Ampersand: Sneak Attack

[Lizard]

Hunh.

Very nice and interesting. I'm assuming there's a LOT more talents in the 'real' version, but what we've seen thus far is quite interesting.

SEE, WOTC? When you stop telling us about how tall halflings are and START showing us the real meat of the system, even us whiny grognards shut up.

Overall, I like it. Some specific things I like:
The fact that a talent can be magnified by a fighting style. Why do I like this? Opportunity to add new styles, and thus change the way a single talent works.
Sneak Attack damage isn't quite as overwhelming, balancing the fact it seems to be much easier.
Non-stupid names for the abilities. No 'Leaping Wombat Strike' crap.
Talents dependent on trained skills, making skill training more than just a +5.

Things I don't like:
TOO FEW GOD DAMN SKILLS! With 6 skills out of 10 total, there's going to be a lot of overlap in rogues. This is a flaw of 4e design which is going to be hard to overcome. And 'Thievery' is just waaaay too broad. (Unless there's a lot more to skills 'under the hood' than there currently seems to be..)

Dammit, WOTC. You might be selling me on this thing. If you'd posted cool stuff like this six months ago, we could all have been spared a lot of grief.

 

[EATherrian]

Interesting, but there are some points I don't like. I'm a huge fan of rolling for HPs, this is still a game afterall, so I'll add that back in to the games I run. The skill list is very shallow. I'm a fan of the "useless" skills like the various knowledges, professions, and crafts. I need to see the whole deal before I can really decide what to do about skills though.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Yeah really when it comes to skills, those are only the class skills for all we know there could be 200 other skill (obvious exaggeration but the point holds).

 

[Lizard]

Not a lot of weapon options, there.

I assume you'll be able to blow feats/talents on weapon training, or cross-train to fighter. Frankly, I like it. I'd have preferred something more like "Pick 3 out of the following 10", but this works. I *do not* like "Masters of all arms" style games, and the 3e fighter is particularly egregious example of this. (One of the few, few, few areas where 1e/2e got it right over 3e, IMO)

 

[mach1.9pants]

Have you read Worlds & Monster?
<SNIP>

Whoops! OK DnD was based on quasi europe in the middle ages, and now it is not. Didn't really get that into my thick head to mean that the 'base' cultural weapons can be from anywhere.
So, therefore, there will never be a OA version 4E, oh well it was one of my favs ...

 

[Lucius Drake]

The only thing I didn't really like at first glance is that there appears to be a very limited amount that a rogue can use as a weapon.

On the other hand, a few aberrant examples notwithstanding, every rogue I can remember has used a light blade.

There may well be weapon training options that allow for a broader range, or perhaps it is simply a decision that must be made. If one cross-classes then perhaps certain powers mix rather well.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Well it may not be called OA but there could certainly be a setting that is more specific to those things.

 

[MaelStorm]

Whoops! OK DnD was based on quasi europe in the middle ages, and now it is not. Didn't really get that into my thick head to mean that the 'base' cultural weapons can be from anywhere.
So, therefore, there will never be a OA version 4E, oh well it was one of my favs ...

Not entirely gone, but a much less predominant influence.

 

[hong]

That there's a monster labelled "oni" in W&M would seem to suggest there will be an OA at some stage.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

The only thing I didn't really like at first glance is that there appears to be a very limited amount that a rogue can use as a weapon.

On the other hand, a few aberrant examples notwithstanding, every rogue I can remember has used a light blade.

There may well be weapon training options that allow for a broader range, or perhaps it is simply a decision that must be made. If one cross-classes then perhaps certain powers mix rather well.

It honestly doesn't faze me that much since when I was still worried about whether there would be basic/martial/exotic I was already planning on breaking it down to the point where basically anyone can use any weapon within reason.