in the discription for convenience.

Minigiant · Jul 3, 2012

1) Fighting styles as themes as I expected.

2) I fear that if the Speed of this edition will blur the uniqueness of monsters. If humaniods are so imiliar except for a some feature, equipment change, or ability score switch and the players BLOW THEM UP!, then the player don't get see the change of mechanically effect.

This isn't 4E where monsters stick around and live long enough to pull off their shtick. In 4E, nonminions live long enough to smash, or sneak, or blast. You got a chance to feel the difference between the Vanillas, The French Vanillas, and the Non Vanillas.

But my games of Next play like 3E. Or even MTG. Where "Dies to removal before they do anything" is common. Next is fast. So if the goblin is squished before they get to do anything and the goblin is mechanically very similiar to orcs.... then goblins feel like short orcs.

Maybe 4e spoiled me with its monster survival and unique abilities.

3) Yay! Skill advancement! I want my +10 to jump to Shoryuken a flying dragon.

Bagpuss · Jul 3, 2012

If they move fighting styles into themes I hope they allow the fighter to have multiple fighting based themes.

I've always wanted the fighter as a master-at-arms able to use any weapon of fighting style and adapt to suit his opponent(s).

I'm A Banana · Jul 3, 2012

There is a bit of a worry that themes might end up like Advantage/Disadvantage: The One Solution To All Problems.

Themes I don't think should have EXCLUSIVE access to fighting styles. It's nice to put them in there but if my ranger NEEDS to have the TWF theme in order to have TWF, then I'm giving up something else for that, and that's not entirely cool.