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The idea is nice, but the problem is that the +6 damage is brutal at level one, trivial at level 10. You'd need to go for something like monster level x escalation dice, but that's a bit clunkier than you might like.

There are several ways to spin it: First of all, embrace the improvisation but don't feel forced by it. If you use the icons, just build in smaller flavour elements - perhaps an opponent or two are tainted by the lower planes after rolling 5s for the Diabolist - but you find an useful magic...

A decent way to rationalise it is: the longer the encounter goes, the better the characters get an idea of the ebb and flow of movements and enemy tactics. It's the PCs sizing up the enemy. Why it's one-sided? Because the PCs are the main characters, of course, but also because they are...

Hah, yes. And I think, in fact, that nails it. I think int he context of "old alignment" where shifts meant something, alignment languages, influenced spells and so forth, a shift away from traditional alignment was sensible. What the team didn't realise was that the concept of alignment to...

Note the SRD: 13th Age Wizard (it was linked before, but just in case you haven't seen it) The actual book is written in a slightly more colloquial tone, has better layout and very insightful sidebars and developer comment. But reading the bare mechanics might still give you a good impression...

What also makes a difference is that while many attacks are formalised as power-like parcels, they are surrounded by rather different mechanics: Classes all get unique class features (talents) from a pool - this in addition to powers/spells Area damage and spike damage his very rare outside of...

Or: what 4E lacks is poetry, not latin! It's interesting to see where the 4E naming style comes from, indeed, but (and I say that as 4E fan), they didn't quite have the chops to pull it off in all cases. Some names, like Greyhawk, Earthsea, Mirkwood, seem to have some quality to them a macetail...

I think it's because it's the neatest parts of 3E/4E together, even here: it's easy to play around with individual bits, since the classes and their rules are as modular as in 4E (i.e. there's no underlying interconnectedness, like with 3E spells, monsters, items or class features referencing...

Not to mention that very similar powers are given out (like 3-4 levels later) as encounter powers.

Perhaps. I liked 3.5E, I loved 4E, but with 13th Age, I got a good game that runs what I want. What 5E can offer to me is: ongoing support. So, if they publish great adventures and have strong Eberron support, I'll buy and play it. If not... then not.

Big fan of it as well! I like it, too, because it maps a bit better to real structures, matches well with miniature sculptors' tendency to oversize "hero models" a bit and it also maps nicely to metric by handwaving 1 yard = 1 metre (yeah, it's 0.9m, but it's close enough). As I grew up in a...

Agreeing as well. All spells should get better - that would also encourage using up higher spell level slots later on in the game instead of basically having all your low-level slots for utility and the high level slots for battle. Of course, if I had a say, I'd pair that with culling lower...

Yeah, while the 2E settings suffered from glut and too much stuff, I really like the *vibe* Planescape, Greyhawk, FR and Ravenloft together evoke. I'd really love a Planescape "Lite" that captures the feel, but is nicely adaptable to multiple worlds and settings (you could say it already does...

Hands down, Eberron. It hits the sweet spot for me regarding internal consistency, interesting twists on existing material and playability. I also like that it caters to some modern sensibilities (allowing you to get a feel for the setting without being a history buff) while remaining different...

I'd rather say an individualised adventurer. It's no more specialised than a pyromancer, a quivering palm monk or a chain-wielding fighter. Themed characters aren't exactly something untraditional.

Detect class group? Yeah, it reeks of game-ism when in-world events are suddenly referencing metagame terms. Classes can almost get a pass for that, since they often denote a certain training as well (though you should be able to bluff your well around it with some improv and appropriate...

Well, now they have put skills back, I hope they expand vastly on what tricksters can do with them - and give a decent amount of skills some niche protection now they're no longer vaguely defined "ability checks". Not super hopeful on that, though...

Though, interestingly, you run into a weird effect at high-level 4E: You roll more and more dice, so the damage becomes more and more bell curve-shaped, meaning it's starting to average itself out anyway. For example: - 5d10 damage effect will do 27.5 damage on average - with a standard...

I'd perhaps replace Hypnotism with Beguiling Strands (or Thunderwave if you get a decent push out of it). While the damage isn't that amazing, it's a brilliant minion dropper, allows you to do - albeit spread-out - some damage without getting in the way and some tactical position, too (even if...

With a hp system, that is only an issue if you're close to 0 hp anyway. Additionally, monsters usually have limited powers - which (in 4E) can refresh on a recharge roll and hit harder, that keeps unpredictability in the game as well. In fact, I think the semblance of predictability is nice, it...